Garage Door Opener Repair and Installation

An opener that misbehaves is often reporting a problem somewhere else in the door. Diagnosing the opener without checking the balance of the door is how people end up replacing a working unit.

Common opener faults

• It hums but nothing moves. Often a stripped drive gear, or a door so out of balance the motor cannot move it.
• It closes then immediately reopens. Almost always the photo-eye safety sensors — knocked out of alignment, dirty, or obstructed.
• The wall button works, remotes do not. A programming or receiver problem, not a motor problem.
• It runs only intermittently. Worn limit switches, a failing logic board, or interference on the remote frequency.

Repair or replace

A chain-drive unit past roughly fifteen years, with a failed board and worn gears, is usually not worth the parts. A newer unit with a sensor fault or a stripped gear generally is. We will say which one you are looking at before any work starts.

If you are replacing

Drive type is the decision that matters day to day. Belt drives are markedly quieter and are worth it when there is living space above or beside the garage. Chain drives are cheaper and louder. Direct-drive and wall-mounted units free up ceiling space and are the quietest option of all.