Help, I've come unhinged!  Well, a person could get unhinged trying to determine which type of hinges their garage door takes. I have seen plastic hinges, and specialty 'pinchless' hinges in different styles, but the most common hinges are steel specialty strap hinges or butt hinges.

garage door interior
butt hinge

The butt hinges are sometimes used on the interior of the door between panels. They look like a basic door hinge, but are designed for garage doors. The shape and spacing of the holes fit standardized hole positions

The strap hinges may be used on the interior, but only number 1 hinges are used for that purpose, because the offset is not used, since there are no rollers in the interior of the door.

typical number 1 hinge used on interior of door

  Call garagedoorsupplyco.com at 888-346-3173 for assistance in selecting the right hinges for your door. NOTE that the hinges are part of the door, and independent of the  garage door operator (if equipped). If you are unsure of what type of hinge you need because they look nothing like the ones on GDSCO's website, contact the door manufacturer or authorized dealer for more information. GDSCO stocks the most common types, so you can measure the hinge holes, the width and length of your hinges, and compare to theirs to see if they are close. If so, they are probably the right ones. Call them to be sure. They may have you take a picture of your hinge and send in for verification.

What is the difference between "retail" models and "professional" models of garage door operators?

Often, the 'packaging' of the retail model motor unit looks different from the professional model, while the internal parts are essentially the same, and the remote control technology is the same. Where the major difference lies is in the rail system.

The rail systems offered generally include chain, belt, or screw drive. This is so whether you have a professional or a retail model of operator. The professional line however, comes with a one-piece rail, that may be 10-12 feet long, or longer, depending on the height of your garage door. This would be extremely unwieldy for the homeowner purchasing at a big box store to carry home and install.

sample three-piece rail for Genie screw drive system

In order to make it convenient for retail buyers, the rail system is divided into three or more sections, which are then put into a compact package which may be conveniently and less expensively shipped, or placed into a trunk for transport home from the store.

The retail rail sections are connected at the installation site, and become sufficiently rigid to support the drive mechanism (belt, chain, or screw) and support the door as it is being pulled up or down. Therefore, any or all parts for the rail system will be different for retail than from a professional model, but once installed and in operation, you will not notice any difference.

If you are local to the Utah Wasatch front, my friends at Professional Garage Door Service can install the professional grade of a major brand garage door operator for a most reasonable cost. Call them at (801) 804-5835 or visit them at http://utahgaragedoors.com/ for a competitive quote

Hung Door:
well, aren't all doors 'hung' on a hinge or rollers or something? When it comes to garage doors, a hung door means it is hung up and won't operate. The signs of a hung door are 1) the cable on one side or both sides of the door is off the drum and hanging loose; 2) the garage door may be sitting cock-eyed, with one side lower than the other. the rollers on one or both sides may have slipped out of the track or out of the hinge.

It is very tempting to just try to put the wire back on the drum, and straighten the door, but I advise against it. A hung door is one of the most dangerous conditions for a garage door system. People have lost body parts when trying to correct a hung door without the proper knowledge. It is dangerous for even the repairman who knows what he is doing, so fixing a hung door is often more expensive than some other repairs because of the risk factor.

Some of the causes of hung doors is accidentally backing into the door and bending a panel or two; or having some object under the door on one side or the other but not far enough in to break the safety sensor beam (if your door is equipped with them, as is required since 1993). Other causes might be loose screws on the track brackets, allowing the track to move apart, a broken spring or door cable might also cause it. In northern Utah, call 801-804-5835 for Professional Garage Door Service or check them out at utahgaragedoors.com .

I wish I had a picture of a hung door, but thankfully, they are not a common occurrence. I think you can visualize what it looks like though. Just don't wish for one when you blow out your birthday candles.

Garage Door Springs Part II:

So, now you have been introduced to your friend, the torsion spring. I say "your friend" because when it comes to opening your garage door, the torsion spring does most of the heavy lifting for you. It saves your back, and your garage door opener. The spring lets the door down easy as well, rather than allowing it to crash to the floor.

Let's say your torsion spring breaks, leaving you locked inside. The natural inclination of most independent, handy homeowners is to fix the broken spring themselves. Dollar and cents-wise this sounds like a sound decision.

There are some additional considerations than just dollars and cents, however. Safety is the first concern you should have. Replacing torsion springs can be fairly dangerous. The springs, when wound are under tremendous pressure. If they are released without being controlled, they can cause damage to your garage, and anyone in the way could be seriously injured by a tool, the door, or just things coming apart. The proper tools are required for installing and winding garage door torsion springs. If the spring is suddenly released, while being wound. the winding bars could potentially be thrown with considerable force, or if a body part is in the way, could smash it hard enough to break bones.

Second consideration is knowledge. A trained technician can determine which spring(s) to install, out of a wide variety of possibilities, to provide the best balance for the door, AND the longest possible life. The choice is based on spring size and the number of turns the spring must be wound to get the correct IPPT or "inch-pounds per turn"rating for your door. In order to determine that, the technician needs to know the weight of the door, the height and width of the door, the radius of the bend in the track, the drum size and other considerations. Information needed is also the inside diameter of the old spring, the total relaxed (unwound) length of the spring and the wire size within 1/16". Also, you will need to accurately measure both springs on a double wide door, since they often are slightly different in order to get the best IPPT. They are made in left and right twist, because on double-wide doors they sit on either side of the center point, and therefore turn in opposite directions.

Remember, a well balanced garage door will lift easily by hand, and when released at about 4 feet above the floor will stay at that position. The garage door should not drop or lift by itself in any position. Usually, the door will slowly go down by itself after being pulled down (manually) but should not drop with enough force to crush your foot or potentially damage to door or floor. The garage door, when lifted manually, should move up with the same force as going down so it won't slam into the door stop or the gdo itself. Qualified technicians know how to choose and install the proper springs, with the proper tension for the longest spring life and safest operation. Keep in mind that if you feel lucky and want to repair,install or adjust them yourselves without sufficient training, you are accepting the full risk on yourself.

If you live along or near the Wasatch Front area of Utah, my friends at Professional Garage Door Service  -- utahgaragedoors.com --can quickly get your garage door springs replaced with high quality, long-lasting oil-tempered springs. They can be reached at 801-804-5835. They are very competitively priced, and guarantee their work.

Garage Door Springs:
WHOA, you just went to open your garage door so you could go to work, or take the kids to school and BAM! a loud noise, and suddenly your garage door won't open. You try a few times, it goes up a few inches or a foot or so and stops. Quickly you jump out to pull the red cord, but when you do the door falls back to the floor, and you can hardly budge it, to make it go up. Now you (or just your car) are trapped inside the garage. What happened? What can you do?

typical garage door torsion spring
with winding cones at ends

What just happened is that a torsion spring broke. You have not even noticed it/them up there on a rod above the garage door, quietly doing their job for years. It (or they if you have a double wide door) have been coiling and uncoiling each time the door goes up and down balancing the considerable weight of the door. Being made of steel alloy, springs (and all things metal, plastic, or organic) fatigue over time, become brittle and then fail. Most torsion springs are made of high quality oil-tempered spring steel (at least those sold by my friends at garagedoorsupplyco.com... --they can be reached at 888-346-3173) and can last for thousands of cycles before failing. You don't want to replace them before they fail of course, because there is no way of measuring how many cycles are left in them. What you do want to do is have a number handy of a reliable, honest, garage door repair company who can come rescue you within a reasonable time and replace your broken spring to free you from your diliemma.

Remember, if this has not happened to you yet, and your door has mechanical springs to help lift it, IT WILL! Don't panic. It is a normal part of life like measles and chickenpox.

Liftmaster MyQ Part II:

If you have a Liftmaster machine with a 85XX model number, these machines have wi-fi built in, so you don't need the separate and optional 828LM Internet Gateway to use the MyQ remote location services. If you have a machine that receives remote signals on one of  these 310, 315, 390, 433.30, 433.92, and 434.54 Mhz frequencies, AND your machine has safety sensors, you can use the combination 821LM, which has a wi-fi hub and and the internet gateway.

829LM MyQ gdo monitor

With MyQ you can also monitor the status of up to four garage doors from anywhere inside your home with the 829LM MyQ monitor.

888LM / 828LM
MyQ Upgrade Bundle

A few weeks ago, I mentioned the MyQ light control, so I won't do it again.

There is also, for those with Liftmaster (et al) machines made after 1998 having a red or purple learn button another combination system, the 888LM / 828LM MyQ Bundle that brings the older machines up to the great new technology.

821LM Universal Garage door
 MyQ smart phone controller for
all GDOs with safety sensors

For information on these products, call the experts at www.gargedoorsupplyco.com at phone number (888)346-3173

For all my followers out there in the ether: What would you like to learn about, regarding garage doors, operators, remotes, parts, etc? What questions do YOU have that you would like answered???? email me at rexbean48@gmail.com (since I don't know the easy way to contact me on my blog. If you know how to directly send comments to me, by all means, go for it!!! I am willing (if not able) to learn new tricks.

Liftmaster has some great optional security features as well.

A few weeks ago, I talked about the Liftmaster light control that can be operated using your garage door remote control (if you have an extra button). Liftmaster also has the MyQ system that has even better features than the Garage Butler and Genie systems I have just described.

For one thing, the Liftmaster MyQ systemcan be integrated with the "Nest" electronic home controls which have a variety of features that I am not going to talk about. Look it up. BUT as part of this integration, you can mount a camera in your garage and view it on your smart phone. One advantage is if you are closing your garage door remotely, you can watch to be sure nothing is in the way of the door closing. Also, you can monitor the garage for security. Way cool, especially if you are a 'techie'.

888LM MyQ
Wall Console
w/ photoeye

Some of the MyQ wall consoles have a photoeye (such as the 888LM), so if you walk into the garage, it automatically turns on the garage door light. That way you aren't feeling your way in the dark to find a light switch. Of course the wall consoles have a separate button to turn on (only) the garage door operator light, and to lock the garage door operator so no remote devices will operate. Good for vacation or extra security at night, if you think someone unauthorized may be able to open your garage door. This feature also disables your outside wireless keypad.

888LM Internet Gateway
for MyQ

If your machine has a (new) yellow learn button, you can program your new remote control from the wall console, instead of having to climb up to the machine to do it. Just flip up the big button, and push the learn button underneath the open/close button.

For information on these products, call the experts at www.gargedoorsupplyco.com at phone number (888)346-3173