Garage door twisted, broken by opener...

xray328 · 07-15-2007, 02:01 AM

Well my wife came in today and asked if the garage door was always bent like that.

So I go check it out, and the whole door is twisted off the tracks.

I had to pay $185 for a Saturday "emergency" service call just to get the door back down and secured.

Then its gonna be $635 for two new panels.

He said one of the cable flipped off the roller, which may have been caused by the Genie Excelerator opener we have because it rips the door open twice as fast as any other opener which often results in the cable being flipped off the roller.

He also said that they should have installed a reinforcement plate on the door because its a hollow door.

First, is the opener the problem?

Is $185 for a Saturday service call a little high? How about the $635 for two new panels?

Should they have installed a reinforcement plate?

How can I keep this from happening again?

**AtlanticWBConst.** · 07-15-2007, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xray328

....I had to pay $185 for a Saturday "emergency" service call just to get the door back down and secured.
Then its gonna be $635 for two new panels.
Is $185 for a Saturday service call a little high? How about the $635 for two new panels?

When ever you call for a weekend emergency or "off hour" situation that requires a maintenance call "out" to your home for ANYTHING.....you should be prepared to pay a premium.
It's a fact of life. I think the price is about right. (I would've charged you about $240.00 - if you were not a existing or past client)

$635.00 - Sounds like the price for the panels and the install. You could shop around, but that is probably about the right amount.

**joasis** · 07-15-2007, 08:37 AM

I would find it hard to believe the speed of the operator (opener) would "flip" a cable. More likely, it was a poor installation from day one waiting to go wrong. Hopefully, the guy will start from scratch and balance the spring loading to the door correctly and set up the operator.

Sammy · 07-15-2007, 10:20 AM

Our after hours rate is 1.5 to 2.0 times the normal weekday rate so the 185 dont sound too bad if he was there an hour or two.

I have the exact same opener in place for about three years and the instructions do suggest door reinforcement if you have a lightweight door.

I ran a peice of old bedframe steel all the way across the top of my door along with another peice of flat to reinforce the bracket area.

Its a good idea to check the door and track several times a year for ease of operation and to lube the screw drive at least annually.

Check your tracks too... That one roller in the picture looks like it put a doink in it.

Doorguy06 · 07-17-2007, 05:28 PM

Well, I have been doing garage door service and repair for 5 years now and you are right in the ball park for prices and service call. The opener you have does open the door very fast I have only saw one door where the cables have come off as a result of the opener opening it too quickly and that was do to improper door balance. I have no Idea what he is talking about when he says a special bracket for a hollow door? From the pictures it looks like you have a strut going across the top section which is correct and the way the opener is mounted to the door is correct. It is an unfortunate situation, however it happens everyday. Good luck.

Bill

KUIPORNG · 07-18-2007, 11:44 AM

I say stay with traditional chain drive Lift Master opener forget about all the high tech stuff... slow opening ... a little noise... so what....

**joasis** · 07-18-2007, 10:00 PM

Liftmaster screw drive is the preferred operator in installs we do. The smoothness of the screw drive cannot be beat, and adds a few years of life to a door.

xray328 · 07-18-2007, 11:42 PM

I had a craftsman on my last house which I think is the same as lift master, and the guy that fixed that one told me that genie was the best one to have. Guess I got bad info.

KUIPORNG · 07-19-2007, 01:55 PM

I was badly burnt before trying the idrive... waste me a lot of time... after that... I like to go with the basics which works for many centries rather than trying anything new.... those reasons "faster","quieter",...etc. is not a good enough reason to try to change something which is working for so long.... like have you ever see a chain drive damage a door like that?.... at most I heard of chain motor die after 20 years of usage....

Doorguy06 · 07-19-2007, 05:06 PM

Any opener is going to damage a door like that if there is something wrong with the spring tension on the door like a cable being off. People rave about screw drive openers, I see them everyday and they are noisy and require alot of attention. That is based on my own personal experiences and is my own personal opinion. To each his own on that.

I would not install a genie in a dog house and Craftsman, Liftmaster, master mechanic et are all off the same product line. All the parts inside are the same. Difference is the rail system. The Liftmaster uses a solid T-Rail with a complete chain. The craftsman uses a three piece rail with half chain half cable and I have saw that cable break on some occasions too. The belts on the craftsman and liftmaster have steel ribs inside like a tire on a car. I have actually never saw a belt break, I have however saw some chains that have broke. Anywho, if the door is not properly balanced it does not matter what type of opener you put on it is going to wear it out pretty quick or cause damage to the door if the forces are not properly set. I would stay away from screw drives all together and stick with Liftmaster or Craftsman, Chamberlain etc belt or chain drives.