Fixing and replacing openers in Summit homes, including quiet drives for rooms over the garage and battery backup for storm outages.
Summit's tree canopy is one of the reasons people love living here, and it is also why the power goes out when an ice storm or nor'easter brings limbs down on the lines. Openers that stop working right after an outage are a common call. Sometimes the unit just needs to be reset or reprogrammed, sometimes a surge has damaged the logic board. A battery backup opener lets you get the car out during an outage without pulling the release cord and lifting a heavy door by hand. Mention the outage when you call, so the technician knows to check the board and the wiring first.
Noise is the other big issue. Many Summit houses have been expanded over the years, and a bedroom, home office, or playroom now sits over an attached garage. A chain drive opener bolted to that ceiling sends vibration straight into the room above. Belt drive openers are noticeably quieter, and wall mounted jackshaft openers move the motor off the ceiling entirely. Jackshaft units also suit older detached garages with low headroom, where there is little space above the door for a standard rail. Ask the contractor to compare a couple of models, since drive type and features change the price.
Before anything is replaced, a good technician checks the simple things: photo eyes knocked out of line by a bike or a rake, sensor lenses dusty from the garage floor, or a door that reverses because ice froze the bottom seal to the slab. Leaves blown into a detached garage on a windy fall day can also block the beam. Whatever is done, the safety reverse and photo eyes should be tested before the technician leaves, and you should know where the manual release cord is. Ask for a quick demonstration of the release so everyone in the house knows how to use it before the next storm.
Many Summit owners think so, since storms that bring down tree limbs can cut power for a while. A battery backup opener can raise and lower the door several times during an outage, which saves you from lifting a heavy door by hand.
A wall mounted jackshaft opener sits beside the door on the torsion bar instead of hanging from the ceiling, so it suits many older Summit garages with tight headroom. The door needs a torsion spring setup for most jackshaft models.
Ice can freeze the bottom seal to the floor, and cold can stiffen rollers and hinges so the opener senses extra resistance. On sloped Summit driveways, water often pools at the door and freezes there. A technician can adjust force settings and check the seal.
About 30% of Summit's housing units were built in the 1950s and another 33% before 1940, so most of the housing stock is mid-century or older.
api.censusreporter.orgSummit sits on a ridge atop the Second Watchung Mountain, at an elevation of 374 ft.
en.wikipedia.orgIsaias knocked out power to 1.3 million New Jersey residents in Aug 2020.
patch.comReplacing snapped torsion or extension springs on Summit garage doors, from heavy wood carriage doors to standard steel sectionals.
Resetting crooked or jammed Summit garage doors and replacing frayed cables, often rusted by slush on sloped driveways.
New doors for Summit homes, from carriage house styles that suit older architecture to insulated doors under finished rooms.
A fall checkup for Summit garage doors that clears leaves from the tracks, replaces worn seals, and catches tired springs before winter.