COMMON PROBLEMS FOR MELBOURNE WEST RESIDENTS

Firstly, check the battery in the handset hasn't gone flat and that it's the right way around. Secondly, make sure that the plug hasn't been dislodged out of the PowerPoint. If these things are OK, then there may be a frequency interference, which is a more complex problem. The reason for frequency interference may be that you or others have purchased a new cordless doorbell that sits within a 30-metre radius, and it's on the same frequency as your garage door opener. If that is the case, there is a way to overcome it.

It takes approximately one hour, depending on the garage door size and the brand of roller door. If the roller door has to have a roller door opener installed and there is minimal side room, then it may require a bit more time. If the fixing is timber and the door is a single roller door, then the duration of the installation should take around 45 minutes. But if it's an extra-large roller door and it requires specially extended brackets, then there is a lot more time required to install.

The garage door needs to be serviced by a trained technician. This is a very common problem that occurs to panel-lift garage doors, and the reason for this is that the cable has come off the drum wheel on one side when the garage door is in the fully open position. The reason for the cable becoming loose enough to come off is that the torsion springs lost some tension over time, which is why regular servicing is recommended. A panel-lift garage door should be serviced annually.

Approximately one hour, depending on the headroom and the available fixing for the bracket that will attach the opener to the ceiling. Some sectional garage door openers are quite simple to install, but others, such as a Merlin 230T, take longer to install. The reason for this is that the location of the bracket attached to the opener is not variable, and if the ceiling doesn't have timber studs directly above the bracket but runs transversely to the opener, then it will take longer.

The garage door most probably has a broken torsion spring and must be replaced before the garage door can be operated. This is a common telltale sign because sectional overhead garage door openers have an auto-reverse function that is triggered when the garage door is obstructed or if the garage door is hooked onto something. When a torsion spring breaks, the sectional overhead garage door opener lifts the whole weight of the door on only one spring, which puts the opener in auto-reverse mode.

That's because the roller door needs to be serviced. What happens to all motorised roller doors eventually is that they auto-reverse unless they are serviced regularly. The roller door becomes heavy, and when the roller door opens and then reaches its limit close position, with the bit of extra weight that has been created by the springs losing some tension over time, the roller door travels past the close limit setting and the roller door auto-reverses back up. The roller door needs to be re-tensioned.

Check that the power is on and that the plug isn't out of its socket. Sometimes, it could just be a fault with the handset, or the power has tripped out. If the garage door is over ten years old, then it may be that the garage door opener has worn out the plastic cogs, which is common with some brands of openers, such as the Merlin 430R. The motors are strong, made in Mexico with 1/3 hp A.C., but all the other components that they used back then tend to last approximately 10 to 15 years, which is still pretty good.

The roller door needs to have the vertical tracks adjusted and the brackets levelled. For roller doors over five years old, servicing them is quite simple. When they are older, it could be a bit more difficult because roller doors have felt strips down each side inside and outside of the door, and with time, the felt becomes loose and starts to move outwards. This causes the felt to rub against the inside of the vertical tracks, and the roller door starts to stick. It can be easily fixed.

We recommend that a trained technician services the panel garage door annually. The panel garage door is intricate in design, so servicing is much harder than some think. Servicing a panel garage door includes re-tensioning the torsion springs, checking the cable for possible fraying and corrosion, lubricating the bearings, hinges and the torsion springs, cleaning the tracks, resetting the travel limits and the sensitivity on the operator and checking that all screws are secure.

Generally, sectional garage doors should be serviced every 12 months and roller doors every 24 months, but as a rule of thumb, if your garage door suddenly begins to make unusual sounds, such as screeching noises when operating, then it's essential that the garage door is serviced ASAP. In addition, the garage door should be serviced if there is a gap on one side at the bottom of the door, as this is the main reason why sectional garage doors get stuck in the halfway position and sometimes collapse on one side.

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