We know you have all been desperately searching for an in depth review of each part of your residential garage door…

Okay, we know this may not be as exciting to you as it is to us, but nonetheless, it can be valuable information to know. Whether You are looking to replace a specific part, be up to date on safety features, or communicate a problem to our garage door experts, having a baseline understanding of how your garage door works can actually be really helpful.

Here we will give you a brief overview of each part that goes into your garage door system and help you have a better understanding of how your garage door works for you day in and day out.

Garage Door Opener

This is the part you are probably most familiar with as it is the part that responds and operates when you click the magic button to open and close your garage each day.

This is the only electric part of your whole garage door system. It is generally mounted on the ceiling of your garage and is a little box consisting of a motor, gears, logic board, radio receiver, chains and maybe a few other parts depending on the model.

Springs & Tube Shaft

Springs do the most work next to the motor of your garage door opener. Garage door springs act as a counterbalance for the door. Depending on the type, the spring either expands and contracts or it coils and twists as the door is moved, absorbing the weight and allowing the door with ease.

Your garage door will either have torsion springs or extension springs. Torsion springs are found along the top of your garage door within the tube shaft. Extension springs run along the tracks on the side and are not enclosed in a tube.

Cables

Garage door cables can be found running vertically along the sides of your garage door. They are what appear to be doing the lifting of your garage door but really they are just transferring the force of the springs to the garage door making it easier to lift.

Drum

The drums will be found on either side of your garage door tracks. This is where your cables will neatly coil up and be stored when your garage door is open.

Track

The track is what will guide all of these pieces in the right direction together. As the rollers move up and down the track everything else follows.

Rollers

Rollers are generally made of steel or nylon and operate in how you would imagine, based on their name. They roll up and down the track allowing your garage door to open and close.

Retainer

The retainer is simply a small aluminum, plastic or metal piece that attaches the bottom seal to the bottom of your garage door.

Bottom Seal

As you may have guessed, the bottom seal is what closes off your garage from the outside world. Made of rubber or vinyl, it keeps water, ice, and pests out of your garage and can help with insulation.

Safety Sensors

The safety sensor is that imaginary line you jumped over as a kid to see if you could escape your garage without tripping the sensor. While this may not be the safest activity, it demonstrates how the sensors work.

Situated across from each other on either side of your garage. The sensors can tell if there are any objects between them and will stop the operation of your garage in order to prevent injury or damage should something or someone be in its path.

There you have it. A breakdown of each part that plays a role in the operation of your garage door. Now should you ever run into issues or need repair on your garage door, you may know exactly which part is causing the issue. From openers, to cables, to garage door springs in Ohio, we have you covered for any help you may need to ensure a smoothly operating garage door.