The Garage Door Opener Hums but Doesn’t Operate

Humming may be a good sign – you know it has power. The unit may simply be bound up. Check the moving parts to ensure the rails aren’t blocked and the armature is connected to the garage door. Ensure the unit is engaged, not in manual mode. Another possibility is, again, the force adjustment. Old, weak springs may shift much of the burden for lifting and lowering the door to the opener motor and drive system. While the unit may be able to handle the weight, then again, it may not. The result will be a straining motor that fails to open or close the door. Tweak the force adjustment to solve this problem.
A handy way to determine if the fault lies in the opener or the door is to eliminate the opener. Pull the emergency release handle hanging from the overhead unit to disengage it and allow the door to open and close manually. Lift and lower the door, testing the spring and rail systems. Your door should stay at any point of travel, when released, on its own. If it doesn’t and previous steps fail to fix the problem, the springs are too worn and need replacement.
If, however, the door stays where it’s left and moves up and down smoothly, the problem is likely an internal component in the garage door opener unit itself. Keep the setting on manual, so you can continue to use your garage, and consult a qualified professional.

The Garage Door Motor Fails to Stop Running

It probably comes as no surprise: If the door opens or closes but the motor continues to run, the limit switch is probably to blame. Adjust the switch, either on the rear of the opener unit or on the track, and try the opener again to confirm the solution.

The Garage Door Reverses Before or After Closing

If the garage door hits the floor and reverses to open again, check the close limit switch and adjust accordingly. When it reverses before even hitting the floor, a possible cause is another adjustment feature on the opener unit called the “close force adjustment.”
As your garage door gets older, the springs wear out. The result is irregular opening and closing. The solution is to increase the force setting on your opener.
Climb a stepladder to reach the garage door opener and look for the knobs on the rear of the unit. Turn the desired control clockwise slightly to adjust and retest the door. Continue turning, one at a time and in small increments, until the door opens and closes properly and stays in position.

The Garage Door Fails to Completely Open or Close

When the door refuses to lift or lower completely, the culprit might again be the safety sensors. If the sensors are operating properly – looking again to see if the lights shine red and green and are facing each other and aligned – a likely cause is one of the limit switches.
The exact placement and appearance of the limit switch depends on the specific garage door opener. Typically, you can find limit switches on the back of the garage door opener unit, the box attached to the door track overhead. Use a stepladder to reach the switches, small plastic screws marked up and down, and turn to adjust. On some brands, the switches are instead mounted on the rail extending between the door and opener unit. Loosen the switch and move either closer to or farther from the unit, then tighten with a screwdriver. Test the garage door opener after adjustment of either to see if this solves the problem.

How to Find the Best Garage Door Repair Service in the Portland OR Areas - Step 4

4. Investigate their reputation: with the pervasiveness of the internet these days, it’s easy to conduct some investigation into the background and business track record of any garage door repair service professional, even those that mainly do their business offline. Many independent review websites offer garage door service customers a chance to rate and leave some online feedback about the company that serviced them. In fact, if you’re in the Portland OR areas, there are a couple of reviews websites that list highly rated garage door repair service companies operating in the said cities. Checking out these websites can help you zero in not only on the service companies operating nearest your location, but also those that have the best reputation regarding price and excellent service.

The bottom line: finding the best garage door repair company in Portland OR can be easy and trouble-free if you follow the aforementioned tips. And of course, be discerning and keep your wits intact during the service negotiation—it pays to haggle over the service fee, but only to a certain extent. Also, before calling up the technician, be sure to do what you can to be familiar with your garage door’s problem, so that you’ll be able to have a more fruitful discussion of your problem with your chosen service technician. Remember: a well-informed customer is well-protected from “scammy” offers, and this principle applies to garage door repair services as well.

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Thanks for reading,

Patrick

How to Find the Best Garage Door Repair Service in the Portland OR Areas - Step 3

3. Ask for garage door repair referrals in the Portland OR areas: you may ask friends, relatives or officemates who may have had used such a service in the past, as they may have someone they know to be competent. Or as an easier alternative,
you can blast an email to all your friends (these days, this can also be done by posting your need for a garage door repair service on your Facebook status or Twitter) asking them for referrals.

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Thanks for reading,

Patrick

How to Find the Best Garage Door Repair Service in the Portland OR Areas - Step 2

2. Start searching online: most reputable garage door repair service people in the Portland OR areas maintain their own websites, which makes it easier for their current and prospective customers to find them. But having a website is one thing, and having a helpful, informative website is another. If their website seems outdated, with nothing but an “about us” page that seems to have been posted years ago, then this may not be a good candidate—although we’d give them the benefit of the doubt by actually calling them up first and checking their rates. On the other hand, a garage door service technician who is serious about their business would make it a point to maintain a highly informative business website, which should contain a contact page (that lists their email or contact form, physical address, and contact numbers), an about us page (something that informs the reader about their professional profile) and even a page that lists their past customers, including feedback or testimonials.

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Thanks for reading,

Patrick