Garage Door Service in Lubbock: Monthly Safety Checks

Safety checks you can do on a garage door, what a garage door service or tune-up should include, and what Lubbock companies publish about tune-up prices.

An automatic door that doesn't reverse can kill. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says about 73 children aged 2 to 14 have died trapped under automatic garage doors in the US since March 1982, roughly three a year. It says to test the reversing feature every month, and Chamberlain says the same.

The reversal test, per Chamberlain: open the door fully, lay a 2x4 flat on the floor in the middle of the opening, and close the door. It must reverse when it touches the board. DASMA adds a test for the sensors: stand inside and out of the door's path while it closes, and pass an object through the sensor beam. The door should reverse straight away. If either test fails, stop using the opener and call for service. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says an opener that fails should be disengaged until it is adjusted, repaired or replaced. Skip these tests if you can already see damaged springs, cables or hardware.

With the door closed, DASMA suggests looking over the springs, hinges, brackets and fasteners from inside, without touching them, and checking the panels for cracks or pieces coming apart. The red release handle should be within easy reach, no more than 6 feet off the floor, and wall buttons should be at least 5 feet up, out of children's reach.

DASMA's balance check: with the door closed, pull the release (DASMA cautions that the door may start to move on its own) and lift the door by a safe handhold without straining. It should move freely, stay fully open, and stay put when partly open, about 3 to 4 feet off the floor. If it doesn't, stop and have a trained technician look at it. Keep other people clear, don't stand under the door, and don't try this if you see a broken part. When you're finished, close the door fully and reconnect the opener.

Lubbock is hard on the parts that seal and protect a door. The airport averages about 92 days a year at 90 °F or hotter and about 13 at 100 °F or more (NOAA 1991–2020 normals), and strong spring winds can carry dust: in the haboob of October 17, 2011, the National Weather Service recorded gusts up to 75 mph across the region, and visibility in Lubbock dropped to near zero as the dust wall passed. Ask a shop what its service covers, such as seals, rollers and the safety tests, and get the price before the visit.

Common jobs

• Spring and balance check
• Rollers, hinges and tracks
• Opener force and travel settings
• Safety sensor and reversal tests
• Bottom seals and weatherstripping

Have this ready when you call

• One-car or two-car door, and roughly how old it is
• The opener brand, if you can see it
• Any noises or problems you've noticed
• Your street or town

Common questions