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Dissecting a Garage Door Opener — How Does It Work?

Dissecting a Garage Door Opener — How Does It Work?

The garage door is an essential part of any home — it provides secure, easy access to the garage and ensures your car and belongings stay protected from theft and the elements. Opening and closing your garage four times daily adds up to almost 1,500 cycles a year. With all that use, a functional garage door opener is crucial to the operation of your garage. 

Despite the importance of an automatic garage door opener, many homeowners fail to understand how the device works. Understanding how a garage door opener works will help you troubleshoot any issues your opener has and will allow you to keep your garage in top condition. Learn more about garage door openers, how they work and how to fix them with this guide. 

What Is a Garage Door Opener?

Garage door openers are standard features of modern garages — they make using the garage door simple and convenient for safer, faster home access. But what exactly is a garage door opener? 

Garage door openers are motorized devices that open and close garage doors. They have a switch on the wall or a remote control that lets you open and close your garage door at the push of a button. Openers typically have automatic safety features like auto-reverse and motion detection to prevent accidents and protect the door and other objects from harm. 

Types of Garage Door Openers

There are four types of overhead door openers that you might come across — each one is slightly different, so evaluate all of your options carefully to ensure you get the best opener for your home. The main difference between openers is the driving utility or how they run. Some use threaded parts, while others use belts or chains. All overhead door openers use a motor that moves a trolley that connects to the door to create movement. 

Check out the different types of garage door openers:

Belt Drive

Belt drives use a rubber belt to slide the door trolley. The trolley moves the door open and closed with the help of the belt. Since the belt drive uses a rubber belt, its motions are smoother and quieter, and there’s less vibration compared to other drives. Belt drives have fewer moving parts than other drives like chain drives and need less maintenance to stay in top condition. 

Belt drives are low-maintenance and quiet, making them perfect for any home. They’re especially great for homes with garages underneath bedrooms and living rooms since they produce minimal vibration and noise. 

Screw Drive

Screw drive garage doors have a threaded-steel rod that moves the trolley. As the rod rotates, the trolley lowers and lifts the door. Like a belt drive, it also has fewer moving parts and requires less maintenance. This rod design of this drive means it’s quiet and has smoother movement than chain drives. 

Like the belt drive, the screw drive is ideal for attached garages. They require less maintenance and produce less noise so household members won’t be disturbed by the opening and closing of the garage door. 

Chain Drive

Chain-driven garage openers have a metal chain that drives the door trolley. Chain drives are usually the least expensive opener option, making them desirable for anyone on a budget. However, the metal chain the opener uses can be extremely loud, making this the noisiest garage opener option. 

While the chain drive is inexpensive, its loud design best fits detached garages. Garages connected to the house are often close to living and sleeping areas, and the chain drive might disturb people in these spaces. 

Side Mount Motor

The side mount motor is the most straightforward garage door opener. It has no belt, threaded rod or chain — instead, the motor directly moves the trolley to open and close the garage door. This makes for a quiet, streamlined garage door operation. With the fewest number of moving parts of all drives, it’s the lowest maintenance. 

Due to its quietness, level of maintenance and the low number of moving parts, the side mount motor is perfect for all garages and homes. Regardless of your home or garage’s size and layout, the side mount motor is low disturbance and easy maintenance. 

Horsepower Ratings for Garage Door Openers

Horsepower (HP) is the force that moves the garage door. The larger and heavier an overhead door is, the more force it needs to move. The size, number and weight of your garage doors determine the HP your opener needs to operate the doors smoothly and efficiently. HP for garage door openers usually ranges from ⅓ to 1 ½. Here’s a quick summary of HP and door size pairings: 

  • ⅓ HP: Single-car garages can get away with openers at the lowest end of the HP scale. However, getting a slightly higher horsepower than necessary can reduce the strain on your opener and make garage door operation easier. 
  • ½ HP: This amount of HP is enough to operate sectional two-car garages for everyday functions. 
  • ¾ – 1 ½ HP: For larger garages with high-tech overhead door openers, you’ll want ¾ HP or more. You’ll especially want to consider going above ¾ HP if you use your garage frequently. 

The Anatomy of a Garage Door Opener

Just like the garage door itself, a garage door opener has its own specific parts. The different parts of the opener work together to ensure the smooth, safe operation of your garage door so that you have an accessible, convenient entrance to your garage. Understanding the opener’s components will help you identify issues associated with opener problems and gives you complete knowledge of all the parts of your garage. 

Opener Remote

The opener remote activates the motor of the drive unit. Remotes can be hardwired to the inside of your garage or wireless, so you can automatically open your garage door with ease. Wired remotes stay connected to the garage through wires and allow you to open the door by pushing a button inside or outside the garage. 

Numerical keypads require a code to open the garage door. Set a numerical code and punch it in whenever you need to get into the garage. The door will only open when the correct code is entered into the keypad. 

Wireless remotes are kept in cars or on keychains — they let the owner open the garage door from up to 20 feet away. Wireless remotes are great for convenient car parking since you won’t need to get out of the car to open the garage door. There are also smart garage door openers that work from your phone, giving you the convenience of a wireless opener from your smartphone. 

Drive Unit

The drive unit is the box installed in your garage ceiling. It’s the main part of the garage opener. Inside the box is the motor that runs your garage door opener and initiates the opening and closing movements. 

Horizontal Track

The horizontal track guides the garage door as it moves, allowing your garage door to sit along the ceiling and move back down to close with ease. 

Chain

The garage door chain does a bulk of the lifting and holds the weight of your heavy garage door as it moves. Once the motor starts running, the chain lifts your garage door and pulls it along the rail so that it moves along the ceiling. 

Pick-Up Arm

The pick-up arm is a smaller component that helps connect the garage door to the garage door opener. A strut must be installed along the top panel of the garage door so that the pick up arm can connect to the door. The arm helps lift and guide the garage door. 

Bracket

Your garage door needs something to connect it to the garage door opener. The bracket is the connector for the system. It sits on the surface of the garage door and the pick-up arm, joining the door with the opening system. 

Photo Eyes

Photo eye sensors prevent the automatic garage door from closing on people, pets and objects. These garage door sensors help prevent the door from closing on anything. One sensor is installed at the bottom of the garage door. If anything breaks this sensor’s line as the door closes, the door will stop closing and roll back up. 

The other type of photo eye sensor uses an unseen line to prevent accidents. The photo eyes sit along the vertical garage door track facing each other, projecting an invisible beam. If the beam is crossed during door closing, it will auto-reverse to prevent injury. Both sensors prevent people and objects from getting stuck under the heavy garage door and should be checked regularly to ensure they’re working correctly. 

Emergency Release Rope

The emergency release rope is essential to the garage door opening system. The emergency release rope is a red rope that dangles from the garage pick-up arm. If your garage door opener ever malfunctions or stops working, you can still open and close the door with the emergency rope. If there’s a power outage or your system stops working correctly, you can temporarily use the rope to get around the problem. 

Some garage doors also have a keyhole that lets you use the emergency release from the outside. To use it, insert and turn the key, then pull out to pull on the rope. After this, simply lift the garage door up. 

How Does a Garage Door Opener Work? 

There are many different parts to your garage door opening system which can make your opener seem more complex than it actually is. The overhead door opener is simply a radio transmission system. Pushing the button on your remote or typing the code into a keypad sends a code to the receiver. The transmitter and receiver are on the same frequency as each other, so the receiver only gets signals from its transmitter. 

Possible Reasons Your Garage Door Opener Stops Working

Even with proper care, garage door openers can suddenly stop working. Finding the source of the problem can help you decide whether you need minor or major repairs and will help get your garage system working again. Follow these garage door opener troubleshooting tips to help narrow down the cause of the issue: 

Dead Remote Batteries

If you’re pressing your opener remote, but nothing happens, its batteries might be at fault. First, try to open the door with the wall panel. If it opens and closes correctly, your remote’s batteries probably have died. 

Remote Signal Blocked

Another reason the opener doesn’t respond to the remote is a blocked signal. If you’ve recently replaced the batteries on your remote, check to make sure it’s not a disrupted signal. To test this, stand less than 20 feet away from your garage opener. If it still isn’t working, examine the opener’s antennae. Clear out any debris from the antennae and ensure it’s unbroken and pointing towards the door. If you see antennae damage, contact a professional so they can evaluate the system.

Lock Button On

Another reason the opener might stop working involves your garage’s lock button. If the lock button on the wall-mounted panel is engaged, your opener won’t work. That can happen when someone accidentally engages the button while using the wall-mounted panel. 

Garage Door Won’t Close Completely

Broken springs, damaged cables and blocked tracks can all cause interference that prevents the door from closing completely. Additionally, your door might not close due to malfunctioning sensors. If the safety sensors are misaligned or malfunctioning, they could register and object in the door’s path — even when there isn’t anything there. 

What to Do if Your Garage Door Opener Stops Working

You can solve some of your garage door problems yourself. Contact a professional if smaller, less-dangerous fixes don’t work or you feel uncomfortable doing it on your own. Garage doors are extremely heavy, and their components are dangerous if you aren’t an expert at what you’re doing. Always turn to professionals for repairs to keep yourself and your property safe. 

If you have minor garage door issues, you can probably perform the fixes yourself. Swapping out remote batteries, disengaging the lock button, removing objects from the door’s path and clearing debris from the garage tracks are easy tasks you can do on your own. You can also lubricate rollers and tighten loose nuts and bolts if you feel comfortable with your garage door. 

Sometimes, however, the solution to your problem isn’t easy or obvious. Call a garage door repair service if you can’t find the source of the issue or if the fix is a bigger task than swapping out remote batteries. Garage door technicians have the skills and knowledge to diagnose and fix your garage door opener safely and correctly. 

Explore Residential Garage Door Openers from Continental Door 

Improve the safety and convenience of your Spokane, Washington home with Continental Door’s high-quality garage door openers. We carry a variety of Linear and LiftMaster openers, including MyQ-compatible models that connect to your smartphone. Along with our top-of-the-line garage door opener models, we offer 24-hour emergency garage door repair services to ensure you always have access to your garage. 

With over 15 years of experience in garage doors, you can rely on our experts for better garage door security and services. To request a service or free estimate, contact us online and improve your garage door quality today! 

What Is LiftMaster MyQ®? Why Sign Up?

The LiftMaster MyQ® connects your garage door opener and accessories to your smartphone or other electronic devices. By adding a smart garage to your property, you can easily access your garage door opener from almost anywhere. Whether you have a residential or commercial garage door, you can find the product that best suits your property’s needs. 

Explore the features of MyQ® to find out how it can add value to your home or business.

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What Is LiftMaster MyQ® Technology?

LiftMaster MyQ® technology connects your garage door opener to your smartphone app or computer. With the MyQ® app, you can manage your property’s temperature, security and lighting from anywhere in the world. You can also customize your MyQ® products and accessories to interact with other automated programs, smart devices and security systems from top-rated brands such as:

  • Key by Amazon
  • Ring
  • Honeywell Total Connect
  • Vivint
  • Alarm.com®
  • Xfinity®
  • Google Assistant
  • Apple® HomeKit™
  • Nest
  • Clare Controls
  • Alpine Connect
  • IFTTT
  • Tesla EVEConnect
  • Resideo
  • STEER Tech

You can set up the MyQ® Garage for your garage door opener if you have a sectional garage door. If you have a one-piece door, you can only use it in the “Monitor Only” mode. Before installing the MyQ® Garage, make sure your garage door’s photo eyes are working correctly.

LiftMaster MyQ® for Residential Garage Doors

Having a smartphone garage door opener comes with many benefits for your home. Explore how MyQ® automation makes your life easier.

  • Control your garage from anywhere: You can control your garage door from anywhere you have a WiFi connection. The MyQ® app gives you peace of mind if you can’t remember whether you closed the garage door when you left home. It also makes it more convenient to let in your friends, family members or neighbors who may be watching or visiting your house when you’re on vacation. 
  • Monitor garage safety: The MyQ® app makes supervision and surveillance more convenient whether you’re home or away. You’ll receive a notification every time someone uses your garage door. You can also customize who can operate your garage door at certain times of the day.
  • Get real-time alerts and access to live video: The LiftMaster MyQ® app will alert you when the garage door opens. This safety feature is helpful when your kids are coming home from school or the pet sitter is coming to let the dog out. You can also get access to MyQ® live video feed to check on your property from your smartphone or tablet when you’re away.
  • Schedule your garage door to close at a particular time: You can set a time for your garage door to close or for the lights to turn off. It automatically closes so your home can be secure if you forget to shut it. MyQ® technology makes it more convenient for you to operate your garage door at night, which means you have peace of mind before going to bed.
  • Transform your home into a smart home: MyQ® technology is compatible with the smart devices and accessories in your home. You can use the MyQ® app to change your home’s temperature to help control your energy bills. The MyQ® app also integrates with your home’s lighting system, so you can turn them on when you’re away for security or easily turn them off when you’re in bed.

MyQ® Features for Businesses

Commercial facilities can also benefit from MyQ® technology. As a business owner, you want to ensure your facility is as safe and secure as possible. Explore some of the ways the MyQ® Facility can help make it easier to run your daily tasks and keep your employees and inventory safe.

1. Authorization

With the LiftMaster MyQ® app, you can have complete control over all the entrances at your commercial property. Use the MyQ® app on your phone or WiFi-enabled device to access real-time notifications or operate your garage door from anywhere in the world. This technology allows you to open the door for vendors and keep out unwanted visitors.

You can also assign permission-based access to trustworthy members on your team to delegate responsibility. Maintain control of every entry point by giving your team permission to enter your facility based on the location, person, time or group.

2. Scheduling

You can schedule your garage door to open and close at specific times to reduce energy costs and eliminate liability. By scheduling when your garage door operates, you can prolong its life span by decreasing wear and tear on it.

If you’re expecting a vendor or business to come at a particular time, you can give them access inside by scheduling the door to open when they’re coming. You can also set up your garage door to close at the end of each business day so your employees don’t have to worry about locking up after their shift.

3. Utilization Reports

As a business owner, you can get reports of the activity around your commercial door, gate and dock, with information related to how your facility operates. You can use these reports to find out which entry points are costing you money due to inefficiency. With real-time alerts of what happens at each door, you can make safety a priority at your facility. The MyQ® app is also helpful in keeping track of how often you use your equipment so you can know when to maintain or replace it.

Which LiftMaster Products Have MyQ® Technology?

The following garage door openers and accessories are compatible with MyQ® technology.

MyQ®-Compatible Garage Door Openers

At Continental Door, we supply the following LiftMaster MyQ® garage door openers that can connect to your home automation devices:

MyQ® Accessories

Your MyQ® garage door opener is also compatible with the following accessories:

Contact Continental Door for MyQ®-Connected Garage Door Products

If you’re in the greater Spokane area, contact Continental Door for a brand-new garage door opener for your home or business. We’ll help you find the best product for your garage door to help make your property feel safer and more technology-friendly. We also offer garage door installation, maintenance and repair services to prolong your technology’s life span. Browse through our inventory and reach out to us for more information.

How the 3 Types of Commercial Garage Door Openers Operate

You need to ensure your commercial property is in constant working order. If your garage doors are manual or operate with outdated openers, it’s time for a change. Continental Door offers three different types of commercial garage door openers that work for a range of businesses and their daily needs:

1. Jackshaft Commercial Garage Door Operators

LiftMaster has designed the wall-mounted jackshaft commercial door opener for businesses. This wall-mounted device can lift and lower your commercial garage doors by turning torsion springs. These operators are especially good for vertical, high-lift sectional doors and rolling shutters or grilles. They are also suitable for commercial properties in which the offices are directly above the garages. The vibration from the garage causes little disturbance. 

Jackshaft commercial garage door openers are an excellent choice for commercial properties that cannot install items on the ceiling. You’ll appreciate a jackshaft opener if you have rolling steel doors.

2. Trolley Commercial Garage Door Operators

Trolley commercial door operators are installed on the ceiling — ensure you have ceiling space before choosing this garage door opener. These devices reach up to 25 cycles per hour and 80 to 90 cycles a day. They are available in single- and three-phase configurations. The best models have a voltage that can handle the type of work done on a commercial property. If you are purchasing this operator for a larger door, ensure you get a model that comes with the standard break.

The trolley is best for sectional doors with a standard lift track. For larger garage doors or high-traffic models, choose a trolley operator with 1/2, 3/4 or 1 horsepower.

3. Hoist Commercial Garage Door Operators

The hoist operator is installed on the wall for sizeable sectional garage doors with a vertical or high lift. If your doors are grilles or rolling models, you can still use this operator, but the system will be installed at the front of the hood. Either way, the system connects to the door jackshaft to power the door indirectly. In addition to the different installation locations, this system comes with a hoist chain — useful in power outages and emergencies.

These doors are an excellent choice for industrial, high-cycle purposes. They are capable of 25 cycles per hour and 90 cycles per day. 

How to Choose an Opener for Your Commercial Door

You want an industrial garage door opener you can count on throughout the workday. To pick the correct operator, make sure you have noted the information about your commercial property. Choosing a commercial garage door opener depends on a series of business factors, including: 

  • Door size: The door length and width determines the voltage you need in an operator. 
  • Frequency of use: For high-traffic areas, you’ll want a strong operator such as the commercial hoist model or a three-phase trolley opener.
  • Security: All LiftMaster openers come with Security 2.0, which helps protect your facility when you’re away.
  • Automation: LiftMaster technologies like timer-to-close will close the garage doors after a predetermined amount of time.

Contact Continental Door Today!

Need a new commercial garage door opener and live in the greater Spokane area? Contact Continental Door. We offer LiftMaster and Linear garage door openers. We make you our priority. Our 24-hour emergency services allow us to be there for you when you need it.

Contact us today or request a free quote online! 

How to Prevent Garage Door Hacking

In today’s society, keeping your valuable possessions and cherished loved ones safe comes down to one word: security. People rely on security features every day. Smartphones use PINs and facial recognition to unlock the device. People apply passwords to their computers and laptops to protect their sensitive information. Many people invest in upgraded security features to keep thieves out of their cars.

As a homeowner, you need to use the same level of caution with your garage door as you do with your other devices. After all, many people use their garage door as the main exit and entry point to their house. Garage door hackers keep getting smarter, so you need to know how to prevent garage door hacking.

Can Garage Door Openers Be Hacked?

The short answer is “yes,” but it’s a bit more complex than that. Garage door hacking centers around the relationship between your opener and the remote you use to activate it. When you click your garage door remote, it sends a signal using low-frequency waves to communicate with the opener. Some garage door openers are easier to hack than others, but it all depends on the interaction between opener and remote.

As technology advances, garage door hackers get better at their craft. When inventors created the first garage door openers, criminals began looking for ways to exploit them to enter people’s houses. This was an easy task at first since the technology was brand new. For criminals, it was as simple as buying a remote from the local hardware store and using it to open any garage door they desired. This was unacceptable, so companies began developing new security features.

Even though criminals continue finding ways to hack garage door openers, the latest advances in technology make it a more difficult task. As a homeowner, you need to make sure you’re doing everything you can to prevent unwanted access into your garage. It’s important to protect detached garages to keep your valuable possessions safe. But it’s even more crucial to protect your attached garage if it grants access to your house. The safety of your family depends on it.

What Are Fixed Code Garage Door Openers?

Fixed code garage door openers were the manufacturers’ first attempt to increase garage door security. Garage door openers use radio waves to function and operate at a frequency of 300-400 megahertz (MHz). Unlike the radio waves used to send songs and spoken word to our car radios and home stereo systems, people don’t need a license to use garage door radio waves. This is what allowed thieves to open people’s garage doors with ease early on. Fixed code garage doors helped make it a little trickier.

Fixed code garage door openers, or a dip switch garage door openers, use eight to 12 little switches inside the opener and the remote to set a code. Users set the code by sliding these dip switches into the up or down position. Think of this code as a gate on the path of the radio signal separating the remote from the garage door opener. Once a homeowner applies the same code to both sets of dip switches, the two devices can communicate with each other.

Even though most companies phased out fixed code garage door openers in the early 1990s, some are still around today. Pop off the pack of your garage door opener remote and see if you can find any dip switches. If not, then you have a more modern form of garage door security. If you see dip switches, you may want to think about upgrading your opener system to one that’s more secure.

Fixed code garage doors were a step in the right direction, but they weren’t enough to keep out intruders. Having eight to 12 dip switches with two settings per switch allows for many unique codes, but there is a limit to the possibilities. It would take a thief a long time to figure out an opener’s code through trial and error, but this wasn’t the real shortcoming of fixed codes. Their biggest fault lies in their reliance on a single, unchanging code to operate.

How Early Garage Doors Were Breached

The first automatic garage door openers were a bit of a security disaster. People accidentally opening their neighbor’s garage doors with their remotes was one thing. Criminals buying new garage door remotes from the hardware store and using them to open any garage door they wanted was quite another. Homeowners would have been better off keeping their manual garage doors instead of leaving their homes vulnerable to robbery from the lack of security features in those first garage door openers.

Then came the fixed code garage door openers with their trusty — or not so trusty — dip switches. These did provide an extra level of security, but using the same code every day left homeowners vulnerable to hacking. Tech-savvy thieves learned how to use devices called “code grabbers” to discover people’s unique garage door opener codes.

These crooks would set the device near someone’s garage door and wait for the homeowner to come home and press their garage door remote. The code grabber would intercept the signal and store the code. The homeowner would have to push their remote a second time to open their garage door.

And with that, the act was complete. Thieves would retrieve their code grabber with the stored code and use it to open the garage door at their convenience. Homeowners grew desperate for garage door openers with better security features.

What Are Rolling Code Garage Door Openers?

Rolling code garage door openers were the next step in increasing garage door security for homeowners. Manufacturers like LiftMaster realized that fixed code garage door openers were too easy for criminals to hack. So in the mid-’90s, they took a new direction and developed a system that used the opposite technology — one where the code changed. The result was rolling code, or hopping code, garage door openers. These make it much harder for criminals to steal someone’s garage door opener code.

Rolling code garage door openers create a new security code each time a homeowner uses their garage door opener. Technology within the opener uses a special algorithm that “rolls” or “hops” the opener’s security code to one of several billion other possible combinations. The opener discards the previous code so repeat codes are impossible, increasing security. Your opener will use the new code the next time you need access to your garage.

Check your garage door opener remote to see if your garage door uses rolling code technology. Look for words or phrases like “Security 2.0,” “Security +” or “Rolling Code” on the outside of your remote. Or, you can pop open the back for signs of new technology. If you see dip switches, your opener does not use rolling code technology. If you see a circuit board and a battery without any dip switches, then your opener may use rolling codes. You can always call your opener manufacturer for clarification.

Can Rolling Code Openers Still Be Hacked?

Thieves have found ways past even rolling code openers. Technology can increase security in our daily lives, but thieves can use their own technology to find ways around security features. Criminals can exploit rolling security features by using a code jamming device known as a rolljam.

All they have to do is hide the rolljam near someone’s garage door and wait for the right moment, like the code grabbers of the past. When a homeowner presses their remote, the rolljam intercepts the code and stores it. The homeowner then presses their remote a second time, generating a second code to open the garage door. The criminal can return to your house later and use the first stored code to access your garage.

Modern Solutions to Prevent Garage Door Hacking

As long as there are garage doors, garage door opener hacking will likely remain a problem for homeowners. Criminals seem to find ways around the latest security measures at every turn. No technology can guarantee complete resistance to thieves, but keeping up with the latest tech help homeowners resist break-ins. The harder you make it for criminals, the better your chances will be of keeping a secure home.

Whether you installed a new garage door opener within the last few years or you’re in the market for a new one, you should look for the following safety features:

  • Two-factor authentication: Smart garage door openers are connected to the internet. In today’s world, everyone stores their usernames and passwords in online storage accounts like Google or Apple servers. Enable two-step authentication to keep people from hacking into your accounts and gaining access to your smart garage door opener.
  • Security + and Security 2.0: These are the base features you should look for in any of the new garage door openers you’re considering. These make things a bit harder for criminals by offering rolling codes and different radio frequencies for the opener to operate. Choosing openers without these features would be like installing a front door without a lock.
  • The myQ smartphone app: LiftMaster created myQ technology as the latest security feature for smart garage door openers. With the myQ app, you can control your garage door from anywhere. You’ll receive a notification when someone uses your garage door. You can even customize who has access to your garage door at specific times of the day. It’s the perfect fit for you if you already enjoy the benefits of smart technology in your home.

Using a Smart Garage Door? Why You Need to Keep Your WiFi Secure

It’s crucial that you keep your WiFi secure if you have a smart garage door opener. WiFi and cellular data make using your smart opener a breeze, but leaving your WiFi unprotected can make breaking in a breeze for hackers, too. Here are a few actions you can take to bolster the security of your WiFi:

  • Use a complex password: Make sure to put a unique password on your WiFi to keep unwanted users from accessing it. Write it down and keep it in a safe place in your home, but make sure to keep it hidden.
  • Change the WiFi’s name: If you keep your WiFi’s public name the same, potential hackers may start to realize which signal in the area belongs to your house. Change the name to throw hackers off your trail.
  • Disable your WiFi during zero-activity hours: Some routers and apps allow you to turn off the WiFi during certain hours of the day. If there are times when your whole family will be out of the house, set your WiFi to turn off as an added security feature. Then have it turn back on when the family comes back home for the day.

Other Tips for Securing Your Garage Door Against Intruders

Here are some more tips for keeping intruders from entering your garage:

  1. Invest in a deadlock: A deadlock is a classic way of keeping doors shut. Slide the deadlock in place, and criminals won’t easily open your garage door.
  2. Install a security camera: Security cameras are excellent crime deterrents. When criminals see a security camera above your garage door, they might decide to take their chances elsewhere. LiftMaster sells a smart garage camera that works with myQ technology to let you see who is at your garage door from anywhere with an internet connection.
  3. Invest in a motion detector: Install exterior lighting with motion detectors to send criminals running. When a potential thief gets close enough to your garage, a bright light will fill the area, revealing their actions in the dead of night. Combine motion detectors with security cameras for even more protection.
  4. Don’t give out the four-digit keypad code: Many modern garage doors have an exterior keypad to give homeowners another way to enter their garage. Keep the four-digit code a secret, and be careful who you decide to give it to. If the code falls into a criminal’s hands, they’ll have an easy time walking right into your garage with the touch of four buttons.
  5. Disengage the opener: If you’re going to be out of town for a while, disengage your opener. You can do this by pulling the red cord hanging from your garage door opener system. This will make it impossible for people to access your opener through hacking. Secure the door with a deadlock before leaving to keep anyone from manually opening your garage door.
  6. Install a sturdy garage door: Having a strong garage door is a practical step in keeping your garage safe from intruders. Criminals may try to break into flimsy garage doors with brute strength. Having a sturdy garage door made of heavy-gauge steel is the best for fending off physical entry attempts.

Shop for Residential Garage Door Openers and More From Continental Door

Continental Door is the solution to your garage door needs. We’ve been helping homeowners in the greater Spokane, Washington, area achieve better garage door security for more than 15 years. We sell a variety of modern garage door openers from reputable companies like Liftmaster and Linear, including models compatible with myQ technology. We understand the risks of having outdated, insecure garage door openers. Together, we can help you experience the peace of mind that comes with installing a brand new garage door opener.

We offer free estimates, so contact us online today. No job is too big or too small for us at Continental Door. We look forward to meeting you.

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10 Reasons Your Garage Door Won’t Close and How to Troubleshoot This Issue

Your garage door is a crucial part of your daily life, but you might not give it a second thought when it’s working correctly. If it stops working, that’s a whole different issue. When your garage door won’t go down, your day comes to a screeching halt. You’re busy enough — the last thing you need is a faulty garage door. 

What do you do when your garage door won’t close? If you want to know how to troubleshoot a garage door that’s not closing, you’ve come to the right place. To help you solve the problem, our experts at Continental Door have assembled this list of the top reasons garage doors won’t close.

1. The Opener Is Getting No Power

“Why won’t my garage door close?” The good news is that the fix doesn’t have to cost you hundreds of dollars and days of frustration. Your garage door opener needs electric power to open and close your door. The first thing you should do when your door won’t close is to check whether power is getting to your garage door opener. This problem has a couple of quick fixes that will only take you a few minutes to perform. 

Your garage door opener should plug into a nearby outlet on the ceiling or a wall. If you were cleaning your opener, it’s possible you accidentally knocked the plug from the outlet. It’s a snap to do this if the plug is loose in a ceiling outlet. Plug it back in if it fell out, then try closing your garage door again. 

If you still have it plugged in, you may have lost power or tripped the circuit. Ensure surrounding lights, electronics and electrical appliances are still working. If so, check your breaker box to see if you need to reset it to send power back to your garage door opener. After flipping the breaker switch back on, give your opener another try to close the garage door. 

2. Your Transmitter’s Batteries Are Dead

The problem could be as simple as your transmitter or remote having dead batteries. A garage door remote’s batteries can die at any moment, including after you’ve used it to open the garage door. If your garage door opener is receiving power but not responding when you press the remote, see if it needs a new set of batteries. 

First, try using your wall-mounted garage door opener button or outdoor keypad to close the garage door. If these don’t work, you could have a more prominent issue. If they still work, there’s a good chance your remote has dead batteries. 

Slide off the backplate or use a screwdriver to access the transmitter’s batteries. Identify the type you need and replace them. Opener remotes tend to use standard household batteries such as AA, AAA or flat disc batteries. Your local hardware store should keep these in stock if you don’t have any. Once you’ve reattached the backplate, try closing your garage door again. If it works, you’re ready to get back to your day’s agenda with confidence that your remote will work for the foreseeable future. 

3. Something Is Blocking the Remote Signal

Your remote has a small antenna that communicates with the antenna on your garage door opener. If something is in the antennas’ path when you try to close your garage door, your opener may be unable to receive the command from your remote. If you’ve replaced the batteries and the remote still doesn’t work, see if there are any obstructions. 

Your remote may have an external antenna housed within a small plastic bubble. Gently wipe the bubble to clean away any dirt or smudges that could be blocking your signal. Next, make sure you’re pointing your remote at your opener when you press the button. Tree branches or other natural obstructions could also be getting in the signal’s path. Clear them away and see if this solves your issue. 

Next, check the opener itself for signs of damage. If the opener’s antenna is broken, a functional remote still won’t close your garage door. You may need to call a professional garage door company to fix the issue. 

There’s also a chance that your batteries are weakening. You may want to replace them before they die. A remote with weak batteries might only work within a few feet of the garage door opener. Replace the batteries and see if this gives you the range you’re familiar with. 

4. Someone Has Pulled the Cord Switch

Your garage door opener should have a dangling red string known as the safety cord. When you pull this, it disconnects the garage door from the opener, which lets you open and close the garage door manually during power outages and other events. There’s a chance someone in your household pulled the cord switch without your knowledge. Or, you may have forgotten you gave it a pull earlier in the day. No worries! It happens to us all. 

The cord switch has two settings — pulled away from the opener for disconnection, and pulled toward the opener for connection. Try pulling the cord toward the opener first, as this should reconnect a detached cord switch. Then, try using your remote to close the garage door. If this solves your issue, your problem was a disconnected cord switch. If not, you may have a more severe issue on your hands involving your garage door opener. 

5. The Opener Has a Motor Circuit or Mechanical Failure

If the above troubleshooting recommendations didn’t solve your issue, the solution might be more complicated and expensive. Your garage door opener may have a motor circuit or mechanical failure. Both these issues will stop your garage door opener from opening and closing. Since they involve tinkering with your garage door’s inner workings, your best bet might be to call a professional. 

If something is wrong with your opener’s motor circuit, you may be able to get a replacement, especially if your opener is still relatively new and has a warranty protecting it from malfunctions. The problem could either be a factory error or an unfortunate natural cause, such as a lightning strike.  Call your garage door opener’s manufacturer to ask about their replacement policy. 

Your garage door gets a lot of use. Consider if you open and close your garage door twice per day — once when you leave in the morning and once when you come home. Assuming you work five days per week, that adds up to more than 500 times per year. If multiple people live in your household, chances are you use your garage door even more often. That puts a lot of wear and tear on your opener, so it’s normal for it to suffer a mechanical failure. 

Call a professional and see if they can repair your garage door opener. If you have an old opener, your best option may be to get a new one. 

6. Something Is Blocking the Door

There could be a simple reason your garage door starts to close, then reverses. The government requires automatic garage door manufacturers to equip doors with several safety features. These include a function that causes garage doors to switch direction if something gets in their way as they close. When the door meets the item, a resistance-based function trigger makes the door back up to protect the door and the object. This feature is essential in protecting children or pets at play around garage doors. 

Look around the floor beneath your garage door’s closing path. There might be a small blockage in the way, like a child’s toy or even a small rock from the driveway. Remove anything on the floor in that area and see if that solves the issue.

While you’re there, you should test this safety feature to make sure it works. Place a wooden block beneath the garage door and press the button to close the garage door. Once the door meets the block, it should automatically start backing up. If the door keeps pushing against the wooden block, press your remote to reverse its direction. You’ll need to call a professional to recalibrate this safety feature.  

7. The Sensors Are Misaligned or Obstructed

Most modern garage doors have another safety feature that uses photo-eye sensors for protection. These sensors sit a few inches above the ground on both sides of the door. They use tiny cameras to “see” if anything is beneath the garage door as it closes. If anything is in the photo sensor’s path, the garage door will not close. It could also stop in its tracks or reverse its direction to protect whatever is underneath it. 

First, see if anything passed through the sensors when you tried closing the garage door. Clean the floor beneath your garage door and try closing it again. If the problem persists, take a soft rag and gently wipe the photosensor lenses. There could be dirt or debris obstructing the sensors’ vision. You should also make sure the two sensors’ lenses are facing each other. If they are out of line, the garage door won’t be able to close all the way or at all. 

Check out Continental Door’s photo-eye troubleshooting video for more information on fixing this issue. 

8. Your Springs Are Worn or Broken

Your garage door opening system uses springs to get the job done. These can include one or two torsion springs above the garage door and two extension springs attached to cables that lift your garage door from the ground. Every spring has a cycle lifespan. If your springs have reached the end of their cycle rating, they could be on the verge of breaking, if they have not broken already. A broken torsion or extension spring may be preventing your garage door from closing. 

If you opened your garage door and heard a loud, gunshot-like sound, you might have a broken spring somewhere in your garage door assembly. These are essential pieces of your garage door, so you should call a professional to repair your spring issue. 

Since springs are under a lot of tension and pressure, you should never attempt to fix a spring issue yourself. You could suffer severe injuries if something goes wrong. If you suspect a broken spring is the reason your garage door won’t close, call a professional right away. 

9. The Roller Tracks Are Misaligned

Does your door slow down as it opens or closes when it passes a specific spot? Can you hear a squeaking, grinding or grating sound during operation? Your roller tracks might be out of line. 

Your garage door has little wheels on both sides that allow it to move up and down through the roller tracks. The roller tracks need to be straight and aligned for proper functioning. If one of your roller tracks suffers even minor damage, it could throw your garage door out of alignment, which can slow it down or threaten to stop it in its tracks altogether. 

Use a long level to see if any section of the track has gotten bent or misaligned. If you detect that the two sides of the tracks are not plumb, you’ll need to call a professional to repair them. Left unaddressed, this issue can get worse over time, leading to more costly repairs. Having straight roller tracks will keep your garage door opening and closing with ease for years to come. 

10. There Is an Error in the Limit Settings

If your garage door won’t close all the way, or it reverses after it touches the ground, your opener may have an error in its limit settings. The limit setting is the calibrated distance that tells the garage door opener how far it needs to send the garage door to reach the ground. This setting can drift over time and require recalibration. 

If the setting is too high, the opener will mistake it as an obstruction, which will trigger the automatic reversal safety feature. If the setting is too low, the garage door might stop before it reaches the ground, leaving a gap between the door and the floor. This error can be tricky to fix, so call a professional to recalibrate your opener’s limit settings if this seems to be your problem.  

Request Garage Door Service From Continental Door

If you’re still having garage door problems after trying these troubleshooting methods, request service from Continental Door. We’ve been serving the greater Spokane and Northern Idaho regions for over 15 years. And since we understand garage door issues can strike at any time, we offer 24-hour emergency services to help you in a crisis. 

We are ready to assist with all your residential garage door needs. Don’t let another day go by with a faulty garage door. With our help, you can get back to your typical routine with a functioning garage door. Contact us today to learn more about how we can serve you.

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How to Troubleshoot Common Garage Door Opener Problems

If you’ve ever lived somewhere that required you to park your car outside, you know what a convenience it is to have a garage. Parking outside leaves your car exposed to the elements, which can lead to plenty of problems. 

However, when you start to have garage door opener issues, the convenience is quickly negated. If the door only closes partway or doesn’t respond to the remote, it can be frustrating to deal with it when you don’t know what the problem is or what you should do about it. In this guide to garage door opener troubleshooting, we’ll discuss a number of issues and how you can diagnose the source.

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Common Problems With Garage Door Openers

Even once you’ve pinned down the problem itself, it can still be challenging to determine the reason for it, and even more challenging to figure out how to fix it. Thankfully, the odds are high that it comes down to one of a few common reasons your garage door opener isn’t working.

Here’s a basic overview of each major issue, with an explanation of each possible cause and solution. Be aware that you may be having more than one problem at once, in which case the same cause will probably apply to both of them.

1. Garage Door Opener Switch Doesn’t Work

When you push the wall switch that operates the garage door opener and nothing happens, it may stem from one of the following issues:

Door Is Locked

A simple explanation for the problem may be that the door is locked. Most garage door switches have two buttons — one for opening and closing, and another for locking. If someone has pushed the lock button, whether intentionally or not, they’ve stopped the door from being able to open. Test this by pushing the lock button and trying again to open the door. If it works, you’ve solved the issue.

Motor Is Unplugged

An equally simple explanation may be that the motor is unplugged. Take a look at the motor, which is attached to the light near the ceiling at the end of the garage door chain. If the plug coming out of it isn’t inserted into the socket, you’ve found the problem. Just plug it back in, and you should be in good shape.

Photo-Eyes Are Faulty

A safety feature that exists in nearly all garage doors is the photo-eye sensor. Two sensors are placed at the bottom of the garage door opening, one on each side. These sensors project a beam of light to each other to verify that the opening is clear. If anything interrupts that beam, the photo-eyes prevent the door from closing. This is meant to prevent the door from hurting anyone or damaging anything in the process of closing.

Be aware that this should only affect closing, so if you can’t open the door either, the issue is probably something else. If the photo-eyes are to blame, though, you can easily fix them. First, make sure nothing is interrupting the beam. Then, check that the sensors are properly aligned to face one another. Finally, wipe off the lenses of each photo-eye to ensure that their line of sight isn’t clouded over with anything.

Circuit Breaker Is Tripping

If the door is unlocked and the motor is plugged in, it may be that the circuit breaker is tripping, or that a fuse has burned out. There’s a good chance you won’t be able to turn on the lights or other electric appliances in the garage either if this is the case. To fix this, try resetting the circuit breaker.

Motor Is Burnt Out

When you’ve tried all of the other options and still haven’t fixed the problem, it means you most likely have a burnt-out motor. At this point, it’s time to call a professional. They’ll have a look at your garage door opener, and after verifying the cause, will repair or replace your motor for you.

2. Garage Door Keypad Doesn’t Work

Not every home has a keypad to open the garage door, but if yours does, it can become faulty, too. If you put in the number sequence that you’ve programmed the opener with, only for the door to stay put, it could come down to a few different issues, such as:

Door Is Locked

As with the switch, it may just be that the door is locked. Try pushing the button on the switch to unlock it, and then put in the number on your keypad again. If it still doesn’t work, and particularly if you’re still able to open the garage door with the switch, the problem is probably specific to the keypad.

Batteries Are Dead

It can be easy to forget, but keypads aren’t usually plugged into the wall — they run on batteries. To keep them running, you’ll have to replace those batteries on occasion. The solution may be that simple. Replace all the batteries and see if it fixes the problem.

Keypad Is Out of Range

Unlike the wall switch, keypads aren’t directly connected to the garage door opener. They send a signal telling it to open, but that signal only has a certain range. If your keypad isn’t working, it may just be installed too far away from the garage door mechanism. Try operating it at a closer distance.

Photo-Eyes Are Faulty

As with the switch, it may be that the photo-eyes are keeping the door from closing. Check that nothing is blocking the connection between the two sensors, ensure they’re both aligned properly and wipe off each of the lenses. Again, this problem should only impact closing, so if you can’t open the door either, the issue lies somewhere else.

Keypad Needs Reprogramming

You can also try reprogramming the code you use to open the garage door with the keypad. You can check your manual for the exact details of how to do this on your particular opener, but it usually involves pressing a “learn” button on the motor and then inputting your desired code on the keypad. This process should essentially reset the motor to recognize the code being sent to it.

Antenna Is Faulty

When all else fails, the issue may not even be with the keypad itself. The keypad might be sending a signal just fine, only for the opener not to pick it up. There should be an antenna on the motor to receive the keypad’s signal, pointing straight downward. Double-check this antenna to verify that it’s secure and that it’s not pointing off in some other direction.

If you still can’t get it to work, but you suspect the antenna is the cause of the problem, you can call a professional to diagnose and fix your garage door opener.

3. Garage Door Opener Remote Doesn’t Work

In the same vein as the previous two problems, there can be times when you press the button on your remote, and the garage door doesn’t move. Here are a few potential causes, and how to fix them:

Door Is Locked

Once again, it may be that your door is simply locked. Press the lock button on your wall switch and try using the remote again.

Batteries Are Dead

Like with the keypad, you may simply need to replace the batteries in your remote. Try installing new ones, and see if the door opens.

Remote Is Out of Range

Also, like the keypad, your remote sends a wireless signal to the motor. From too great a distance, that signal won’t work. You may just be too far away — make sure you’re standing close enough to the motor when you use the remote.

Photo-Eyes Are Faulty

Once more, the photo-eyes may be responsible, though only if the malfunction is limited solely to closing. Check the connection path, ensure alignment and wipe the lenses.

4. Garage Door Doesn’t Close Properly

In some cases, the door will move when you push the button, only to malfunction partway through. Maybe it opens without a problem, but won’t fully close. Whether it doesn’t close at all, closes partway and then stops or closes all the way before immediately reversing and going back up, here are some possible causes and solutions to the problem:

Limits Are Off

It’s easy to take for granted that your garage door naturally stops in the right place when it opens and closes, but this isn’t inherently the case. The opening mechanism is programmed with a limit that tells it when to stop closing, so the motor doesn’t try to keep pushing it into the ground. If this limit is off from what it’s supposed to be, the door won’t stop in the right place.

Most openers let you adjust the limit by simply turning a screw in the motor. Check your manual for how this process works on your particular installation. If your door keeps trying to run into the ground, you’ll need to bring the limit back, whereas if the door doesn’t close all the way, you’ll want to push it forward a bit. Make sure you’re adjusting the “close” limit and not the “open” limit.

Photo-Eyes Are Faulty

If you haven’t already done so, give the photo-eye sensors a look. Some photo-eyes prevent the door from moving at all if their connection is broken, but others will let the door close partway before reversing its movement, or will simply stop it halfway down the track. In any case, you can fix this problem by clearing the path between the sensors, making sure they’re aligned and wiping off the lenses.

Rollers Are Damaged

Particularly if the door closes part way and then stops, the issue may be with the rollers or the metal tracks they roll along. The metal parts of the opener are susceptible to issues like rust, and in winter, they can contract slightly, causing resistance to the door’s movement. With enough resistance, the door will stop moving.

Check your rollers to see if this is the problem. A common solution is to apply lubricant oil to the rollers to help them move more smoothly. If that doesn’t work, it may be because the metal has become warped. Call a professional to have them examine the possible damage and help you repair the mechanism.

5. Garage Door Doesn’t Open Properly

If your doors aren’t having trouble closing, you may be encountering the opposite problem. Maybe the door will close well enough, but just won’t open — or perhaps it will open partway, but then stop. In either of these cases, the issue likely comes down to one of two things.

Limits Are Off

Just as your garage door has a limit for closing, it has another that tells it how far to open. If that limit isn’t set far enough back, the door will only open partway. Alternatively, it might be set too far, in which case you’ll hear the motor keep running even after the door’s stopped moving.

You can treat this issue by adjusting the “open” limit screw on the motor — again, consult your manual for the details on how to do this for your particular installation. Verify that you’re adjusting the “open” limit and not the “close” limit, and then move it accordingly, so the door stops in just the right place.

Rollers Are Damaged

Just like if your door has trouble closing, the issue may be that it has problems with the rollers. Try lubricating it to start with, and see if that fixes the problem. If it doesn’t, the metal tracks may be warped. To get that fixed, you’ll be best off calling in a professional to look at it.

6. Garage Door Motor Runs Without Door Moving

You may find that the motor responds to all of your controls without a problem — the door just doesn’t move. If you can hear the motor running, but the door stays put, there are two possible causes.

Limits Are Off

Once more, the issue may be that your limits are off. Note that if this is the cause, the door will still move, but the motor will simply keep running after it stops. This occurrence could happen in either direction, so you have to listen for when it does. In either case, you’ll need to dial back the appropriate limit, so the motor doesn’t keep trying to move the door after it’s gone as far as it can.

Door Is Disconnected From Belt

If the door doesn’t move at all, but you still hear the motor running, the door is probably disconnected from the belt. This disconnect most likely happened when someone pulled the emergency release cord. The specifics of reattaching the belt depend on the specific installation you have, so check your manual, but it should be a fairly straightforward manual process.

If this doesn’t fix the issue, the problem is likely beyond anything you should attempt to handle on your own. At that point, it’s time to call a professional for help.

Get Your Garage Door Opener Serviced Today

If you’re lucky, the issue you’re experiencing will be minor and something you can easily fix on your own. But, if you try each troubleshooting tip and none of them works, you know you need to bring in a professional who has the right experience to get the job done.

When that happens, look no further than Continental Door. We offer residential service throughout the greater Spokane, Washington, area and work with various brands such as Clopay, Linear and LiftMaster. We’ll be happy to take a look at your garage door and help you get it back in working order. Just get in touch with us today to get started!

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