Garage Door Opener Parts

Your typical garage door system is made up of many different small and large parts working together in order to make a heavy door go up and down in a controlled fashion. The typical American home puts more stress of their garage door than they truly realize.  Optimally, all these moving metal parts needs to be maintained just like anything else and yet they oftentimes get neglected.

The most common garage door opener parts that will wear out and need to be replaced out are:

• drums

• cables

• pulleys

• springs (whether they are torsion or extension)

• hinges

• the actual motor

These are the parts on your garage door that receive the most wear and therefore these are the parts that will give out the quickest.

Its wise for a homeowner to do a quick visual inspection of these the parts just mentioned at least once a year.  It really should not take more than 10-15 minutes.

Nevertheless, if they do break down and your should need to replace one of your garage door parts here the the process you should use.

1. Find out which brand and model your garage door is.
2. Evaluate exactly what is causing the problem and if possible write down the model number of that particular garage door part.
3. Call a local garage door dealer in your area and ask if they stock this part.  If they do ask them what it costs.  You might also want to ask how much it would cost to have it installed.  Do not purchase the part just yet.
4. Go to the internet and check out several online garage door opener parts stores and check out their prices.
5. If you can get that particular part significantly cheaper online and can install it yourself then by all means purchase it.
6. If the price is not much cheaper (remember to factor in shipping though garage door parts stores on the internet offer free shipping over a certain dollar amount) or if you cannot install it yourself go to the local dealer.  Just make certain they guarantee their work.  About half of the parts that malfunction on your garage door will be easily fixed with the proper part.  The other half will require the skills and special tools of a garage technician to be done properly.

When you are choosing a garage door company make sure you choose one who has a good reputation in your area, has experience in what they do, recommended by at least three people, and offer some kind of warranty on their work.

Here are some optional garage door opener parts that you may find useful to your home or office.  These are parts that are not necessarily mandatory but can make life for you or your business really more convenient.  And isn’t that the reason why we all have garages in the first place?

Multi Function Remote Controllers

The can be available as 2 or 3 button remotes. These remotes are really cool because they can operate several garage door openers at once and the better ones can be equipped with a security system. You can find these remotes at many websites.  They also make these in “mini” models that do the same thing but come small enough to fit on your key chain.  You can also get a model that comes with a light attached to it for nighttime application.  Very nice feature to have.

Electronic Reversing Device (ERD)

Is is a cool feature that comes on many commercial Liftmaster garage door openers.  If the door or gate ever comes into contact with a vehicle while it is closing than it automatically re-opens.  If it comes into contact with a vehicle while it is opening, it stops, reverses a couple inches and then it stops again.  If your garage door did not come with this feature I would think about getting it.  I have backed up into my garage many times before.

Photo Eyes (Sensors)

You can get these for residential or commercial applications.   These photo safety sensors are designed to sense an obstruction and signal the garage door to go into reverse.  They are usually fast and easy to install.  You should really get one of these parts as a safety measure to prevent injuries especially if you have kids.

Treadle

This is another type of garage door sensor but one that you can actually put on the ground and when a car drives over it a signal is sent to close the garage door.  Really cool device that makes having a remote halfway useless.

Noise Isolators

Heavy duty rubber isolators that can aid in preventing a lot of noise for your garage door and they absorb vibration.

One of the biggest manufacturers of garage door openers is Genie.  They would probably be the most trusted name out there.  What alot of people do not know is that Genie was actually bought by Overhead Door Corporation in 1994.  If you live in a city like mine they would most likely be the company that would install your garage if you were building one brand new.

I am a big fan of Genie Garage Door Openers.  I personally have one and love them.  I can always find garage door opener parts for them either at a dealer or online and their customer warranty is good as well.

One great thing I like about Genie is that they are super quiet.  They do not make a lot of noise.  Some of the models barely make any.  They also have this self diagnostic system installed into it that reverses the garage door when interrupted.

One thing that I did not know about the product line is that they sell different models for Do It Your Selfers vs if you have it installed.  The Do It YourSelf Products are usually found at Lowes, Home Depot, or Sears.  They are going to be a Direct Lift, PowerLift, or QuiteLift model.

If you are going to get them installed by a dealer then you will get the Excelerator, Pro Stealth, Pro Max, Screw Driver, ChainLift, or Chain Glide model.  The model you get will depend on your needs.  You can find the closest dealer near you by going to their Dealer Locator Site.

Click here for more information on how to maintain your garage door opener chain.