Garage Door Tune-Up in Fort Wayne: Monthly Safety Checks

The monthly safety checks a Fort Wayne homeowner can do on a garage door, what to ask a shop about a tune-up, and why winter is hard on doors.

A door that doesn't reverse can kill. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says about 73 children aged 2 to 14 have died since March 1982 after being trapped under automatic garage doors, about three a year. It tells owners to test the reversing feature monthly, and Chamberlain says the same.

Chamberlain's reversal test: open the door fully, lay a 2x4 flat on the floor in the middle of the opening, and close the door. It must reverse when it touches the board. DASMA adds a sensor test: stand inside, clear of the door, and pass something through the sensor beam while the door closes; it should reverse straight away. If it fails either test, stop using the opener and call. The Commission says an opener that fails should be disconnected until it is adjusted, repaired or replaced. Skip both tests if a spring, cable or bracket already looks damaged.

With the door closed, DASMA suggests looking over, without handling, the springs, hinges, brackets and fasteners, and checking the sections for cracks or pieces coming apart. The red release handle should hang no higher than 6 feet off the floor, and the wall button should be at least 5 feet up, out of small children's reach.

DASMA's balance check: with the door fully closed, pull the release (it cautions the door may start to move on its own), then lift the door with a safe grip. It should lift without strain, stay up when fully open, and hold still when stopped 3 to 4 feet off the floor. If it doesn't, stop and have a trained technician look at it. Keep others clear, don't stand under the door, and skip this if any part looks broken. Afterward, close the door fully and reconnect the opener.

Winter is the hard season for a Fort Wayne door. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for the airport show about 124 nights a year at or below freezing, about 40 days when the high never gets above freezing, about 6 nights at zero or colder, and about 34 inches of snow. Clopay says old lubricant on rollers and tracks can harden and turn gummy in the cold. Before booking a tune-up, ask what it includes and what it costs, and ask for a price before any extra work.

Common jobs

• Balance and spring check
• Rollers, hinges and tracks
• Opener force and travel settings
• Sensor and reversal tests
• Bottom seal and weatherstripping

Have this ready when you call

• Single-car or double-car door, and roughly how old it is
• The opener brand, if you can read it
• Any noises or problems you have noticed
• Your street, neighborhood or town

Common questions