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Garage Door Opener Not Working?

By Kevin · Comments (0)

Thursday, March 5th, 2020

We repair all garage doors including Liftmaster Chamberlain Genie Craftsman Linear

There are several different name brand garage door openers on the market today. Knowing which one you have is beneficial when it comes to repairing it. LiftMaster is the worlds largest and most well known in the market today. Chamberlain, Sears Craftsman are high on the list of DIY garage door openers. Genie, Overhead, Overhead Legacy and Marantec are a few other garage door openers available in the DFW area.

Each Manufacturer has their pros and cons of functions as well as common repairs made. For instance, the most common issue with a chaindrive opener is the gear & sprocket assembly may bend forward from to much pressure on the chain, snap the sprocket completely off making the chain sag or look broken. The gears inside the case get worn meaning the plastic slowly shaves the plastic gear down so the garage door opener won’t lift the door anymore. All you hear is a buzzing noise.

The belt drives are the most quiet garage door opener on the market. There are also several different features and benefits this type of opener has such as 1/2 hp vs 3/4 hp, battery back-ups, wall consoles are different depending on the manufacture. Some have a doorbell button some have a wall console with time and temperature. What are the features you want in a garage door opener?

Common Problems of Garage Door Openers

Listed below are 5 things to look for when your garage door opener is not working properly.

LiftMaster Coupler — LiftMaster Photo Eyes

The light flashes on your garage door opener – This may alert you that your sensors, photo eyes or ISB’s are out of alignment.
The garage door hits the ground and goes back up – This may mean the opener needs adjustment. It’s better to have a professional set these because once a DIY/Handyman does this it may get all out of wack.
Remotes stop working – This may mean it’s time to replace the batteries or it could mean the circuit board is going bad.
The garage door opener is making a beeping noise – This may mean the backup battery needs to be replaced.
The garage door only lifts 6-8″ off the ground – This may mean you have a broken torsion spring above the garage door (look for a gap or cables loose on the side of the garage door).

These are just a few of the problems garage door openers experience. We recommend a professional service technician come check and test your garage door opener for safety. 1 in 15 garage door openers DO NOT have the proper safety equipment on them.

White Dont chance it Check it garage door safety

Garage door openers older than 2005 may not be able to find replacement parts for. Each manufacturer is slowly phasing them out. It may be time to have a new quiet long lasting garage door opener installed.

We have a very large service area. Feel free to call to find out if we repair garage door openers in your city. Repair Service Areas

Authorized LiftMaster Dealer

We are an Authorized LiftMaster Dealer in the Plano area and have working garage door openers on display in our Plano Showroom. Stop by for a Free demonstration. One of our Garage Door Specialists will be happy to help you. Here is where we are located 3303 N Central Expwy, Ste 200, Plano, TX 75023

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Categories : Garage Door Openers

Photo Eyes | Sensors | ISB’s

By Kevin · Comments (0)

Friday, August 16th, 2019

What are Photo Eyes, Sensors, or ISB’s?

These are all terms used with a Garage Door Opener. Every Residential Garage Door Opener should have a set of photo eyes, sensors or Infrared Safety Beams (ISB’s). If you don’t your garage door opener was manufactured prior to 1993 when it was put into law. All residential garage door openers will have infrared safety beams on every new garage door opener installed. It does not matter who the manufacturer is. Periodically you may have heard the stories on the news about a person being killed by a garage door opener or children getting stuck underneath the garage door because it didn’t go back up. These are all real stories that happen to everyday people like you and I.

They are small rectangular or box shaped sensors located at the bottom of your garage door either located on your track or attached to the wall. By law, they are required to be no higher than 6” from the ground to follow UL325 code.

What is the purpose of the photo eye’s, sensors or ISB’s?

One word, “Safety”. The ISB’s are there to prevent the garage door from coming down on someone or something and damaging whatever may be in its path.

There are several different manufacturers of garage door openers. Listed below are a few of the manufacturers and the kind of photo eyes, senors or ISB’s they have with that particular name brand.

LiftMaster/ Chamberlain/ Sears Craftsman

The old version of photo eyes was green on both sides. The newer version has green on one side and yellow/amber on the other side. If the ISB’s are out of alignment the light on the motor will flash 10 times.

Genie/Legacy

The lights on Genie/Legacy ISB are green and red. If the ISB’s are out of alignment, the red light will be flashing.

Linear

The lights on a Linear ISB’s on one side it has one green light and on the opposite side it has two lights one green and one red.

Marantec

If the ISB’s on a Marantec are out of alignment the opener will/flash and beep until a new cycle has been complete

Moore-o-Matic

The ISB’s are a yellow box with red lights that flashe when the sensors are out of alignment.

Sometimes the lights are flickering and all you have to do is adjust the ISB slightly until you see a solid light.

Five tips to check if the garage door is not closing

Make sure no grass, leaves, spider webs or debris is lying on the ground, bottom panel or on the ISB’s.
If your ISB’s are attached to the wall, make sure they are tight to the wall
If your ISB’s are attached to the track, make sure the track is tight to the wall. The vibration can move them out of alignment.
Don’t put anything in the alignment of the beam.
Never spray your garage out with water, you may hit the ISB’s and short them out.

If all else fails, try cleaning the lens off with a paper towel or soft cloth as a speck of dirt or water spot can also make the door go back up. The lenses are just like glasses that get dirty, they need to be wiped off especially after it rains as dirt will attach to the lens.

If your door still isn’t going down….Call a A1 Affordable Garage Door Services 972-877-5774. Schedule an on-time appointment with one of our garage door specialists today! We service Plano, Allen, McKinney and the surrounding areas or if you want to replace your own photo eyes, sensors or ISB’s we carry them in our Plano showroom. Our showroom is located here.

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