What a thankless job! We are talking about our
garage door openers! We use them day in and day out with scarcely a thought;
until they stop working, that is! Then, when we are forced to part in the
street or driveway and use the front door, we suddenly miss our handy and
useful opener units. Out of sight is often out of mind except for one thing;
our opener remotes are right before us when we are driving! Here at Garage Door Repair Trenton,
we often get asked about our recommendations when garage door openers stop
working. Do customers throw out the remote and get a new one? Do they simply
change batteries? Does banging on the remote help at all? Is there an opener
repair or advisory line that they can call? There seems to be a million
questions and few answers.
We are not spoiled; just used to
convenience!
There was a time when we didn’t have the luxury
of sitting in our cars and pressing a button to open or close our garage doors.
No – we had to physically get out of our vehicle and manually lift and lower
our heavy wooden or aluminum garage door. We drove the car in or out and then
manually closed the door again. Did we complain and write our Congressman? No,
this is simply what you did if you want to park in the garage. Today, our busy
lives dictate otherwise. Our automatic garage door openers give us both
convenience and added security by letting us remain inside the car the entire
time. The simple act of staying inside the car prevents wallets, purses and
even the car itself from being rifled or stolen while we are momentarily
distracted by the act of manually operating the door. The constant use of this
useful technology has in a way spoiled us so that we come to expect our openers
to work; all the time, too!
It’s not just crime that is a concern. Here in
Trenton, Georgia we experience hot, humid and often rainy summer days and cold,
wet, and frozen winters. It’s so nice to be able to stay put in the warmth (or
coolness) of your vehicle and enter or leave your garage by simply tapping a
button on your opener remote. Weather, convenience, safety, crime and sheer
affordability make having a correctly working garage door opener system a real
necessity.
How do you troubleshoot a garage door
opener?
The process sounds complicated, but it really
isn’t. There are some simple, easy tasks that most anyone can do to
troubleshoot your opener system including the remote. Let’s start with the
easiest, most obvious one; the remote’s battery. Open your remote up and remove
the battery. You should test it to see if it is still good. Many people have a
home battery tester. If you do, use it to check the strength of your battery.
If you do not, you can buy a new one for less than $20 in most hardware or home
improvement store. A free way is even easier. Simply take your battery to a
local store that offers free battery testing. Every community has these and
they will cheerfully test your battery in the hopes that you will buy your
replacement (if needed) at their establishment.
Did that help? If not, try adjusting your
remote’s battery terminals. These should squeeze together firmly enough to hold
your battery in place. If they are too loose, the battery loses its effectiveness.
They are made to be easily adjusted by simply using your fingers.
