Garage Door Opener Installation: Step By Step – Forbes Advisor

2022-01-15 09:08:54 By : Mr. bellen hou

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Garage door openers are a necessity when you have a garage. Gone are the days of leaving the vehicle and lifting the door by hand. Garage door openers also help with security since you can remain safely in your car until the door is closed.

Installing a garage door opener by yourself can be challenging but it’s a cost-saving, worthwhile project. Approach the project slowly, and be sure to have an assistant nearby who you can call on.

When the garage door stalls, sticks, refuses to open or close or when it reverses itself when opening or closing, the problem might be with the door itself. In many cases, though, the issue may center around the garage door opener.

If the garage door operation is very loud, it may need to be lubricated or it may need to be replaced.

Garage door springs and cables—which balance the door and help it move up and down—are tightly tensioned and can break, causing serious injury. Call a pro for any work on springs and cables. Leave the door opener motor unit unplugged to its power source until the very end of installation.

Open and close the garage door to assess its freedom of movement. If there is a working garage door opener, use this. If not, detach the door from the existing door opener, then open and close the door by hand.

Garage door opener kits contain many unfamiliar parts. Acquaint yourself with the parts by laying them out, organizing them and checking them against the parts list.

The rail is the track that runs from the garage door back to the motor unit attached mid-point on the ceiling. The rail is usually composed of four or five individual pieces that form a single rail. One end attaches to the motor unit and the other end to the door; the ends are not interchangeable.

The idler pulley is the wheel at the garage door end of the rail that helps the door raise and lower. Slip the idler pulley into the slot on the rail. Then, fit the bolt through the pulley and secure it with the lock washer and bolt.

Slip the chain or belt over the idler pulley. At one end of the chain or belt is the trolley connector. This will attach to the trolley on top of the rail, so make sure that it is positioned correctly for this.

The trolley is the unit that moves along the rail and which moves the door up and down. Make sure that it is pointed in the correct upward direction.

NOTE: For some garage door openers, you may need to attach the trolley as you are assembling the rail.

Using the provided hardware, attach the rail to the motor unit. First, attach the separate bracket to the top of the motor unit with small screws. Next, attach the rail to the bracket with a large bolt and lock nut.

The header bracket will support the door end of the rail. With the tape measure, determine the center of the garage door. Mark this center point just above the door opening. Cut a piece of two-by-four long enough to span between the two studs. Nail the two-by-four in place across the studs.

Attach the metal garage door opener bracket to the garage door header.

With the tape measure, mark the distance from the garage door end of the rail to the intended location of the motor unit on the garage ceiling. Make sure that rail will be exactly perpendicular to the garage door.

A two-by-four may need to be attached to the ceiling to support the motor unit. Ceiling joists run perpendicular to the garage door, so the ceiling brace must run parallel to the garage door. Check the garage door opener instructions, as some do not require a two-by-four brace and can attach directly to the ceiling.

With the circular saw, cut the two-by-four to 20 inches or long enough to span two ceiling joists. Attach the two-by-four to two of the ceiling joists with screws.

Steel angle structural supports should be included with the garage door opener kit. Attach these to the ceiling brace. Usually, one steel support runs along the ceiling bracket and is attached with lag screws. Two more supports extend downward and are attached to that first support with bolts, washers and nuts.

Position the step ladder under the intended location of the motor unit. Set the unit on the top step of the ladder. With an assistant holding the free end of the rail, attach the motor unit to the steel supports with bolts.

Attach the metal door bracket to the two-by-four header bracket (above the garage door opening) with lag screws. Next, attach the garage door rail to the metal door bracket.

The door arm is the L-shaped metal armature that connects the garage door to the trolley on the rail. Connect the door arm with clevis pins and bolts so that the arm can move freely when in use.

Attach the LED sensor eyes to both sides of the garage door frame no more than six inches above garage floor level. The sensors should face each other and should be unobstructed.

Run the low-voltage sensor wiring from the door sensors to the motor unit on the ceiling. Attach the wiring to studs and wall or to ceiling surfaces with the cable staples. Attach the end of the wire to the motor unit.

Program the garage door remote opener so that it will activate the unit. The door should move freely up and down and it must be capable of stopping in mid-travel for safety.

Call a trained garage door installation technician if the garage door does not move freely or if it is out of balance. Because you’ll need a grounded electrical outlet near the motor unit (on the garage door ceiling) contact a licensed electrician to install this or to convert the ceiling light to an outlet.

Lee is a home improvement writer and content creator. As a professional home expert and an avid do-it-yourselfer, he has decades of experience at fixing up and writing about houses. When he’s not wielding a drill or hammer, Lee loves to untangle difficult home topics for readers across a range of media outlets.

Samantha is an editor who covers all topics home-related including home improvement and repair. She edited home repair and design content at websites like The Spruce and HomeAdvisor. She also has hosted videos on DIY home tips and solutions and launched multiple home improvement review boards staffed with licensed pros.