GARAGE DOOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The cost of a garage door depends on a number of factors such as: the model, size, material, decorative options and site conditions.

Here are three good reasons to avoid this task.

• Injury: Installing a garage door is dangerous. Because of the extreme spring tension involved, many novices have been seriously injured or even killed by garage door accidents.
• Accuracy: Precision installation helps your door perform better and last longer.
• Time: It’s not uncommon for a novice to spend all day installing a door, while a professional can do it correctly and safely in two or three hours
• Improper installation could void your warranty.

For these reasons, we urge you to have a qualified door mechanic install your door, and call him again when your door needs repairs or adjustments. It’s money well spent.

It’s possible to put a new door on old track, but we don’t recommend it. As one of our dealers says, “Would you buy a new car with used tires?” You may save a few dollars now, but it may cause headaches and more expense later.Here are some reasons to avoid the old track:

• Your old track may not fit with your new door, depending on the thickness of your sections, the weight of the door, the headroom required, the location of the garage door opener, and other considerations. Making adjustments to old track can end up costing you more money in extra installation time.
• The track and sections work together as a system. For maximum performance and long life, you should use the track that is designed for your specific door.
• If you end up replacing the track later, it will cost you much more to buy the track as a special part and pay for another service call.

If your door feels heavy or requires two hands to open it, the door is out of balance and needs adjustment. A variety of problems can cause this, and if you try to fix it yourself, you could get hurt. We strongly recommend that you call your to diagnose the problem and offer a solution.The answer is not a garage door opener. Openers are designed to open doors that are properly balanced.

It’s a good idea to occasionally test the balance of your door. Here’s how:

• Close your door.
• If you have an opener, pull the emergency disconnect rope/handle so you can operate the door by hand.
• Lift the door manually. You should be able to lift it with one hand, smoothly, and with little resistance.
• The door should stay open by itself around three to four feet above the floor.
• If you have a hard time lifting the door, or if the door does not stay open by its self, the door is probably out of balance and needs adjustment.

A variety of problems can cause this, and if you try to fix it yourself, you could get hurt. We strongly recommend that you call your dealer to diagnose the problem and offer a solution. For more garage door safety information contact Chicago Garage Door.

A standard garage door is subject to conditions of operation and environment. Consequent failure of the product will occur if the following conditions exist:

1. Never close the door where an obstruction exists within the opening.
2. Never “ride” the door while it is operating.
3. Never force the door to operate. If it does not operate smoothly, something is wrong.
4. Lubricate all rollers, hinges, springs, locks and bearings once every 3 months with a high quality silicone spray.  We do not recommend products like WD 140 or grease, as it will collect dirt and debris that could damage the door operation.
5. CHECK for loose nuts and screws, and tighten accordingly.
6. Have replaced all bent or worn tracks, brackets, hinges, rollers, or springs immediately.
7. Have spring tension adjusted by an Authorized Garage Door dealer periodically to keep the door in balance.
8. Maintain a good coat of paint on the wood sections.
9. Wash your steel garage door sections with soap and water.

A garage door can be a very dangerous product. Correct operating procedures and service must be maintained. INSPECT your door and if any situation exists that you do not think is right, call Chicago Garage Door immediately. Safety cables are available for extension springs, and are highly recommended for your safety.

It specifically RECOMMENDED that you do not make adjustments to your garage door yourself.

Only trained personnel are equipped to handle the hazards of a garage door.  Bodily harm or death can occur if not done properly and with the right tools.

A standards electric garage door operator is designed to replace manual operation and control of a door. If a door cannot be easily operated by hand, an operator is not the solution to the problem. It is not a winch and should never be used as one.

It is recommended that you have a TRAINED PERSON adjust and service your door prior to having an opener installed.

Follow the specific operational, maintenance, and testing procedures supplied by the company installing your automatic opener, or call Chicago Garage Door to do it for you, because we do it right the first time!

• Check batteries in remotes and keypads.
• Check breakers to garage.
• Garage door opener has no power coming out of the electrical outlet
• Garage door has a broken Torsion spring (above door), or a broken Extension spring (on side of door)
• Garage door has a broken or disconnected cable
• Garage door opener has some type of mechanical problem

The #1 most common reason:

• The photo sensors safety beams are out of alignment, malfunctioning or something may be blocking them.
• Possible Suggestions to fix Problem:
• Move any object(s) that are near, around or in front of photo sensors that may interfering with the safety beam.
• Make sure the photo sensor LED lights are lit according to your manufacturer’s instructions. (Garage door sensors usually have a red/amber or green lights).

If you find that nothing is blocking the safety beam, the LED lights are lit or you cannot get the lights to go on, contact our office.

We repair all brands of doors and motor operators, including residential and commercial doors.

Yes, most of the time we can perform the garage door repair, including torsion springs, the same day.  Call us, more often than not, we can diagnosis your garage door or opener issue over the phone.

We stock and can get just about any brand of garage door, door opener, parts and accessories. We have a huge parts inventory so we can take care of your request and resolve any issues you have quickly and efficiently.

We sure do. There isn’t a garage door, door opener, hardware and the like that Chicago Garage Door can’t fix. Is your garage door system outdated? No problem! We can help you fix it and recommend improvements if you wish us to.

Yes we do. LiftMaster MyQ is one of our popular choices for upgrading or updating a garage door system to make it “smart”. You can control your garage door opener using your iphone, ipad or android smartphone.

Absolutely! If you have an emergency, please call us and we will do our best to come out and resolve your issue.  We offer 24 hour emergency garage door service. A broken garage door spring is very dangerous to repair on your own. It’s also the most common break on a garage door system. Please call Chicago Garage Door and let us take a look. Give us a call anytime.