Gates are an integral part of any garage and entrance to a private, commercial or industrial enclosed area. To maintain the performance of these structures, regular inspection and diagnostics are required in order to identify any breakdowns, as well as quickly eliminate them. Some require a garage door opener replacement.

Types of breakdowns of sectional (garage) doors

Sectional systems can malfunction or not work at all for a number of reasons that need to be considered on a case-by-case basis. But there is a pool of “standard” breakdowns that specialists (including those from STI Garage Door) encounter most often.

• Partial lifting/lowering of the sash

The problem lies in power failures, engine and amplifier failures, system overload due to ground subsidence. To check the functionality, you should switch to manual control, and if the sectional doors rise/fall freely, then the breakdown lies in the failed spring, which should be replaced. If this does not help, then you need to diagnose the automation and repair the garage door.

• No lift when drive is running 

The most common cause is a blocked mechanism. The first step is to check the absence of third-party objects in the moving elements, the presence of a connection between the metal transmitters, or the integrity of the spring.

• Whole system not working

This problem is due to a worn spring, no charge in the remote control, or a power failure.

• The sash raises itself after lowering

This problem is quite common, and the reason is due to incorrect determination of the drive parameters or a malfunction of the photocells.

• Freezing of the canvas

Also, a fairly common problem in winter, which is easily solved by pouring hot water (not boiling water!) on the lower part of the sash.

• Vibration during lifting/lowering

In this case, the reason is in the loosening of the nuts and bolts, which you just need to tighten well.

• Rupture of torsion springs

Repairing the gate requires a replacement of the part.

Some breakdowns can be fixed on your own, some — only with the help of professionals, and in certain cases you will have to replace the broken part.

How to replace the cable on a sectional door?

For a garage, sectional doors are an almost indispensable thing. They are able to close the opening of any shape and size, retain heat well, and are easy to use. Due to the relatively low weight, the design is easy to open/close. Some gate options are equipped with an electric drive: you can open the garage without even leaving the car. Replacing a cable on a garage door is a procedure that can be performed independently with a certain skill.

The cable should be changed when:

• the gate stopped going up/down;
• the canvas is skewed in one direction;
• the canvas does not close the opening completely (the panels do not reach the floor).

Malfunctions occur due to incorrect installation of the cable, improper operation of the gate or due to natural wear and tear. It is impossible to tighten with the replacement of the cable. This can lead to breakage of torsion springs, breakage of the gearbox, or complete failure of sectional doors.

The first stage to replacing the gate cable is the dismantling of the old, faulty cable. For replacement, you should purchase a part that is similar in all respects. When the preparatory procedures are done, proceed as follows:

• install the key and fix the brackets at the bottom of the door leaf
• tighten the mounting screw on the drum well, fixing it firmly
• rotate the shaft until the new cable is well tensioned (remember that the element should not sag; as a rule, it is enough to make 2-3 turns of the spring for this
• fasten the bolts that are in the tension tips.

The final step is one more sag check. If the cable is tensioned well, then you did everything right.

When to call experts?

If you cannot and do not want to carry out repairs of any complexity with your own hands, you should resort to the services of a company specializing in this work. The price for repairing sectional doors depends on the complexity of the breakdown. An external inspection allows specialists to identify a malfunction and determine its cause.

Most often it is:

• troubleshooting or replacing rollers with bearings
• installation and configuration of the electric drive to control the system
• balancing of springs and replacement of cables of any sectional doors
• lubrication of fasteners to eliminate extraneous sounds (squeaks and knocks)
• prompt replacement of photocells, signal lamp, remote control, etc.

Often, professionals offer service maintenance of sectional doors for domestic and industrial purposes. Specialists check the condition of the profile, seals and fasteners, clean the springs from corrosion, and troubleshoot the rollers. Domestic gates need this procedure after 25,000 cycles of operation, industrial gates — after 100,000. Prevention of malfunctions prolongs the life of the structure.

Garage door service companies (including STI Garage Door) work like an ambulance. Technical specialists quickly go to the site and eliminate malfunctions of any complexity.

Repair costs are savings

You can talk for a long time about the possible reasons for the failure of the gate, but often the owner is little interested in the history of his erroneous actions that led to the breakdown. He needs to get the system back up and running as soon as possible and ensure that repairs and preventive measures are taken to minimize the risk of another shutdown.

It’s all about timing. Today, automatic gates have actually moved into the category, if not mandatory, then necessary equipment for a modern country house. And when there is demand, there is offer. As a result, the market is saturated with companies offering installation and repair of such gates.

Unfortunately, not always masters have the necessary qualifications. This is the cost of any rapidly growing mass market. Bribing with a low price for services, such companies are not able to provide high-quality installation and fast service. Sometimes the necessary spare parts need to wait for months.

Therefore, it is so important to find a service company whose representatives are able to solve the problem with the garage doors of any type and any manufacturer, if not in one trip, then in the shortest possible time. This requires an impressive experience in the installation and maintenance of such equipment and competent service personnel. Do not wait for an accident, the problem is cheaper to prevent than to fix.