If you discover your garage door isn’t opening, closing, or otherwise operating properly, it might need an adjustment to ensure its properly aligned.
This is one of the leading causes of garage door problems, so we thought it might be helpful to provide a step-by-step guide to adjusting your garage door opener. Here’s how to adjust a garage door opener …
Why You Need To Adjust Your Garage Door
If your garage door isn’t working as it should, the tempting thing to do is to ignore it. Many homeowners feel as though attempting to fix their garage door opener is difficult, and so they don’t deal with it. However, there are reasons why you shouldn’t leave it until the last minute.
- Security: The biggest reason why you shouldn’t leave your garage door unadjusted is the security of your home. When the opener is working properly, you’ll find that your home is totally secure. no one can get into your home unless they have an opener for the door. If the door isn’t shutting properly, or you’re having issues with the opener, then that door isn’t secure anymore. Somebody could take advantage of the gap in order to get in, which is the last thing you want.
- Pests: No matter how careful you are, pests can get into your home and make a serious nuisance of themselves. What’s worse, they’ll actually cause damage to your home and rack up more repair bills. You’ve got to protect yourself from them any way you can, and that includes repairing your garage door opener. A slightly open garage door is an open invitation to any pests in the vicinity, looking for somewhere warm and safe to call home.
- Safety: Finally, you need to adjust your garage door to keep you and yours safe. When a garage door opener isn’t adjusted properly, it may not be able to register whether anything is in the way. If this is the case, then it may not stop even if something is blocking its path. At best, this means your car will get a nasty dent, and at worst, you or your children or pets could be injured. Adjust the door opener as soon as there’s a problem to stop this happening.
How To Adjust Garage Door Opener
Luckily, it’s much easier than you’d think to adjust your garage door opener. There are three different aspects to your garage door that you can adjust:
- Limit: How far your garage door opens and shuts.
- Force: How much force is used to open and close the door.
- Safety reverse: The safety feature that stops the door if something is in its path.
To adjust your door properly, you’ll need to adjust all three of these aspects of its opening. You’ll see on your garage door opener that there are screws in place to help you make adjustments. Get a ladder and get closer to the opener so you can adjust it as needed, and have a helper to help you see if your changes are working.
First, you’ll want to look at the limit. If the door isn’t shutting all the way, then the limit will need to be changed. You’ll see there’s a screw on the opener that’s labeled ‘limit’, or something similar. If you can’t find it, then consult your manual so you can locate it. First, try turning the screw one-quarter of a turn, and then try shutting the garage door. In most cases, this will be enough to shut the door properly. If it doesn’t, try it again until the door shuts.
Next, you’ll need to adjust the force. You’ll need to address this is your door isn’t opening up all the way. Firstly, check to see if there’s anything blocking the sensors at either side of the door. If there is, clear it away and try opening the door again. If this doesn’t work, then you can adjust the force in a similar manner to the limit, to ensure it’s putting enough force behind the door to open it up.
Finally, it’s time to test the safety reverse. Find a block of wood and leave it in the path of the garage door, and then try closing it. If the safety reverse is working properly, then you’ll find the door will open back up without hitting the wood. If it does hit the wood, then you need to adjust the reverse. This is done by adjusting the limit screw. Read your manual to see how you’ll do this with your model of garage door opener.
Calling In The Experts
In most cases, making these adjustments will be enough to get your garage door opener working again, as it should. Follow your manual and these steps to adjust it until the door opens and closes correctly. If you’re having trouble with it though, don’t despair. A garage door professional is your best bet, to ensure that the door will be working again in no time.
Calling in a repair engineer is a good idea if you’re not too sure about how your opener works, too. Garage doors don’t look too dangerous, but if you’re adjusting them and you’re not sure about what you’re doing, it could lead to injury. It’s not common, but it can happen. If you’re ever unsure, ask an expert to take a look at it for you.
Many issues with the opener can be handled with some adjustment, so it’s a good idea to try it before you look into pricier options. Follow these tips and you’ll have the garage door opener working again in no time at all.
Photo by Jack Douglas