Garage Door Repair Terminology to Learn

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When your garage door is acting up, you may just leave it to a repair technician to fix, but it can be good to learn some terms and phrases used for the door and its parts. This can help you pinpoint the problem even before the repair tech arrives or know what parts will need replacing and what you may be facing by way of a repair bill.

Ball bearing roller

A ball bearing roller is inside a garage door that runs along a track; these bearings allow the door to run more smoothly and easily on that track so the door opens and closes easily without getting stuck and without creaking and groaning. If the bearings start to fail, you may hear loud noises from the garage as well as see the door shake as it tries to open and close.

Belt drive, chain drive

A drive is attached to the door and is controlled by the opener to lift and lower the door. If the drive starts to fail, the door may not open completely or may slam to a shut. A drive may be a belt or a chain; if your door has a chain, when this part fails you may hear metallic noises, as the links may begin to creak and groan. The belt drive is usually quieter, but you may still hear some squeaking and other noises as it struggles to work.

Door balance

Your home's garage door may have weights attached to one side to help keep it balanced. This may be because your home's garage is slightly sloped or the door is not completely level. When a balance or this weight is no longer sufficient to keep the door level and even, you may notice the door rock and shimmy as it opens and closes. In this case, you may need to replace the balance or remove it.

Home link

This is the term used for the connection your home's garage door has to the opener and any other safety features, such as the home's alarm and intrusion system. If the home link is broken, the garage door may be operational but is not receiving signals from the opener, alarm panel, and other such devices. This is typically an electrical problem; if the door is not getting sufficient power, it won't be able to read those signals. The door, alarm panel or your opener may need new wiring or a new motherboard so the home link can be restored.


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