How LED Lights Interfere With A Garage Doors Performance
The most common DIY repairs are those related to remote interference with your garage door’s performance. Sometimes, the laser sensors on either side of the garage door are out of alignment. Or, you may have to reprogram the remote’s signal. Now, led lights can interfere with frequencies emitted by your remote control, interrupting your garage door’s performance. Learn All About The Downside Of LED Lights And Garage Doors How do LED lights interfere with garage door opening/closing? All garage door mechanisms have a light bulb that illuminates whenever the door is opened or closed, and if the door is switched into a safety mode or when you first switch it from the automatic system to the manual mode (typically indicated by a flashing light). In order to promote energy-efficiency, garage door manufacturers have migrated away from the use of more energy-consumptive incandescent bulbs to more efficient options such as fluorescent or LED lights. LED lights are the most efficient options of all. According to energy.gov, LED light bulbs are as much as 80% more efficient than incandescent bulbs and upwards of 20% or more efficient than fluorescent. Plus, the bulbs last up to 10 years, which means you should only have to replace them once or twice over the course of your garage door’s lifetime. Pulse-width modulation and interfering megahertz (MHz) One of the reasons LED lights are so efficient is that they have a high pulse-width modulation. This rapid pulsing is invisible to the naked eye but reduces the amount of time the light is actually “on” or using electricity. Most LED lights have a pulse-width modulation rate of about 15 times per second. However, they run on a radio frequency of 30 and 300 megahertz (MHz). Your garage door opener operates between around 288 and 360 MHz. When those two frequencies are emitted at the same time, the LED lights cause interference that can override the signal from your garage door opener. Troubleshooting potential interference with your garage doors performance Review these troubleshooting tips if your garage door isn’t opening and closing like it should when you use the remote control. Could it be other LED lights? The LED light in your garage door opener may not be the problem. As LED lights have become the norm in the holiday and decorative twinkle light market, garage door interference is increasing. Unplug any decorative lights to see if they are the culprits instead. Check the LED bulb manufacturer. The large majority of LED-related garage door interference is caused by cheap, foreign-made LED lights. Try replacing cheap, foreign-made LED light bulbs with a higher-quality LED bulbs. If it doesn’t fix the issue, you can always return the new bulbs and get your money back. Genie LED lights are intentionally designed to prevent garage door signal interference. They cost a bit more but are well worth it. Switch out your garage light fixtures. It could be LED lights in existing garage door light fixtures that are causing the problem. Switch their bulbs as well to see if that does the trick. Or, you may need to switch the garage light fixtures out for more contemporary options. Additional garage door troubleshooting tips If the garage door still isn’t operating correctly, it may not be the LED lights at all. In that case, continue down this list of additional garage door troubleshooting tips. Check the power source. There is nothing more embarrassing to a homeowner who’s diligently troubleshot their garage door, only to have a tech come out and…plug it back in. Make sure the garage door opener is plugged in to an outlet that has power. If it’s plugged in, unplug it and plug something else in to ensure the outlet has power. You may need to reset a tripped breaker. Verify the control pad is unlocked. Most garage door openers have a lock function on their control pad as a garage door safety feature. If it was locked by mistake, your door will work again as soon as the control pad is unlocked. Replace the batteries in the remote(s). When’s the last time you changed your garage remote’s batteries? If the door opens and closes via the hardwired button on the garage door wall, but fails when you use the remote, tired or dead batteries may be the culprits. Try reprogramming the remotes. Every once in a while, the garage door remote’s signal gets wiped out (or is interfered with by competing signals from the surrounding environment. Follow the garage door manufacturer’s instructions on how to reprogram the remote. If you can’t find the manual, just search the make/model (written on the automatic door opener’s exterior) and “how to reprogram the remote” in your search engine to find online instructions. Contact your garage door contractor. It may be that it’s time to contact your garage door technician to come to take a look. Whether the problem is related to LED lights or not, the technician will know exactly how to identify and repair the issue. We Can Improve Your Garage Doors Performance Are you looking for a Bay Area garage door contractor you can trust? Contact us here at R&S Erection of Vallejo. We can talk you through some basic troubleshooting tips and are happy to send a technician out to take care of the problem ASAP.
How To Properly Lubricate Your Garage Door
Is your garage door louder and squeakier than normal? Odds are it is calling out for some much-needed lubrication. Lubricating moving garage door parts, hinges, and springs are part of routine garage door maintenance and should be done at least once per year. In addition to ensuring your garage door opens and closes more quietly, a well-maintained door is safer – and lasts longer – than its lesser-maintained counterpart. Lubricate Your Garage Door While licensed garage door contractors are happy to do this work for you, DIYers can easily lubricate their own garage doors by following these simple steps. Close the door and unplug the operator The first step is to close your garage door and then unplug the garage door motor box. Sometimes, the plug is easily accessible and you can unplug it without much fuss. If the plug is at an awkward angle, or hard to reach, skip that step and cut power to the door via the circuit breaker. Test the garage door opener again to make sure power has been cut, so there is no risk of electrocution or of the door opening while you’re working on it. Clean the garage door tracks Sometimes, a noisy garage door has more to do with dirty, debris-laden tracks than anything else. Before you do anything else, place your doors in the fully closed position. If the tracks (the rails on each side that serve as the guide the door slides up/down upon) are excessively dirty, use a broom to sweep away larger cobwebs, leaves, twigs, and debris. A vacuum is also a handy way to suck up excess debris and to access harder-to-reach spaces. Once the bulk of the larger debris is cleaned off, use a soft, damp cloth and run it up, down, and around the tracks – removing any remaining dirt, dust, or grime. Extra dirty or grimy tracks that haven’t been cleaned in a while benefit from an automotive brake cleaner, which will dissolve away stubborn grime. Use a lithium-based lubricant specific to garage doors Do NOT use WD-40 or other, standard de-greasers – and never use oil – to lubricate your garage door. While these products may seem to work at first, their makeup attracts more dirt and grime, which gums up the system. Instead, speak to your local hardware store about lithium-based lubricants, some of which are specific to garage door lubrication. The best options come in an aerosol or spray can. Where to lubricate your garage door Now, it’s time to start lubricating. Read the spray can’s instructions to ensure you’re using it safely and as directed. It’s a good idea to wear safety goggles and gloves to minimize contact with your eyes and skin. Wear a mask if you’re sensitive to chemicals or strong smells. You’ll want to spray the following locations: Hinges. Manually roll the door up, little by little, and spray each of the hinges that hold the panels together at the bends. Just one or two sprays should be enough to thoroughly coat the entirety of the hinges. Rollers. The rollers are those circular disks that roll/slide up and down the track. Inside each roller are small ball bearings. Use the straw or thin attachment to direct the lubricant into the ball bearings and wipe away excess lubricant. Skip this step if your rollers are nylon, rather than metal. Springs and bearing plates. Look toward the top of your garage door and you’ll see a big spring, and each side of the spring is secured at the edge of the door by bearing plates. The circular bearing plates are also moving parts. Use a stepladder or a safe, solid object you can stand on to comfortably reach them. Spray the lubricant towards the center of each bearing plate and on each side of the spring. Manually open/close the door two or three times, enabling the lubricant to distribute more evenly around the moving parts. NOTE: if the springs seem bent, broken or damaged, call a licensed garage door repair company and have them replace the part. Lock and armbar. Give a small burst of lubricant inside the lock to prevent rusting, and then spray lubricant along the armbar that runs along the top of your garage door. Top of the rail. The rail is the arm of the garage door that runs from the top of the door, back to the opener motor, and the chain runs along the top. Lubricating the top of the bar, along the chain, keeps the door operating smoothly and efficiently. We recommend consulting your garage door manual (most are available online by searching the manufacturer/model) and adhering to their recommendations for lubricating the garage door motor. Congratulations! You’ve officially lubricated your garage door. Now that you’re done, it’s time to reconnect the power and give your garage a test open and close to see if you notice a difference. If it’s still noisy, isolate where the sound is coming from and see if it could use a bit more lubricant. If it’s still making a screeching or grinding sound, contact your local garage door installer and schedule an appointment for an inspection. Hire A Professional Have a question about the right way to lubricate your garage door? Need to schedule a routine garage door maintenance appointment? Give us a call here at R&S Erection in Vallejo at (707) 644-5537.
How To Avoid Garage Door Repair Scams
While there are home and business owners who perform professional-quality DIY repairs and garage door maintenance, they are an exception. Most of the time, licensed garage door installers are called in to get the job done. The last thing you want is to call a garage door professional for a single repair, only to hear a laundry list of recommended repairs and replacements that seem ingenuine or fake. Don’t Fall Prey To Repair Scams Sometimes they are honest and accurate, and other times they are scamming unknowing civilians in an attempt to make more money. How do you know which is genuine, and which is a scam? Work with the same, trusted garage door installer whenever possible Customer-centric contractors enjoy long-term, high-quality, and loyal relationships every bit as much as their customers do. This is why we recommend meeting with at least three different contractors when you first install or replace your garage door. You’ll get a feel for their customer service reps and their staff, and can pick the one that seems the most genuine and trustworthy. Then, over the course of time and various maintenance and repair appointments, you’ll build a positive rapport. That is the best way to avoid garage door repair scams and know that you can trust the information you’re hearing. Maintain your garage door as per manufacturer’s instructions If you maintain your garage door as per the manufacturer’s instructions, you’re rarely going to require a suspect list of repairs or parts replacement. This is because a well-maintained garage door has fewer issues, and continued maintenance extends its lifetime. Of course, over time, certain parts will require replacement, but it’s typically going to happen at a more routine pace, and the explanation (and demonstration) of “why” the repairs are necessary should make sense. Look for a marked vehicle and clear identification or credentials High-quality, reliable garage door companies use marked vans or trucks, employ their own technicians on their payroll, and the technicians are identified by their uniform and name tags. Often, companies out to scam people, raking in money on upsells or unnecessary repair and replacement charges hire contracted technicians that drive their own vehicles and have no real attachment or loyalty to any one company – they only care about maximizing their take of the total bill. You want your garage door repair technician to: Work for a company with an established address and professional work history in your area Drive a truck, van or car with a company logo Provide a detailed estimate (and explanation) of recommended repairs Leave the ultimate decision to you, without any pressure or guilt Work for a company with vetted, recent customer referrals they willingly supply upon request. Have the technician demonstrate and explain his/her recommendations If you hear a laundry list of repair or replacement recommendations, and it has you on edge, ask for a demonstration and explanation. The repair technician should be able to show you the parts he’s referring to and explain why they aren’t working up to par. You should feel educated about his recommendations but without any pressure to do something against your will. Call the company’s main office immediately if the technician performs repairs without your approval Often, garage door repair scammers repair or replace parts (or said they did) without any prior approval from you. Then, they become “put out” or antagonistic if you balk at paying for charges you didn’t authorize. Playing on your guilt, they’ll make up reasons why it was necessary, and you may find yourself pressured to pay. Don’t! If this happens to you, contact their head office immediately and ask to speak to a supervisor to explain the situation. You should never have to pay for any repairs or replacements that you didn’t approve or request. Know just enough about garage doors to feel legitimately suspicious of repair scams There are a few basic tenets of garage doors and parts that are worth knowing so you can sniff out a scam artist before he gets the best of you: Springs. Garage doors rely on springs to operate, and springs are designed for a certain number of openings/closings. For example, they come in 15,000, 25,000 or 50,000 rated life cycles. The difference in price can be upwards of $100. So, if he recommends a spring replacement on a hardly-used garage, don’t let him sell you a “lifetime springs with a 50,000 cycle rating” or else you’re overpaying. Rollers. Rollers cost less than $10 each and only have to be replaced one at a time. If your technician shows you three worn rollers and wants to replace those three, he’s legitimate. If he shows you one worn roller and wants to replace the entire set – it’s a potential scam. Motors. Sometimes, the motor still works, but a gear isn’t working. If this is the case, the motor runs but the chain doesn’t move. Gears can be replaced without requiring an entire motor replacement, which saves you money. Balance. Garage doors often have to be rebalanced, but you can test this on your own. Unhook the garage door motor from the door and manually raise the door to about halfway. If it’s balanced, it will remain in place or move just a little bit. If it comes crashing down, it’s out of balance. Hire A Pro Ultimately, the best way to avoid garage door scams is to work with a locally-owned, licensed garage door company with a good reputation in the area. Ready to work with garage door technicians you can trust? Contact us here at R&S Erection of Vallejo.
10 Not So Obvious Signs That It’s Time To Replace A Garage Door
Have you noticed your garage door isn’t working as well as it used to? Are you starting to suspect there’s a serious issue with your garage door? Has it been a while since you had your garage door repaired or replaced? Knowing the most common indications you need a new garage door is essential—even if your door is working well now. After all, while proper garage door maintenance matters, sometimes a new one is the best option. In this post, we’ll fill you in on the top 10 signs you need to replace a garage door. Acting quickly—and getting in touch with qualified professionals—is an important step when it comes to preventing injury or even death due to a faulty garage door. Subtle Signs Your Garage Door Needs Replacing If you notice any of these signs, don’t delay. Reach out to an expert and get the issue fixed immediately. It Suddenly Reverses Direction One of the most obvious signs you need a new garage door? It starts to close, but then it reverses direction. Many people incorrectly think the problem is with the garage door opener, but it’s usually not the case. First, make sure there’s nothing underneath your door as it may be reversing due to some kind of obstruction. If that’s not the issue, you may be dealing with old sensors, worn pulley systems, or even an extension spring cable that needs replacing. In some cases, a repair may not be enough. You may need to replace a garage door instead. It Opens Incredibly Slowly Patience may be a virtue, but a garage door that takes what feels like forever to open is a sure sign of trouble. You may need to click your garage door opener several times before you see any response. But even then, you feel like things would be faster if you just pushed your garage door open on your own. In most cases, this signals a broken torsion spring. It Closes on Its Own If your garage door closes without warning, you need to replace your garage door immediately. This is a serious safety issue that could lead to injury, partial paralysis, and potentially even death. It doesn’t matter if your garage door slams shut or closes slowly without warning. Don’t ignore this issue. It’s a sign that your springs are worn down and need to be replaced. Tell family members to avoid the garage until this is fixed. It Opens Unexpectedly Is your garage door opening on its own? If so, this is as much of an issue as a door that closing suddenly and without any use of the garage door opener. In some cases, this could be caused by a sensor that isn’t aligned properly. There may also be an issue with the springs. Remember that burglars can easily sneak into your home through an open garage door. In other words. this is a problem you need to fix at once. You Spot Track Misalignment Especially if your garage door is a bit on the older side, you may be able to spot track misalignment on your own. This isn’t something you can fix yourself as it’s incredibly dangerous. It’s also a sure sign you’re in need of a replacement. The Garage Door Doesn’t Close All the Way You definitely need a new garage door if yours doesn’t close all the way. Maybe it closes on one side but not on the other. Perhaps it just stops halfway down. Even if you notice a slight gap between the ground and the bottom of your garage door, you need to act quickly. There’s likely an issue with the torsion spring or cable. It Makes Strange Noises Is your garage door making grinding noise that seriously grates on your ears? It is squeaking and scraping? If so, this is a sure sign of a problem. In some cases, parts of it just may be in need of a bit of lubrication. You shouldn’t attempt to do this on your own, however, as you can easily make the problem worse. If you hear scraping sounds, the issue is likely with your bearing plate. You may also have an alignment issue on your hands. These unpleasant noises clearly signal a problem—so call in the professionals as soon as you can. The Temperature Isn’t Consistent Have you realized your heating and cooling bill has gone way up lately? Are you able to stay cool in one part of your garage but feel like you’re burning hot in another? Do you just feel as though your garage isn’t properly insulated? You shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable. Call a professional. The Door Is Seriously Warped Because your garage door is constantly exposed to light and humidity, it can quite easily become warped. This can also happen because the door isn’t balanced correctly. In most cases, you can’t fix this issue. A total garage door replacement will be necessary. There’s a Delay in Response You’ve pressed your garage door opener numerous times, but nothing is happening. Maybe your garage door does eventually open or close, but there’s a serious lag in the overall response time. This is yet another sign it’s time to get a new garage door. Need To Replace A Garage Door? Have you experienced any of these signs that you should replace a garage door? If so, don’t entrust your garage door’s safety and functionality to anyone less than the best. Whether you need to repair your garage door or replace it completely, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us to learn more about what we do, and don’t spend another moment operating an unsafe garage door!
Three Reasons Your Garage Door Won’t Open
We’ve all experienced the confusion and slight amount of panic that happens when you’re in your car, ready to end the day, and your garage door won’t open. It’s okay. It happens to all of us. Nonetheless, it is stressful and incredibly annoying. Here are the three big reasons your garage door won’t open: The Springs On Your Garage Door Are Broken If you happened to hear a loud banging noise just a few minutes earlier, that means your torsion springs – one of them, at least – is broken. It’s okay. That’s what happens to torsion springs, they can only be used so many times, and eventually, they just wear out. One way to check if your torsion springs are broken is by checking to see if the garage door appears slightly crooked and if it appears to be misaligned or oddly proportioned. If this is the case and you do have broken torsion springs, do not under any circumstances, try to fix them yourself. It can be very dangerous to do so, and you should hire a professional who knows what he or she is doing and can fix the problem without too much of an effort. Your Garage Door Is Off Of The Track Every garage door runs on a metal track. This track guides its movements and, with the help of the torsion springs, it’s able to open and close. To fix this – again, this supposes that you can access the inside of your garage – take a look at the track itself and try to see if there are any gaps, bends, or things that may hinder successful movement. To fix this, loosen the screws of the frame, use a mallet to tap the track back into position, and then tighten the screws. A rubber mallet works best. The “Disconnect” Switch Has Been Activated Every garage door comes with a switch that allows you to open up the door manually. This is for power outages and events where you may need/want to open the door by yourself. Some of these switches are electronic, but most of them are manually operated and easy to switch on and off. If you don’t know where the switch is, try to find the garage door and then find a switch that is right by it, often near the ceiling. Pull the switch to back or forward, depending on where it’s at currently, and then try to open the door using your garage door opener. If it works – and chances are, it will work – then you’ve solved your problem! If it doesn’t, that could mean that the springs are broken or something else. In that case, give us a call at (707) 644-5537, and don’t forget, we do emergency services so we’re always there to help!
Three Reasons Your Garage Door Won’t Close
We’ve all been there. You’ve just parked your car. You’re about to go inside, and you’re pressing the little button but your garage door won’t close. It doesn’t work. You try it again. It still doesn’t work. This goes on for some time, and by the end of it all, it still hasn’t closed. Unfortunately, the reasons for this are a complete mystery. If this is currently what you’re facing, take a deep breath and understand that we’re going to help you fix this problem. It’s okay. We’ve all been there, and we can help you fix it. As for the reasons, we’ll get into them in a minute. But before you try to do anything else, there are a few things that you can check to see if they may be the cause of your problem. In your hand, there is that little remote that transmits the signal to the garage. That signal tells the garage to “Close.” If the batteries are dead, the remote can’t send the signal. Some of the remotes display a light that indicates if there are batteries in the remote and if the remote can send the signal. Sad to say, not all garage door remotes come with this light. Test out some new batteries if there is no light. The source of the problem may just be that the batteries are dead. One other thing to check before getting deep into problem-solving is to check the sides of the garage door. In the early nineties, garage doors started having these things called “Photo Eyes” built into them. These “Eyes” are sensors that detect any object that may get damaged by the garage door. It was meant as a safety precaution, and as such, you need to check the sides where the sensors are to remove anything that might be in the way. Now let’s get into the three big reasons that might be why your garage door won’t close: Your Garage Door Track Is Out of Alignment Your garage door runs on something called a “garage door track.” Creative name, I know. This track allows the garage door to move up and down and to close properly. If the Garage Door Track is out of alignment, this prevents the garage door from closing or opening. To check if this is the case, look at both sides of the track and see if there are any gaps in between the rails or if there are any bends in the rails. If there are, then that means that your garage door track is out of alignment, and we need to fix it. One thing to do before attempting any fixes is to see if the door moves at all by pressing the button on your remote. If it does, that’s a good sign. If it doesn’t, then you really shouldn’t do this yourself and you should hire a professional who knows what he is doing. To fix it, loosen the screws that hold the frame up, tap the track with a mallet to move it back into position, make sure it’s straight, then tighten the screws securely. Do this with the other tracks, too, because they may also be out of alignment. Your Transmitters May Have Something Wrong with Them Make sure the antenna is hanging from the receiver in your garage. Check to make sure nothing is obstructing or blocking it. Inspect the receiver for any damage. If there is, then you need to hire a garage door technician to fix the problem. Two other potential solutions have to do with changing the frequency of the transmitter and reprogramming it. However, those two options are unnecessary. Focus on checking for any obstructions or potential damage and act accordingly. Your Springs Are Broken If you’ve been trying to close your door, and before you did, you heard a loud banging noise, that’s a good sign that the springs on your garage door are broken. The springs are the most crucial part of the garage door. They take the door and allow it to move up and down. If either of the two springs is broken – one on both sides – this prevents the garage door from opening. Springs eventually break due to the limited number of times they can be used. Don’t try to fix this yourself. It’s very dangerous. Hire a professional who can help you.
