Garage Door Questions

Treat it as one if you can't lock up the house, if the car you need is shut inside, or if a spring or cable has let go. A door that still opens and closes, even a noisy one, can usually wait for a booked visit.

Call a garage door repair company rather than a general handyman, because springs and cables hold a lot of stored force. Momentum takes calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on (954) 636-6320.

Prices vary from company to company and with the time of day, so ask before anyone is sent out. Momentum doesn't publish prices online. Call, describe what the door and opener are doing, and ask what the visit will cost.

It depends almost entirely on what failed. A loose sensor and a snapped spring are very different jobs, with different parts and labour. Describe the problem on the phone and ask for an estimate for that repair.

It isn't a job to learn on. A torsion spring is wound tight enough to break a wrist if a winding bar slips, and the replacement has to match the weight of your door. Leave the door closed and call.

For a trained technician with the right bars and parts, it's routine. For anyone else it is one of the most dangerous repairs in the house, because the spring stores the force that lifts the whole door.

Usually, yes. A broken spring rarely means the door itself is finished. Replacing the spring, and often its partner on a two-spring door, brings back a door that lifts properly and puts less strain on the opener.

It turns on the spring type, its size and whether one or both springs are changed. Torsion and extension springs are priced differently. Call with what you see above the door and ask for a quote.

Often they are. A failed sensor, a worn drive gear or a remote that lost its code can be fixed without replacing the motor. An opener that is very old, noisy and failing in several ways is the case where replacement starts to make sense.

A single worn part is normally cheaper to fix than a whole new opener. If the motor itself has failed, or parts for that model are no longer made, a new opener can be the better buy. A technician can tell you which case you're in.

A garage door company, since many opener faults turn out to be door faults, like a broken spring the opener can't lift past. Momentum handles opener repair and answers calls around the clock.

There isn't one useful number, because the fix ranges from re-aligning a sensor to replacing a circuit board. Momentum doesn't list prices online. Call and ask for an estimate for your opener.

Some homeowners do, but the door has to be balanced first and the safety sensors and force settings set up correctly. An opener fitted to an unbalanced door wears out early and may not reverse when it should.

It depends on the opener you choose, the drive type and what has to be changed on the existing door. Momentum installs openers on existing doors. Call and ask for a price for the model you have in mind.

Labor depends on the mounting, the ceiling and whether an old opener comes down first. Ask for the full price for the job rather than a parts-only figure, so there are no surprises.

The side with the broken cable stops lifting, so the door rises crooked, jams or drops on one side. Stop using it. A door hanging on one cable can fall or come out of its tracks.

The cables are under spring tension the whole time the door is closed. Changing one safely means taking that tension off first, which is spring work. It's a job for a technician.

Don't try to raise the door with the opener or by hand. Unplug the opener, keep people and cars clear, and call for repair. The cable is replaced and the door set level again before it is used.

It depends on whether the cable only slipped off its drum or snapped, and on whether the spring was damaged too. Call with what the door is doing for an estimate.

Stop using the door and unplug the opener. A roller out of its track usually means the door is twisted or something gave way, and running it again can bend the panels. Call for repair.

The door's weight has to be supported while the rollers are worked back in and the track is straightened or re-fastened. It's heavy, awkward work with the spring still under tension, so it is best left to a technician.

A track that has drifted out of line is loosened at its brackets, set straight and plumb, and tightened again. A bent section is straightened or replaced. Ignoring a crooked track is how a door ends up fully off track.

It depends on why it came off and what was bent on the way. A clean re-seat costs less than replacing track sections or rollers. Call and describe the door for an estimate.

The middle rollers are within reach of a careful homeowner. The bottom rollers sit in the brackets that hold the lift cables, which are under spring tension. Those should be changed by a technician.

Most residential doors use rollers with a 2-inch wheel on a stem that fits the hinges, but stems come in different lengths. Check an old roller or let the technician match them on site.

Yes, when they grind, wobble or have cracked wheels. Fresh rollers make a door quieter and smoother, and they ease the load on the opener.

It depends on how many rollers are changed and whether you choose nylon or steel. Most doors get the whole set done at once. Call and ask for a quote.

Look at the small lights on the two sensors by the floor. If one is off or blinking, the beam is blocked, the sensors are out of line or a wire has failed. A door that reverses every time it closes is the other sign.

Start simple. Wipe both lenses, clear anything in the beam and check that the brackets haven't been knocked. If the lights still won't hold steady, the wiring or the sensor itself needs attention.

Swapping a sensor is low-voltage work, but it has to match the opener and be aimed correctly so the door reverses when it should. Test the reversing system afterwards. If you're unsure, have it checked.

They often last for years. Damp, salty air, sun on the lens and knocks from bikes or bins are what usually end them early, which is why coastal homes see more sensor faults.

Often, yes. A sectional door is built from separate sections, so one dented or cracked section can be swapped when a matching section is still made for that door.

Sometimes, through the door's maker or a parts supplier, using the model and the section size. Older or discontinued doors are the problem. If no match exists, the section can't be replaced on its own.

Replacement sections are sold for many current door models. Matching the profile, color and thickness is what decides whether a single section will look right next to the rest of the door.

It depends on the door model, the section size and whether a match is still available. Call with the door's make and the damage for an estimate.

Lubricate the moving metal parts, check the balance, look over the cables and rollers, tighten loose hardware and test the auto-reverse. Near the coast, look for rust on springs and hinges as well.

A once-a-year check suits most homes. Doors near salt water, or ones that open many times a day, benefit from more frequent attention.

A light coat on springs, hinges, rollers and bearings a couple of times a year is typical, more often in salty, humid air. Use a garage door lubricant, not grease, and keep it off the tracks.

It depends on the door and on what the check turns up. Momentum offers maintenance and tune-ups. Call and ask for a price for a tune-up on your door.

Without electricity the opener can't drive the door. If your opener has a battery backup it may keep working. If not, and the springs are intact, the door can be moved by hand once the emergency release is pulled. Pull it with the door down, or with someone holding the door.

Most openers re-engage the next time they run, or when the release is moved back. The power-outage guide covers both.

Bal Harbour, North Miami and the surrounding areas, including Aventura, North Miami Beach, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines and Miramar. See the full service area.

It depends on the policy and the cause. Damage from a sudden event such as a storm or a vehicle may be covered, while wear and tear generally isn't. Your policy or your insurer has the answer.

It depends on the part and the door. Call with what the door is doing and ask for an estimate.