Garage Door Motor Repair

Garage Door Motor Brands We Service

At Fix-It Garage Door Repair, we install and repair all major brands of garage door motors, including:

• Superlift
• Centurion
• Merlin
• Steel-Line
• B&D
• ATA
• Grifco
• Guardian
• Boss
• Avanti
• Dominator
• Jaytech

Whether you need a new motor installation or repairs on your existing system, we can handle motors from any of these leading brands. Our experienced technicians are trained to work with all models, ensuring that your garage door motor operates smoothly and efficiently.

Different Types of Garage Door Motors We Work With

We service both sectional garage door motors and roller door motors, each of which requires specific expertise.

1. Sectional Garage Door Motors

Sectional garage doors use motors that are typically mounted on the ceiling, driving the door along a track. These motors are highly effective for large, heavy doors that require consistent, smooth operation. they are the most common motor in Western Australia for residential applications.

• Common Issues: Sectional door motors can experience wear on the belt or chain, misaligned travel limits, or require force adjustments to manage the door’s weight properly. 99% of problems are attributed to lack of servicing the garage door.

2. Roller Door Motors

Roller doors use a different type of motor that is compact and designed to fit within the rolling mechanism. These motors are generally smaller but need to be precise to ensure the door rolls smoothly up and down.

• Common Issues: Roller door motors often require adjustments to the force settings and travel limits as well, particularly if the door isn’t rolling up smoothly or gets stuck during operation.

Garage door motors are designed to last for many years, but like any mechanical system, they require regular maintenance to keep them running smoothly. By following a few simple preventative steps, you can extend the life of your garage door motor and avoid costly repairs or premature replacement. At Fix-It Garage Door Repair, we believe that routine care is key to maintaining the performance and longevity of your garage door motor. In this section, I’ll explain how annual servicing, balance checks, lubrication, and other preventive measures can help you avoid garage door motor repairs and replacements.

1. Annual Garage Door Servicing

Annual servicing is one of the most effective ways to prevent garage door motor problems. During a professional service, a technician will thoroughly inspect your entire garage door system, including the motor, springs, cables, and tracks. This allows them to identify any issues before they become major problems and ensure that all components are operating properly.

Why Annual Servicing Matters:

• Catch small issues early: Regular servicing helps detect small problems—like worn rollers, loose cables, or misaligned tracks—that can put additional strain on the motor if left unaddressed.

• Ensure smooth operation: A well-maintained garage door system reduces the likelihood of jerky movement, bouncing, or stalling, which are common signs of motor strain.

• Extend motor life: By ensuring all components are in good working order, annual servicing reduces the wear and tear on your garage door motor, allowing it to last longer.

At Fix-It Garage Door Repair, our expert technicians provide comprehensive annual maintenance services that include inspecting the motor and all associated parts to keep your garage door running smoothly.

2. Check the Balance of the Garage Door

A well-balanced garage door is essential for preventing unnecessary strain on the motor. If your garage door is out of balance, the motor has to work much harder to lift and lower the door, which can lead to premature motor failure.

How to Check Garage Door Balance:

• Disengage the door from the opener by pulling the manual release cord.
• Manually lift the door to about 1 meter (3 feet) off the ground and let go.

• Observe the door’s behavior:
• If the door stays in place, the springs and balance are properly adjusted.
• If the door drops, the springs may be too loose, and the motor is likely compensating by working harder than it should.
• If the door flies up, the springs are too tight, and this excess tension can also strain the motor.

Why Balance is Critical:

• Reduces motor strain: A balanced door means the motor doesn’t have to lift more weight than it should, reducing wear on the motor.
• Prevents jerky movement: An unbalanced door can cause jerky or uneven movement, which increases the likelihood of motor issues or premature burnout.

Regular balance checks can ensure that your garage door is operating correctly, and at Fix-It Garage Door Repair, we can professionally adjust the balance of your door to prevent motor strain.

3. Lubricate All Moving Parts

Lubrication is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to prevent garage door motor problems. Over time, friction between the moving parts of your garage door system can create excess strain on the motor. Proper lubrication ensures that parts like the rollers, hinges, and springs move smoothly, reducing the effort required by the motor.

Which Parts Need Lubrication?

• Garage door rollers: Lubricate the bearings and rods of the rollers to ensure smooth movement along the tracks.
• Hinges: Apply lubrication to the hinges to prevent metal-on-metal friction that can cause noise and strain.
• Torsion springs: While the springs themselves don’t directly interact with the motor, keeping them lubricated reduces wear and allows for smoother door movement, indirectly helping the motor.
• Tracks: While you should keep the tracks clean, avoid lubricating them. The rollers should roll smoothly within the tracks without sliding.

Why Lubrication Helps:

• Reduces friction: Lubrication reduces the friction between metal parts, ensuring that the motor doesn’t have to work harder to move the door.
• Extends motor life: By ensuring the door moves smoothly, lubrication minimises the strain on the motor, helping to extend its lifespan.

Our technicians can provide regular lubrication services as part of your annual maintenance, ensuring that all components of your garage door are moving efficiently.

4. Monitor and Adjust the Force and Travel Settings

The force and travel settings on your garage door motor are essential to its performance. These settings control how much power the motor uses to lift and lower the door and how far the door travels before stopping. If these settings are too low or too high, the motor can overexert itself, leading to wear and potential failure.

Force Setting:

• The force setting determines how much lifting power the motor uses before it stops. It is designed to tell the motor to stop if the door is too heavy. If the springs are weak or the force setting is too low, the motor may struggle to lift the door and after about 1 second will stop. On some garage door motors the light will blink for about 5 to 10 seconds.
• Turning up the force setting to maximum can sometimes help an older motor lift a heavy door, especially if the springs are worn out or the door is not lifting easily as the hinges and rollers are worn out.

Travel Limit:

• The travel limit controls how far the door travels when opening or closing. If the travel limit is set too short or too long, the door may stop prematurely or fail to close properly, placing extra strain on the motor.

Why These Settings Matter:

• Proper force and travel settings ensure that the motor operates efficiently, without overworking. This prevents unnecessary wear and helps avoid motor repairs or replacements.

Regularly monitoring and adjusting these settings can prevent motor strain, and at Fix-It Garage Door Repair, our technicians are skilled in making these precise adjustments to optimise your motor’s performance.

5. Inspect for Wear and Tear

Regularly inspecting your garage door system for signs of wear and tear can prevent small issues from becoming bigger problems that affect the motor.

Check These Components Regularly:

• Springs: Weak or worn-out springs put more load on the motor, causing it to work harder

• Cables: Frayed or damaged cables can lead to improper door movement and strain on the motor

• Tracks: Bent or misaligned tracks can cause the door to get stuck or move unevenly, putting additional stress on the motor

• Rollers: Worn or damaged rollers cause the door to jerk or bounce, which can lead to motor strain and failure.

How Regular Inspections Help:

• Early detection of worn parts allows for timely repairs or adjustments that keep the motor from overexerting itself and wearing out prematurely.

Why Preventive Maintenance Matters

Preventing garage door motor repairs and replacement is all about maintaining the overall health of your garage door system.

Regular servicing, lubrication, balance checks, and force adjustments ensure that your motor operates efficiently and isn’t overworked. By investing in preventive maintenance, you can extend the life of your garage door motor and avoid the inconvenience and cost of unexpected repairs or replacements.

At Fix-It Garage Door Repair, we specialise in providing expert preventive maintenance services that keep your motor—and your entire garage door system—running smoothly. Our goal is to help you avoid costly repairs and ensure your garage door motor has a long, reliable life.

Choosing the right garage door motor is essential for ensuring smooth, reliable operation. At Fixit Garage Door Repair, we offer a wide range of motor options to suit every type of garage door, whether you're replacing a faulty motor or upgrading to a more efficient model. Our expert technicians can help you select the best motor for your specific needs, including top brands like ATA, Merlin, Centurion, and B&D, ensuring long-lasting performance and seamless integration with your existing system.

Garage door motor repair is essential for ensuring that your garage door operates smoothly and safely. Whether your motor needs adjustments to the force settings or travel limits, or if it’s time to replace an older chain-drive motor with a more modern belt-drive system, Fix-It Garage Door Repair is here to help.

We install and repair motors from all major brands, including Superlift, Centurion, Merlin, and Steel-Line, B&D and provide expert advice on extending the life of your motor.