A: In order to take the measurements of your garage door measure the width of the opening width and height.  The measurements are always displayed as width first then height.  For example if your garage door opening is 8 feet wide, 7 feet tall it would be said as “8 by 7” (8x7).  If you need a technician to come by and give you a free estimate call Five Towns Garage Doors in Long Island and we will give you the proper measurements.

Q: If I repair one spring do I need to repair the other?  What happens if I don’t?

A: 99.9% of the time when you repair/replace one spring, the other one needs to be replaced as well.  Do not risk just fixing one because it may work temporarily but the question is for how long, until your warranty expires and then it snaps again? If a professional recommends that you repair/replace both, take their advice because almost 100% of the time that is the case.  Why? Because when one spring is broken, the other one is under a lot of tension. 

Q: Every time I lift my garage door I hear a loud repetitive banging what could this mean?

A: It could mean that your garage door springs need repair.  Definitely have a professional repair your garage door.  Spring repairs have high risk of injuries and in some cases could be fatal.  It is strongly advised that you do not repair it unless you are an expert. 

Q: What is the purpose of a Safety Cable?

A: The purpose of a safety cable is to keep a broken garage door spring from swinging around in the garage.  The only difference between a safety cable and a garage door cable is that the safety cables are lighter in weight.  They are fastened to the track or wall by the stationary pulleys and laced through the garage door springs.  They connect to the same support that the garage door springs are connected to.  They are easy to install and take less than an hour to install a pair.

Q: What is the difference between a belt drive and a chain drive on a garage door opener?

A: The belt drive means that there is a smooth belt running along the tracks of the garage door opener causing smooth, inaudible operation.  With Five Town Garage doors this will only cost $50 more than the chain, belt is highly recommended for residential garage doors.  The chain drive has a noisy chain running along the opener’s tracks.  It’s very noisy but sturdy and durable, highly recommended for commercial garage doors; cheapest drive in the market.

Q: When I push the button on the garage door opener, it won’t do anything; nothing happens.  What should I do?

A: First you need to check if the opener is actually plugged into the electrical outlet.  Confirm that the power coming out of the outlet or just plug the opener into another outlet with a temporary extension cord.  If there is power to the operating motor then that means there is some type of electrical or mechanical problem with the garage door opener itself and needs to be serviced by a professional technician.

Q: How do I know when my garage door opener is too old and needs to be replaced?

A: If your garage door opener is over 10 years old it should definitely be looked at.  Chances are it does not have the latest safety features.  Many of the older garage door openers do not have safety eyes and motion sensors to detect when there is an obstruction in the way of the garage doorway path.  This safety feature is extremely important especially if you have pets or children.  Read online about the type of model you have or call our local garage door company in five towns Long Island NY, seek consultation or have a technician come out and take a look.

Q: I hit my garage door with my car which damaged the sections on my garage door.  Can they bereplaced?

A: Yes.  Your garage door sections can be replaced as long as the sections are still available. That means that some garage doors may have sections that are no longer being manufactured and it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to match.  In most cases the price to replace to sections can be just as much as the cost of a brand new garage door replacement which would be way more worth it because that entails a new track and spring system, all the fitted hardware and new door sections included.

Q: If both of my transmitters stop working simultaneously, should I try changing the remote control batteries?

A:  It is highly unlikely that batteries in both of the remotes would die at the same time; the problem may be the radio receiver that is in the garage.  It can also possibly be that the inside operator itself is the problem and is no longer sending power to the receiver unit.   Keep in mind, some garage door opener units have the receiver and logic board combined together on the solid state circuit board.  For situations like these the best thing to do is to hire a professional from five towns garage door Repair Company in Long island to come and diagnose the problem.