Garage Door problems

nicole · 11-01-2011, 11:01 AM

Our garage door got stuck coming down this morning but kept running and started to buckle. We were able to get it back down. My husband inspected it-can really see nothing that made it happen. We would like to have a professional come take a look. Any suggestions as to who we should call? We live in Laconia.

Thank you very much!
Nicole

Paugus Bay Resident · 11-01-2011, 12:44 PM

We've used Laurent in Laconia a couple of times and were very happy with their work.

http://www.garagabylaurentdoors.com/

nicole · 11-01-2011, 01:24 PM

Thank you very much!

brk-lnt · 11-01-2011, 03:33 PM

Before you pay money to have someone come out, you can just pull the cord that releases the the part that connects to the door itself from the track, which allows you to move the door freely. Move it up and down and see if it's catching on anything. If it's not, then whatever the problem was probably is no longer an issue.

nada · 11-01-2011, 04:39 PM

http://www.elitedoorne.com/

they have a 4.89 of 5 with just over a 100 reviews posted possible on service magic, go to their page and look at the reviews.

little biased here tho he is my son

nicole · 11-01-2011, 05:47 PM

Thank you brk-lnt and nada.

MarkinNH · 11-01-2011, 05:48 PM

I 2nd "Laurent Door" 524-4778
I have also had very good experiences using
"Overhead Door Options" in Meredith 279-5700

fpartri497 · 11-02-2011, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

Before you pay money to have someone come out, you can just pull the cord that releases the the part that connects to the door itself from the track, which allows you to move the door freely. Move it up and down and see if it's catching on anything. If it's not, then whatever the problem was probably is no longer an issue.

Also I would reccomend that you spray the rollers and the entire tracks with WD-40 or maybe some other lubercant that wont freeze. has worked great on mine for years now.

nicole · 11-02-2011, 09:41 AM

Thanks everyone!

Belmont Resident · 11-03-2011, 04:45 AM

Garage doors have a sensor that tells them when to stop at both the up and down position.
Sounds like the sensor has moved and needs to be readjusted, the wire going to it might have come loose or the circuit board that controls this function is not working.
There are several garage door places around, having not used one I don’t know who is good bad or indifferent. I’ve always installed and adjusted my own.

MarkinNH · 11-03-2011, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

Garage doors have a sensor that tells them when to stop at both the up and down position.
Sounds like the sensor has moved and needs to be readjusted, the wire going to it might have come loose or the circuit board that controls this function is not working.
There are several garage door places around, having not used one I don’t know who is good bad or indifferent. I’ve always installed and adjusted my own.

If either one of the safety sensors is out of adjustment the door shouldn't work at all because the circut is open.

nada · 11-03-2011, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkinNH

If either one of the safety sensors is out of adjustment the door shouldn't work at all because the circut is open.

IMHO we are all assuming the motor is new enough to have the said sensors.

Winnisquamguy · 11-03-2011, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nada

IMHO we are all assuming the motor is new enough to have the said sensors.

These sensors are called "eyes" and usually if they are out of adjustment will give the door problems. If the door is stopping before it hits the ground there is a force knob on the back of the motor(LiftMaster, Craftsman) that you can adjust also.All doors installed from the mid nineties should have a set of electric eyes on them.

nada · 11-03-2011, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winnisquamguy

These sensors are called "eyes" and usually if they are out of adjustment will give the door problems. If the door is stopping before it hits the ground there is a force knob on the back of the motor(LiftMaster, Craftsman) that you can adjust also.All doors installed from the mid nineties should have a set of electric eyes on them.

The eyes are mounted roughly between 4 and 6 inches from the floor on the rails,based on nicoles 1st post the door buckled on the way down,and that has nothing to do with the eye's,that has to do with the motor either not having the reversing safety or a malfunction to do with that safety in the motor electronics itself.

Jonas Pilot · 11-03-2011, 09:52 AM

Nicole stated, "Our garage door got stuck coming down this morning but kept running and started to buckle."

It sounds like something has hung up. Like brk-lnt said.
"Before you pay money to have someone come out, you can just pull the cord that releases the the part that connects to the door itself from the track, which allows you to move the door freely. Move it up and down and see if it's catching on anything. If it's not, then whatever the problem was probably is no longer an issue."

First step is to see if the door itself is moving without interference.

SIKSUKR · 11-03-2011, 11:22 AM

On my opener there are 2 knobs. One adjusts the closing force and one the final stop position. It can fine tuned to close more or less. I would suspect if it was buckling the door before it close that it was getting hung up or binding somehow. As mentioned, operate the door by hand and see if it works freely. The operator however should have reversed direction with that much resistence.

SteveA · 11-03-2011, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fpartri497

Also I would recommend that you spray the rollers and the entire tracks with WD-40 or maybe some other lubricant that wont freeze. has worked great on mine for years now.

I found out the hard way that WD-40 is not a lubricant, but is a cleaner and used for water displacement. WD-40 has a very interesting history. Including the way it got it's name. Water Displacement formula #40.
http://www.wd40.com/about-us/history/

I now use Liquid Wrench when I need a spray lubricant.

fpartri497 · 11-03-2011, 02:43 PM

Very Interesting article thanks

MarkinNH · 11-03-2011, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nada

on nicoles 1st post the door buckled on the way down,and that has nothing to do with the eye's

That is correct. If the eyes were/are misaligned or malfunctioning the door would not have even started to go down.

nada · 11-03-2011, 06:28 PM

At any rate nicole, even if you find the problem i would have the motor looked at because it should auto reverse when obstructed, especially if you have children or pets.

Winnisquamguy · 11-03-2011, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nada

The eyes are mounted roughly between 4 and 6 inches from the floor on the rails,based on nicoles 1st post the door buckled on the way down,and that has nothing to do with the eye's,that has to do with the motor either not having the reversing safety or a malfunction to do with that safety in the motor electronics itself.

Did I say I was diagnosing the problem with Nicole???I simple stated a few things for beginners ....if you know so much about garage doors, I would suggest you start working on them...there is a market up here after all only 2 companies up here well besides your son work on them.

If a door buckles and the motor keeps running why?????????????

fpartri497 · 11-04-2011, 08:15 AM

In the past I have had a roller break and buckel the door on the way down wasent a big deal to fix

nada · 11-04-2011, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winnisquamguy

Did I say I was diagnosing the problem with Nicole???I simple stated a few things for beginners ....if you know so much about garage doors, I would suggest you start working on them...there is a market up here after all only 2 companies up here well besides your son work on them.

If a door buckles and the motor keeps running why?????????????

Did i imply you were diagnosing the problem?

I only stated that the "eye's" having nothing to do with the door buckling issue.

And if the door buckles i would look to the motor myself.there could be nothing wrong with the motor, just someone happened to screw with the adjustment,and then again maybe the motor is junk!

sorry winni if i offended you,was certainly not intended.

codeman671 · 11-11-2011, 09:38 PM

Thumbs up to Ryan at elite. They replaced both of our doors this summer with new carriage style doors with the highest r value we could find. Looks great. They even took one of my good panels that came off and installed it on my neighbors garage since we had the same ones and his was damaged.

Belmont Resident · 11-12-2011, 07:18 AM

Could you please post what the problem turned out to be and what fixed it?
Having spent 20 years in the electronics industry troubleshooting and repairing equipment, I’m curious to know if it was a motor, sensor or other problem.
The knowledge is always good to have as I’ve fixed several garage door problems while working for others and save people from having to call in someone else.

11-01-2011, 11:01 AM	#1
nicole Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Weirs Beach, NH Posts: 139 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 178 Thanked 19 Times in 14 Posts	Garage Door problems Our garage door got stuck coming down this morning but kept running and started to buckle. We were able to get it back down. My husband inspected it-can really see nothing that made it happen. We would like to have a professional come take a look. Any suggestions as to who we should call? We live in Laconia. Thank you very much! Nicole

11-01-2011, 04:39 PM	#5
nada Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	try these guys http://www.elitedoorne.com/ they have a 4.89 of 5 with just over a 100 reviews posted possible on service magic, go to their page and look at the reviews. little biased here tho he is my son

11-03-2011, 04:45 AM	#10
Belmont Resident Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Belmont NH but prefer Jackman Maine Posts: 1,857 Thanks: 491 Thanked 410 Times in 251 Posts	sensor? Garage doors have a sensor that tells them when to stop at both the up and down position. Sounds like the sensor has moved and needs to be readjusted, the wire going to it might have come loose or the circuit board that controls this function is not working. There are several garage door places around, having not used one I don’t know who is good bad or indifferent. I’ve always installed and adjusted my own.

11-03-2011, 09:52 AM	#15
Jonas Pilot Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Wolfeboro, New Hampshire is my home, 24-7-365 Posts: 1,686 Thanks: 1,047 Thanked 336 Times in 189 Posts	First things first. Nicole stated, "Our garage door got stuck coming down this morning but kept running and started to buckle." It sounds like something has hung up. Like brk-lnt said. "Before you pay money to have someone come out, you can just pull the cord that releases the the part that connects to the door itself from the track, which allows you to move the door freely. Move it up and down and see if it's catching on anything. If it's not, then whatever the problem was probably is no longer an issue." First step is to see if the door itself is moving without interference.

11-03-2011, 11:22 AM	#16
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	On my opener there are 2 knobs. One adjusts the closing force and one the final stop position. It can fine tuned to close more or less. I would suspect if it was buckling the door before it close that it was getting hung up or binding somehow. As mentioned, operate the door by hand and see if it works freely. The operator however should have reversed direction with that much resistence. __________________ SIKSUKR

11-01-2011, 12:44 PM	#2
Paugus Bay Resident Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Gilmanton, NH Posts: 754 Thanks: 136 Thanked 93 Times in 51 Posts	We've used Laurent in Laconia a couple of times and were very happy with their work. http://www.garagabylaurentdoors.com/

The Following User Says Thank You to Paugus Bay Resident For This Useful Post:
nicole (11-01-2011)

11-01-2011, 01:24 PM	#3
nicole Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Weirs Beach, NH Posts: 139 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 178 Thanked 19 Times in 14 Posts	Thank you very much!

11-01-2011, 03:33 PM	#4
brk-lnt Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: South Down Shores Posts: 1,944 Thanks: 545 Thanked 570 Times in 335 Posts	Before you pay money to have someone come out, you can just pull the cord that releases the the part that connects to the door itself from the track, which allows you to move the door freely. Move it up and down and see if it's catching on anything. If it's not, then whatever the problem was probably is no longer an issue. __________________ [insert witty phrase here]

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to brk-lnt For This Useful Post:
Jonas Pilot (11-01-2011), nicole (11-01-2011)

The Following User Says Thank You to nada For This Useful Post:
nicole (11-01-2011)

11-01-2011, 05:47 PM	#6
nicole Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Weirs Beach, NH Posts: 139 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 178 Thanked 19 Times in 14 Posts	Thank you brk-lnt and nada.

11-01-2011, 05:48 PM	#7
MarkinNH Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 392 Thanks: 177 Thanked 146 Times in 76 Posts	I 2nd "Laurent Door" 524-4778 I have also had very good experiences using "Overhead Door Options" in Meredith 279-5700

The Following User Says Thank You to MarkinNH For This Useful Post:
nicole (11-02-2011)

The Following User Says Thank You to fpartri497 For This Useful Post:
nicole (11-02-2011)

11-02-2011, 09:41 AM	#9
nicole Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Weirs Beach, NH Posts: 139 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 178 Thanked 19 Times in 14 Posts	Thanks everyone!

The Following User Says Thank You to nada For This Useful Post:
Jonas Pilot (11-03-2011)

The Following User Says Thank You to SteveA For This Useful Post:
fpartri497 (11-03-2011)

11-03-2011, 02:43 PM	#18
fpartri497 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Concord NH Posts: 681 Thanks: 97 Thanked 48 Times in 39 Posts	Wd-40 Very Interesting article thanks __________________ dont worry be happy

11-03-2011, 06:28 PM	#20
nada Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	At any rate nicole, even if you find the problem i would have the motor looked at because it should auto reverse when obstructed, especially if you have children or pets.

11-04-2011, 08:15 AM	#22
fpartri497 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Concord NH Posts: 681 Thanks: 97 Thanked 48 Times in 39 Posts	In the past I have had a roller break and buckel the door on the way down wasent a big deal to fix __________________ dont worry be happy

11-11-2011, 09:38 PM	#24
codeman671 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 3,551 Thanks: 222 Thanked 834 Times in 504 Posts	Thumbs up to Ryan at elite. They replaced both of our doors this summer with new carriage style doors with the highest r value we could find. Looks great. They even took one of my good panels that came off and installed it on my neighbors garage since we had the same ones and his was damaged.

11-12-2011, 07:18 AM	#25
Belmont Resident Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Belmont NH but prefer Jackman Maine Posts: 1,857 Thanks: 491 Thanked 410 Times in 251 Posts	nicole Could you please post what the problem turned out to be and what fixed it? Having spent 20 years in the electronics industry troubleshooting and repairing equipment, I’m curious to know if it was a motor, sensor or other problem. The knowledge is always good to have as I’ve fixed several garage door problems while working for others and save people from having to call in someone else.