Special power requirements for electric doors?

Electric garage doors have been manufactured with ease-of-use in mind.  This idea has been carried over into the area of installation.

Automatic garage door opener units come supplied with a normal 3-pin plug as standard, so will plug into a standard household socket. Yes, there’s none of those funky Euro-only or American plugs to worry about.

The 3-pin plug socket should be situated in relative proximity to the garage door opening (if you have a very long garage); however, if you do not have power available in your garage, we recommend that you contact a certified electrician.

How long does the light on the opener stay on for?

Most if not all modern-day openers include a courtesy light which will automatically switch on when the garage door is activated.  After a period of inactivity, the light will switch off to save electricity during periods of non-use.

How long will the light stay on for? This period of time is configurable from only a few seconds to a number of minutes.  The standard light bulbs can be replaced with energy-saving bulbs to minimize electricity consumption further.

Can I automate a canopy door?

Yes canopy garage doors can be fitted with an electric opener. Canopy garage doors do require a bow arm converter before an electric motor can be fitted to the door.

If you are looking to purchase a new garage door, we would recommend that you consider a retractable garage door instead. These doors are suited much better for automatic operation at a cost that is fractionally higher. You will find that your opener will function not only more reliably but more smoothly.

Most garage door installers can supply and fit a automatic garage door opener to a canopy door.

Releasing the door from the operator

If your automatic garage door opener is stuck closed because of a power failure or due to a problem with the unit itself, you may still be able to open the door manually.

That’s right, modern day operators allow you disengage the garage door’s automatic operation providing full access to your garage.

As a means of caution, close the garage door so it is fully closed.  You will notice a dangling, red pull-cord three-quarters the length of the boom away from the garage opening. With the garage door now closed, simply pull the red release cord down toward the floor.

This should disengage automatic operation and allow you to manually open/close the garage door using your own strength.

Electric garage door only goes up a foot then stops

When you attempt to open your electric garage door, does the door go up about a foot or two then stop?

This could be one of two things. If you apply pressure upwards when the door is lifting, will it go up all the way? This problem is more than likely due to a problem with a torsion spring. For most doors, torsion springs can be replaced at an affordable cost.

Otherwise, you could be looking at a problem with the motor and/or garage door. As garage doors age, they require maintenance to keep them evenly balanced. An opening garage door can find itself getting stuck in a stationery position because an usually large amount of force has been detected required to open the door. Usually, a garage door service will mend any problems seen.

If the door closes again shortly after opening, the opener will require that you tune/adjust its force sensors.

A universal garage door opener remote

Are you looking for a universal garage door remote control? If you’re planning to replace your existing remote control or to combine multiple remotes into a single pad, it could be the best solution.

There is no such thing as a remote that can operate any garage opener – for good reason. There are however, remotes that can operate on different frequencies, functioning with different brands.

Remote control operating frequency will usually differ by manufacturer and even model. Modern-day remotes adopt different rolling-code technologies to prevent an eavesdropper from recording the transmission.

Garage Door Opener will not do anything

If you have an Electric Garage Door that will not do anything when you push the button, there’s a few things you can look at to investigate the problem.

1. Is the the opener plugged into the an electric socket outlet?

2. Is there power coming out of the electric socket? Try plugging another electrical device into the same socket and seeing if it works.  There is always the possibility that there has been a short in the wiring. If this is the case, call a qualified electrician.

3. Another option could be to use an extension lead to plug the opener into another wall socket.  This might be a better option than having to lug a nice piece of electrical equipment into the garage.

4. If all fails, you probably have a mechanical or electric fault with your opener. Before you shell out hundreds to repair your opener, consider purchasing a new garage door opener. It could save you money, hassle, and time.

Electric Garage Door Replacement Remote

Are you looking for a replacement garage door remote control? Have you thought about adding another remote control to your existing installation?

Depending on the age of your electric garage door opener this may or may not be possible.  All the big garage door opener manufacturer’s provide the ability to add or replace remotes.

Programming a new remote control with a opener is easier than you might think. Manufacturers include simple easy-to-follow instructions making it quick even for you technophobes.

If your garage door opener was manufactured before 1980, it is almost certain that a new remote for your opener will no longer be in circulation.

Remote controls differ in price depending on the features of your opener and the manufacturer of the system.

Should I install manual lock for electric door?

Electric garage doors are designed to prevent unauthorised entry protecting not only the contents of your garage but you and your family. Newer electric openers function as the lock where as an older opener would usually require a manual lock.

We strongly discourage homeowners from attaching a lock once an opener has been installed. Accidentally locking the door can cause the opener to pull against the lock causing unrepairable damage to the garage door.

If you know that your garage door is not going to be used for a while because of a family holiday, for example, the vast majority of openers feature a digital lock.  The digital lock can only be lock/unlocked from with inside the garage meaning that a remote control for the door will still not be sufficient in opening the garage door until the digital lock has been unlocked/disarmed.

Please Note: If no opener is installed on your garage door, a lock is highly recommended.

Automatic Garage Door Spares

Do you have a dilapidated automatic garage door opener that you’re looking to revive?  Are you looking for a company selling spares or parts for your opener or even searching for a company that will carry out the repairs on your opener?

Truthfully, if your opener has passed its warranty date, you’re probably out of luck. Unless the spare part is from a popular manufacturer or is a part that is known to regularly break, you won’t find too many companies stocking the part you’re looking for.

“Why?”, I hear you ask. Consider the cost implications of an individual spending hours attempting to fix a garage door opener.  Good, quality engineers are not cheap.

Then there is the cost of the spare parts themselves.  Other than the bare-bones frame, electric openers are comprised of complicated circuit boards. Fixing a broken circuit often means replacing the entire circuit board.

Taking these costs into consideration (with the chance that the same problem or even ANOTHER problem might rear its head), it is often best purchasing a new opener with a warranty.  It will likely save you cost, time, and hassle.