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How to Lubricate Garage Door?

how to lubricate garage door opener

It is essential to lubricate the garage door regularly. Not lubricating the garage door will cause excessive wear and tear to wheels, channels, and other moving parts. Lubrication is the most ignored part when it comes to the garage doors. In addition to the excessive wear & tear, lack of lubrication will also make the garage door squeaky. In this article, we have listed the detailed process of lubricating the garage door. Follow the steps listed below.

Check these Garage Door Lubricants

 

  • One Step at a Time – Start by closing the garage door and ensure that you are inside the garage. Once you close the door, you will get access to the tracks and all other moving parts. You can close the garage door using the remote or manually.
  • Disconnect Power – In this step, you need to disconnect the power source of the garage door opener. It is essential to disconnect the power source because it would avoid accidental opens or avoid a situation where you get an electric shock.
  • Cleaning the Track – Do not start the lubrications yet. You should first clean the track with a damp rag. Clean all the area which are in contact with the rollers. Cleaning them will remove the debris from the door and remove the slag that would be there. Do not use a wet cloth but use only a damp cloth for the cleaning process.
  • Vacuuming the Dirt – If the grime is stuck to the garage door slide, you can also use the brake cleaner to clean the parts. Brake cleaner will loosen the dust particles, and you will be able to clean it properly. If you notice dust or debris that can’t be cleaned via rug, use your vacuum cleaner and suck out the duck from grooves.
  • Use of Correct Lubricant – Now is the turn to lubricate the garage door. A common mistake done by the people is the use of WD-40 or Oil to lubricate the garage door. You should not do this. Instead, you should use lithium-based grease (buy here) or silicone-based lubricant (buy here) to lubricate the garage door. These lubricants are available in spray, and they are straightforward to apply.
  • Avoiding Oil – The reason we do not want you to use oil is that oil will lead to a buildup of dirt, and this would become very difficult to clean the next time you are performing maintenance activities on your garage door. Ensure that you are not over applying the lubricant on the moving parts.
  • Lubricating Hinges – Many people miss lubricating the hinges, so do remember to lubricate the hinges as well. To lubricate the hinges, you can start lifting the garage door and lubricate each hinge slowly. You must also lubricate the rollers as they take a lot of abuse when you open or close the door without any obstruction.
  • Lubricating the Exposed Parts – You should also take care to lubricate the exposed ball bearings. At the same time, ensure that you are not lubricating the nylon roller. You must also lubricate the springs, bearing plates, lock, arm-bar, and top of the slide.

These are the necessary steps to clean and lubricate the garage door. We also recommend you to check the owner’s manual to understand the right lubrication procedure as it may vary from one product to another. For any other questions, you can reach out to us.

Here is a video demonstration on how to lubricate your noisy garage door.

How to Insulate a Garage Door?

how to insulate garage door opener

If you are spending a lot on your energy bills, then it is possible that you have not insulated your garage door yet. Insulating the garage door will reduce energy bills and reduce the noise that finds a way into your house. Insulating the garage door is a DIY project, and we have listed the steps involved in the project below. Go ahead and check them out now.

Go through the list of tools & materials that you would require for this project.

  • Safety Glasses & Gloves
  • Tape Measure & Knives
  • Markers
  • Fiberglass Insulation
  • Garage Door Seals
  • Foam Board Insulation
  • Composite Fastener
  • Insulation Accessories & Adhesives

Steps for Insulating the Garage Door

  • Purchasing the Insulation kit – Start by choosing the right insulation material. Check the thickness, weight, and R-value of the insulation material. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation would be. If you have a wooden door, then you would also need a foam board. Similarly, You can insulate the metal garage door with fiberglass insulation. Make a choice depending on your needs. Find out some of the best Insulation kit by clicking here.
  • Markings & Measurements – Now, start marking the location of the fasteners. Ensure that they are parallel to each other. You should have the fasteners separated by a distance of 12 inches from the sides of each panel. You must also measure the panels’ size so that you can cut the insulation in the exact dimensions.
  • Apply Adhesive tape – Now, use the industrial-grade double sided tape and apply it to the markings you made. Ensure that the tape’s size is optimal as the smaller size would not hold the material very well. You should also ensure that the surface was clean before applying the adhesive tape. Press it with force to get a perfect bond. In this step, you need to remove the peel from the adhesive tape and you need to attach the retainer clip to each marking. This will help you connect the retainer clip on the garage door panel, and it is a required step for securing the insulation material.
  • Measure the Door panel & Cutting Insulation Material– You have the insulation measurements that you took in the previous step. Verify those measurements and start cutting the insulation material in the given size. It is essential to measure the panels differently as these panels may be of different sizes. The insulation material should be at least 1 inch longer than the panel size. Remember to wear safety glasses, gloves, and a respiratory mask if you are dealing with fiberglass.
  • Tucking the Insulation Panel – In this step, you need to tuck the insulation pieces in the door panels. Ensure that the vinyl is facing the outside. If the insulation has a reflective radiant barrier, then the radiant barrier should be outside.
  • Fastening the Clips – In this last step, push the insulation against the door and allow the retention clip to pass through the insulation. Now, attach the front piece of retention clip to the pack piece, which will secure the insulation material.

This was the complete process to insulate the garage door. You can buy the insulation kits that come with all the required material that you would need to insulate your garage door. If you face any difficulty, you can write to us, and we will get back to you with the answer to your questions.

How to Replace a Garage Door Spring?

how to replace a garage door spring

If you are about to replace a broken garage door spring, you can charged a lot to replace a simple garage door spring. You can do this job yourself and save a lot of money. The door tension spring provides the lifting force, and they need replacement after a specific time. You should note that this is a whole day project, and it requires a set of tools. Below are more details of this procedure. Learn more about Garage Door Springs in this post.

Check Best Springs on Amazon

Tools Required

  • Adjustable Wrench
  • Clamps
  • Drill
  • Gloves, Safety Glasses
  • Hammer
  • Plier
  • Socket Set
  • Winding Bar

Material Required

  • Double Life Torsion Spring
  • Bottom Bracket
  • Lift Cables
Find Tools on Amazon

Steps to Replace the Garage Door

  1. In the first step, you need to lock down the door, and you should clamp the door to the track. This step will help you in ensuring that the door doesn’t shoot up. You must also remove the garage door opener before you start the repair.
  2. Position the ladder near the spring but do not directly face the spring. Wear all the protection and shove the winding bar in the bottom hole of the spring’s winding cone. Loosen the screws and ensure that you are holding the winding bar tight.
  3. Now, you must use the second winding bar and unwind the broken spring. Do it slowly and take time so that you do not injure yourself. You can go ahead and remove the nuts from the stationary spring cones and then slowly slide the spring towards the end bracket.
  4. In this step, you can snap the locker plier on the center bracket so that you can hold the torsion tube in the bracket. You must also slide the torsion tube on the right side, which would help you remove the old spring.
  5. Look at the diameter of the spring and get the measurement of the spring. This will help you in buying the correct size spring if you haven’t already purchased it. You should also check the wind direction as this would help you in the proper installation. You should also take measurements of the inner diameter of the spring.
  6. You can find the replacement parts in a hardware store, or you can find them online. It isn’t easy to get it directly from the garage door companies.
  7. After getting the spring, you can install the left spring, and you can also reassemble the parts. You would need to reinsert the torsion bar in the bearing bracket. Also, install the right spring and push bearing into the stationary cone.
  8. You would need to reinstall the drum and connect the stationary cones to the center bracket. In this step, ensure that you have also replaced the bottom brackets along with the lift cables and rollers. This would reduce the chance of any malfunction soon.
  9. In the 9th step, you would have to thread the cable carefully. You would also need to anchor the cable in the right slot. Doing this step properly would avoid door jams.
  10. Tighten the drums after you have completed the steps listed above and ensure that you have made the tension equal on both sides. If the tension is not equal, then the door will not open evenly.

You have almost completed the project now. In this step, you need to wind the tension springs and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Ensure that you have stretched the spring and tightened the screws.

Now, lubricate the spring and all other moving parts. Try the door, and you should be done.

If you want a video tutorial on how to replace your garage door opener spring here is the one.

How to Program a Garage Door Opener

how to program a garage door opener

Remote controlled garage door openers are one of the best inventions ever made. They have been around for ages but only came into foray when the United States government made it mandatory to use them. This gave way to companies trying to launch advanced products and capture the market. And that is how the famed brands of today, i.e. Liftmaster, Genie, Craftsman, Chamberlain came into prominence.

These brands have been offering garage door openers with new innovative offerings. One such way is the ease of calibration via the remote control. With remote control, you can simply open or close your garage door without having to go over and manually intervene for it. Most of these remote control comes with pre-programming. However, in some cases, you may have to program your garage door yourself.

This brings us to today’s post. We’ve picked three different brands and their garage door openers for our post. Find out how you can program your garage door opener to your remote control and access it easily down below.

How to Program Liftmaster Garage Door Opener

The first pick is from Liftmaster, who are industry leaders when it comes to garage doors. Their garage door system comes with a remote control that can be easily programmed to activate and run on many devices. We’ll be taking a look at two different variations of Liftmaster’s in form of ‘Standard Liftmaster Remote Control’ and ‘Liftmaster Max Remote Control’. Read along.

Here is how to Program Standard Liftmaster Garage Door Opener

  • Start by locating the ‘Learn’ button on the garage door opener on the side of the antenna. If you cannot access it straightway you can remove the light lens and access it. There’s a small LED beside the button that will help you identify it.
  • You can also identify the button via the color scheme. The button will be either in red, orange, green, yellow, or purple color.
  • Now press the button.
  • Once you have pressed the button, wait for 30 seconds. Then press on the button of the remote that you want to configure your program on for three seconds. Release after pressing for three seconds.
  • The LED indicator on the light will turn off and the operator lights on the garage door will blink simultaneously indicating that you successfully programmed the garage door opener.

How to Program Liftmaster Max Garage Door Opener

  1. Start by locating the program button on the garage door opener. You can locate the button by the following methods:
  • For 895Max and 890Max models, you can find the button on your remote and press it with the help of a safety pin. This will light the LED and make it ready for programming.
  • For the 877Max model, you can enter the * and # buttons in a sequence or simultaneously. This will make the lighted keys to flash. Keep on pressing until the flashing stops and becomes steady.
  • For the 893Max¸ you can simply press the Program button placed on the back of the device. Pressing the button will activate it.
  1. Now press the button of your remote control and release it.
  2. The LED on the remote control will blink at first. Wait for it to stop. Once it has stopped you can slowly press and release the button again. Continue to do so until the light bulb blinks again.
  3. Now once the bulb blinks again, proceed to press any other button on your remote control.

 

How to Program Craftsman Garage Door Opener

Craftsman garage doors are another of the top choice products for any homeowner. These are part of the private-label devices designed by Chamberlain and sold by Sears. Here’s how you can program your craftsman garage door opener:

 

  1. Start by locating the ‘Learn’ button. You can find the same at the back of the mounted garage door opener along with a LED light on the side.
  2. Press on the button and release it. Once you press and release it, the LED light located on the side of the button will light up. It will take about 30 seconds for the light to go off. Wait for it.
  3. Now press and hold on to the top button of your remote control. If you find your remote having three buttons on the top, then choose any one of them.
  4. Head over to your mounted garage door opener and locate the ‘SRT’ button. Press on the button. Make sure that you are also holding down the button of your garage door while pressing on the ‘SRT’ button.
  5. Once you press on the button, wait for a few seconds for the indicator light to flash. If the light flashes, it means that you have successfully programmed your garage door opener.

 

How to Program Genie Garage Door Opener 

Like all other garage door openers, Genie also packs its garage door opener with a remote control that can be programmed to run commands for your garage door. Although most of the pre-packed remote comes with pre-programmed. However, if you need to program it again, here’s how you can do it:

  1. Start by removing the battery’s film cover protecting it. You can simply pull it straight out.
  2. Now press on the program button for a couple of seconds. This will activate the LED light which will turn out blue.
  3. Then release the button. The LED light will turn out long purple.
  4. Now press the button on the remote twice and release it simultaneously. On the successful completion of the programming, the LED lights will flash.
  5. You can now access and open/close the garage door with a simple press of your remote control.

How to Program Chamberlain Garage Door Opener

Here is a quick video tutorial on how you can program Chamberlain’s Universal Remote Control Model KLIK3U to a Garage Door Opener.

Note: Keep in mind that each step has a maximum time limit of 30-seconds under which you have to complete it. Once it crosses 30-seconds you’ll have to restart the process.

The aforementioned steps can help you program your garage door opener and run it with ease. As you can see there’s not much involved in setting up and getting these up and running. Just follow the steps and you can control your garage door with ease via pressing your remote control.

How to Install a Garage Door Opener?

installing garage door openers 

We are sure that you do not like to open the garage door by hand. It is not just tiring, but it is also time consuming. How about installing an automatic garage door opener? We are sure that you are going to love it and it will make things faster for you. Today in Garagedooropenerweb.com, we have listed the steps to install the garage door opener by yourself.

We have also included DIY Videos that teaches you installing garage door opener yourself. Check them out now.

#1 The first thing is to check if the garage door is compatible with the garage door opener. If your garage door comes with multiple sections, then you can install the garage door opener. However, you would need to replace your garage door if it opens in a single solid piece.

#2 You need to choose a garage door opened for your garage, and you have a choice. You can buy a belt drive garage door opener, or you can either buy a chain-driven garage door opener. Belt driven modules are a lot quieter, and they are also a lot more durable.

Installing a craftsman garage door opener

 

#3 Now prepare the garage door by lubricating it. Ensure that all the cords and ropes have been removed not to get tangled in the installation. Ensure that an electric plug is around the garage door, which can be used to connect the garage door opener.

#4 Now start unboxing the layout of all the parts of the garage door opener. Check the user guide as well. In this step, you need to start the assembly of these garage doors. You can follow the user guide, or else we have listed the generalized process below.

Installing a genie garage door opener

 

#5 You need first to put the rails together as they come in multiple pieces. Once the rail has been put together, you can go ahead and slide the rail under the carriage.

#6 In the next step, you need to connect the rail with the motor compartment. It should be positioned far away from the garage door. You should note that the motor compartment is usually heavy, and you need to be careful while handling it.

#7 In this step, you can install the pulley at the end of the rail. You should also connect the belt or the chain around the end. Once the belt is connected, screw the components in their place. You should also adjust the tension of the chain or the belt using the screws. If the tension is incorrect, the door may not open or close.

How to install a liftmaster garage door opener

#8 You would also need to attach the blocking as this is responsible for keeping the door closed. Attach the brackets and all other components here. You can follow the bracket’s assembly instructions, and you must attach it properly to the ceiling.

#9 The power unit can now be installed, and you need to ensure that the power unit is at the height of 7 feet from the floor. This is the bare minimum height required for the operation of the garage door opener.

Installing Chamberlain Garage Door Opener

 

#10 You can also attach the safety rope to release the carriage in an emergency. The height of the safety rope can be around 6 feet so that an average adult can reach out to the rope when the need arises.

#11 You can also attach other safety equipment with the garage door opener. A good thing to do here is to attach a light bulb that would give you an idea of the wattage.

Installing Ryobi Garage Door Opener

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