A Guide to the Parts of a Garage Door System

Everything’s Fine with the Garage Door Until It Isn’t

Most people overlook the complexity of a garage door – You press a button, and it opens. Press the button again, and it closes – that is until it stops working and requires garage door services.

When that happens, you’ll need to get to the root of the problem. To help you figure out whether your garage door just needs some TLC or it’s time to call in an expert for garage door installation in Katy, TX, it helps to understand the various parts that make a garage door work. For a guide to the parts of a garage door system, read on.

Doing the Heavy Lifting: The Garage Door Motor

The Motor

The garage door motor is the muscle behind your door. If there’s an issue with your garage door opener, it may be with the circuit board, capacitor or gears. The brain of the motor is the circuit board, also called a logic board. It is what sends instructions to the different parts of your garage door.

There are a few adjustments you can make on the motor, for instance, if the door doesn’t close all the way, you can adjust the force used to open and close the door, as well as change the distance that the door travels. Your owner’s manual can guide you on what other adjustments you can make during garage door maintenance.

The capacitor is a cylinder that looks somewhat like a battery. It regulates the power used to open and close the garage door.

Finally, the gears are inside the garage door motor housing. They are connected to a sprocket that sticks out the top of the motor. That sprocket turns the chain that runs through a rail, that connects to the garage door, to make it move.

Remotes, Wall Buttons, & Keypads

There are three ways for your garage door opener to operate: the wall button, a remote, and a keypad. When you press any of those buttons, it sends a signal that tells the unit to open or close the garage door. The motor then pulls the door up or guides it down.

Many people use their garage door remote or keypad every day, however, it’s important to remember that they are battery operated. If one of them are not working, they may need new batteries.

When you first installed your garage door opener, you needed to program the remote controllers and the keypad. Sometimes, however, they need reprogramming from a garage door company. If that is the case, simply pull out the owner’s manual for your garage door opener and follow the steps again.

The Sensors

When you tap the button to operate the garage door opener, it is also monitoring signals from the sensors telling the motor if it’s safe to close the door. The sensors are located on either side of the garage door, just above the ground, and are an important safety feature that keeps kids and pets from getting stuck in a closing garage door.

They contain two parts – the beam that sends out the signal and the receiver. If something comes between the beam and the receiver, it sends a signal telling the garage motor not to close the door. If your sensors are out of alignment, it will also prevent the door from closing.

Keeping the Parts of a Garage Door Running Smoothly

How Does it Sound?

Because we are in and out of them so often, we use the garage door without a second thought. However, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on your garage door to ensure it’s working properly. For example, pay attention to the way that your garage door sounds so that when it sounds different, you’ll notice sooner if something is going wrong. It’s normal to have some rumbling and creaking, but when they become louder, have increased vibrations, or make popping sounds, it’s time to investigate.

The Rollers

It’s important to pay attention to how your garage door rolls. If it doesn’t move smoothly, take a closer look at the wheels. The wheels that roll inside the tracks have bearings in them designed to make garage doors roll smoothly. If your wheels are metal, they’ll perform better when they are well lubricated, using a lubricant designed specifically for a garage door. Using oil or the wrong kind of lubricant can corrode your tracks and make a gunky mess on the wheels and your garage floor. When you see signs of wear on the wheels, you should schedule garage door replacement immediately.

The Tracks

Garage doors run on tracks located on each side of the door. It’s essential that these tracks are aligned, level, and free of obstructions or debris. This helps keep the door running smoothly.

Spring, Cables & Pulleys

Remember to take a look at the springs, cables, and pulleys. If something looks amiss we do not recommend fixing it yourself. They hold a lot of potential energy and in the hands of an inexperienced person, can severely injure.

When Your Garage Door Needs Professional Care

Garage doors are a great convenience that we often take for granted. However, if you take care of it, it will take care of you. And now that you know more about the parts of a garage door, you should find that taking care of it is a little easier, or at least know when it’s time to call in the professionals.

Ohana Garage Door Repair is a family-owned business serving Katy, Richmond, Fulshear, Brookshire, Cypress, and surrounding areas of west Houston. Customer service is our favorite part of the job because we really do care about people!

Whether you need garage door repair service or a new garage door, contact one of our friendly, experienced garage door experts today at (281) 623-4335 to schedule an appointment.