The 3 Most Important Parts In A Garage Door Opener

If you're a DIY home repair kind of person or a handyman, at some point you'll need to become very familiar with your garage door opener. Overhead garage doors, whether they roll up in sections or swing up in one piece, operate on spring tension. The door moves on metal tracks on the garage walls and the heavy spring or springs provide the power. In most cases when the door doesn't work easily, it can be linked back to the garage door opener. Here are some of the most important parts of the garage door opener which give you a better understanding of how the parts to a garage door and opener relate.

Angle Iron With Mounting Straps For Strength

New Garage door openers come with everything you need for installation typically, but the mounting straps that are included are often so flimsy that you can bend them with your hands. Angle iron is a sturdier substitute that provides stronger installation and reduces vibration, which helps extend the opener's life span. In an unfinished garage, you attach the angle iron directly to the face of a joist with 1" lag screws. For finished ceilings, attach angle iron along the bottom of a joist with 3" lag screws.

Wires Are Sensitive

Wires run from your opener to the photo eyes and to the wall button are exposed and need to be replaced if you've had your opener for awhile or are planning to replace it. They may be nicked or worn. Newer openers are extremely sensitive and won't work if a wire is damaged. It only takes about 15 minutes to run the new wire so it's time well spent. If the wires are protected inside the wall, you don't need to run new wire.

Screws Are Small But Mighty

These tiny parts control the opening force of your garage door and a slight adjustment could make a huge difference in how well your opener and door operate. If your door encounters more than about 5 pounds of resistance when it's opening, you want it to stop. This is an important safety feature not to be taken lightly. The resistance could be your finger caught in the track. The check the opening force, rest your foot on the door handle near the floor and open the door using the remote control. When the door lifts against your foot, it should stop with very little pressure. If the door continues to open adjust the force appropriately.

At some point, if you haven't already, you'll become familiar with these parts yourself and their operation. As you can see, when you know all that is involved with the garage door and opener it's easy to troubleshoot simple repairs and maintenance that can extend the life of your system.

Why Is My Garage Door Opener Not Working?

It can really be an inconvenience when you pull up to your garage door at your home and it refuses to open. Why pay a handyman when you can save some money and do it yourself? First you want to identify the type of garage door opener you have. Garage door openers come in 3 types - Belt drive, Chain Drive or Screw Drive. Troubleshooting for all 3 types is basically the same. There is a transmitter or handheld remote in your car and a receiver that accepts the signal from the remote and tells the drive system what to do. There is a warning device that determines if anything is present within the path of the garage door that would prevent the garage door from closing properly. Then there is a wired-in control button that allows you to operate the garage door from inside the garage.

To troubleshoot, here are some examples of how you can identify the source of the problem.

1) If the remote in your car won't activate the opener but the hard-wired button on the garage wall operates the garage door opener properly then the problem is contained within the radio transmitting portion of the garage door opener.

2) If the remote in your other car (if you have two vehicles) works the garage door opener then the problem is within the remote that doesn't work.

3) If neither garage door opener remotes will open the garage door, then the problem is most likely in the receiver that is mounted on the garage door opener motor.

First and foremost, you'll want to check the batteries in your garage door opener remotes. Nine times out of ten that is the reason that a garage door opener won't open which is the really easy fix. It's important to always have extra batteries on hand for this reason. You may even want to keep some handy in your vehicle glovebox. There's usually a 9-volt battery in the keypad itself as well as a watch-type battery (or maybe a standard AA or AAA battery) in each of the handheld remotes for your garage door opener.

Beyond testing and replacing batteries in your garage door opener remotes, there is little that you as a homeowner can do with the electronic transmit and receive portion of the garage door opener. This doesn't mean you must tear out the whole garage door opener and buy a new one. Here are some things you can you can do:

* If the problem is a bad remote control, you can purchase replacement garage door opener remotes online.

* If the receiver itself is bad, you can order a replacement garage door opener receiver or a complete radio control that includes a universal receiver and new remote control transmitters.

* Replacement obstruction warning shut off systems or safety beams are also available online. These have a universal fit in most cases.

Repairing a garage door opener receiver is usually just a matter of removing a couple of wires for the old one and attaching the wires for the new one. Programming a remote is simple. Older units have a series of dip switches in both the remote and the receiver. All you have to do is make sure both units have all the switches in the same position. Modern garage door opener systems have a "learn" button which is used to match the two components together. For many garage door opener repairs, the level of technical expertise required is relatively easy and straightfoward.

Fortunately, parts for these most common brands of garage door openers are readily available online but are always great to have on hand. Sticking with a reliable name brand will assure that you will be able to get parts many years down the road.

How The Large Selection Of Garage Door Remotes Will Decrease Dramatically In The Future

Garage door openers first came to us as a result from World War II technology. The first remote controls simply beamed a radio frequency signal at a garage door receiver and the door was opened. This wasn't thought of as very safe as garage door remotes were able to open other garage doors. Manufacturers solved this problem by created a dip switch for the openers that would allow them to set up to 256 different codes. In most cases that eliminated the problem of dueling remote access, but it still wasn't as secure as most homeowners wanted. Thieves could still drive through neighborhoods and find a home with the same type of opener duplicate code. In some rare instances it was even possible for a thief with something called a code grabber to stand near you as you remotely opened your garage door and record the code to use later.

By 1990, the next and current generation of openers was introduced to use transmitters and receivers relying on rolling code technology. A new code is randomly generated each time the door is opened creating millions of possible codes. So if you have a remote and receiver over 15 years old, it's time to update your system for your own safety and security.

It is still advised to not leave your garage door remote in your vehicle which still makes you vulnerable to someone willing to break in and steel the remote for access to your garage. As an added measure of security, consider unplugging your opener and locking your garage door with a keyed lock when you leave for extended lengths of time such as vacation. In the future, garage door remotes will be replaced by even greater technology that will ensure the safety of your home more reliably. For example, by connecting a radio transmitter directly to a residential router, Liftmaster makes it possible to use an iOS device such as a smartphone or tablet as remote controls for your garage and houselights.

How does this technology work you ask? The garage door opener does in fact need to be connected to your home network. But instead of trying to find a way to configure the garage door opener for a WiFi or hard-wired Ethernet Connection, a radio transmitter is used to connect directly to a residential router over hard-wired Ethernet. That transmitter then wirelessly exchanges signals with the garage door opener, on it's own radio. It's not significantly different than the way most visor-mounted garage door opener remotes work over a wireless frequency. The difference is that the remote is mounted to a home router instead of a car visor. The the app that runs on your smartphone or a tablet communicates directly with that home router mounted remote.

Unlike today's simple visor mounted remotes that can open and close the garage door or toggle the opener's lights from a short distance, the smartphone and apps can work from anywhere as long as they have a connection to the Internet and they can detect the current state of a garage door be it open or closed and how long it has been in either state. In addition to supporting iOS, Blackberry and Android with custom written apps, there is also a mobile web application that makes it possible to remotely access all the controls through a web browser. This may come in handy if you have a Windows phone because there isn't an app for that on the Windows phone platform as of yet though anticipated in the near future. Once again, Apple is leading the way introducing new computer technologies to change the way we live.

4 Reason To Purchase The Liftmaster 877MAX Wireless Keyless Entry System

Convenience, safety, and security are just but three of the most compelling reasons why you should purchase the Liftmaster 877MAX Wireless Keyless Entry System. Manufactured by garage door manufacturing garage industry giant Chamberlain Liftmaster, the 877MAX wireless keyless entry system lets you open your garage doors even without the remote control or the key, especially during those times when you need them most and you simply can't locate the remote or have lost your key. With just a 4-digit private code which you encipher directly into the unit on installation, you will enjoy the convenience of carrying one less key opening around or not worry about remembering where you might have left the remote control. No more lifting or pulling those heavy garage doors!

Compatible even with older Garage Door Openers.

Here's the best part about the Liftmaster 877 MAX. If you happen to have bought a Liftmaster, Chamberlaine, or even a Sears garage door opener that was manufactured way back in 1993, you won't have a problem because this unit works well with any of them. Just make sure your garage door opener has that colored Learn Button and operates in the 390 MHz or 315 MHz frequency. So, whether the colored Learn Button of your opener is yellow, purple, orange, or green, this unit will work perfectly.

Highly secured entry system.

This Liftmaster wireless entry unit uses a vaunted proprietary Security+2.0™ and Security+® rolling code technology which is practically hack proof. It sends a new code every time the keypad is pressed which virtually prevents anyone from tampering or interfering with it. It is even equipped with a temporary password option that allows delivery, service personnel, and surprise visitors to enter your garage while you are somewhere else without you handing over your own personal code. (You can simply program the temporary password which will expire after a certain set time after use which means the same temporary password can't be used again after that.)

Completely Wireless and Weatherproof.

This easy to install wireless keyless entry system can be attached anywhere in the door jamb of your garage with just two screws and requires no wiring at all. Just screw it on and it is ready to go powered by a replaceable 9-volt battery that comes with the unit. Its flip up cover effectively protects the unit from even the most severe weather. It has a backlit keypad that allows you to key in the code in the dark with great ease.

The most notable reason why you should buy this unit.

There are a lot of other notable reasons why you should purchase this unit which include its longer and wider range of operation, the easy programming, and the single button closure feature which allows for a secure exit. The most important reason though why you should prefer this particular Liftmaster wireless keyless entry system over other competing brands and models is the fact that it is a product of Chamberlain the leading manufacturer of garage door openers and accessories worldwide and which is known for its innovative and state of the art products. Buying the Liftmaster 877MAX comes with the assurance of buying a quality that exceeds customer expectations.

SEE PRODUCT DETAILS AND DESCRIPTION BELOW:

• Security+2.0™ and Security+® rolling code technology assures a new code is sent every time the keypad is used and virtually eliminates interference
• Temporary password option enables visitors or delivery and service personnel to enter the garage without giving them your personal code 
• Completely wireless – powered by one 9-volt battery (included)
• Weatherproof flip-up protective cover
• Backlit keypad makes numbers easy to see, even in the dark
• One-button-to-close feature makes it easier than ever to close your garage door (works with all LiftMaster® garage door openers manufactured since 2006)
• Compatible with all LiftMaster® garage door openers manufactured since January 1993

NEED PROGRAMMING INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS PRODUCT? CLICK THE LINK BELOW:

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/aaaremotes/liftmaster-877max-instructions.pdf

The 5 Most Important Hardware Parts For Your Garage

If you want to build a garage which is durable enough to effectively perform its functions for a long time, then it is advisable for you to research about the basics of garage maintenance. It is important for you to do this process on a regular basis to ensure that any signs of damages are instantly detected and repaired. You also need to gather information about the most essential hardware parts that should form part of your garage to ensure that it stays in top working shape. Five of the most essential hardware parts that you should buy for your garage are the following:

1. Springs

These are among the most vital components of your garage door because these perform over ninety percent of the work associated to closing and opening it up. If you already have a hard time opening the door in your garage, then it is greatly possible that its springs require some adjustments and proper alignment. If you have a car port garage door, then be aware that properly aligning its spring is a complex process so you should consider contacting a professional who can expertly do this job.

2. Extension Springs

These parts are primarily mounted on both sides of the entrance. These extension springs are essential because these work by extending the entrance and allowing it to reach its full closed or open capacity. It should be noted that these springs are extremely different from torsion springs since the latter only expand and contract instead of being in a wound position.

3. Lifting Cable

This refers to a huge wire which is primarily created using smaller strands or wires that work by attaching your garage door into the door springs or the counter balance mechanism. This is extremely useful in ensuring that the door in your garage maintains its balance. You can install these cables at the sides of your door. As a means of maintaining the good condition of this lifting cable, you need to regularly lubricate it. This is a huge help in significantly reducing the noise usually produced by it and in ensuring that it smoothly performs its functions.

4. Electric Motor

This is a hardware part which works by pulling the door either up or down. Depending on your chosen model, you can expect the motor to run at around ½ to 3 quarter horsepower. If you are thinking of buying this motor, then it is advisable for you to pick one which perfectly suits your garage door's weight and size. You should also consider finding that which comes with battery backups and keyless remote systems because these features can give you a guarantee that your garage door will still work even if the power is out.

5. Track

This hardware part can be expected to run starting from the floor up to your ceiling while allowing the wheels of your garage door panels to be held on their right position when you lift up and lower the door.

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Aside from the 5 mentioned hardware parts that should be present in your garage, you also need to store cable drums, panel hinges, strut, pulleys, bearings, screws and plates to maintain the door's functionality.