Garage Door Tune-Up in Tulsa: Monthly Safety Checks

Safety checks a Tulsa homeowner can make on a garage door, what a tune-up should cover, and what garage door companies publish about tune-up prices.

A door that doesn't reverse is the biggest risk in the garage. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says about 73 children aged 2 to 14 have died since March 1982 after being trapped under automatic garage doors, about three a year. It tells owners to test the reversing feature every month, and Chamberlain says the same.

To run Chamberlain's reversal test, open the door fully, lay a 2x4 flat on the floor in the center of the opening, and close the door. It must reverse when it meets the board. DASMA adds a check of the sensors: from inside the garage and out of the door's path, wave an object through the sensor beam while the door is closing. It should reverse at once. If it fails either test, stop using the opener and have it serviced; the Commission says an opener that fails should be disengaged until it is adjusted, repaired or replaced. Skip the tests if a spring, cable or bracket already looks damaged.

With the door closed, DASMA suggests looking over the springs, hinges, brackets and fasteners from inside without handling them, and checking the sections for cracks or loose pieces. The red release handle should hang no higher than 6 feet off the floor, and the wall button should be at least 5 feet up, out of small children's reach.

DASMA also describes a balance check. With the door fully closed, pull the release, keeping in mind DASMA's caution that a released door may start to move on its own. Then lift the door by a safe handhold. It should rise without a struggle, stay up when fully open, and stay put when stopped about 3 to 4 feet off the floor. If it doesn't, stop and get a trained technician to look at it. Keep others clear, never stand under the door, and skip this check if anything looks broken. Close the door fully and reconnect the opener when you are done.

Tulsa works a door hard. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Tulsa International Airport show about 74 days a year at 90 °F or hotter, about 11 at 100 °F or more, about 72 nights at or below freezing, and around 41 inches of rain and melted snow, with May the wettest month. Seals, rollers and opener settings all wear under that. Before booking a tune-up, ask what it covers and what it costs, and ask for a price before any extra work.

Common jobs

• Balance and spring check
• Rollers, hinges and tracks
• Opener force and travel settings
• Sensor and reversal tests
• Bottom seal and weatherstripping

Have this ready when you call

• Single or double door, and roughly how old it is
• The opener brand, if you can read it
• Any noises or problems you've noticed
• Your part of town or suburb

Common questions