Understanding Your Garage Door

One of the many wonders of modern technology is the mechanism that opens your garage door. As you arrive home in your car and hit the button that automatically opens the door for you, do you stop and wonder how exactly it works? And could you imagine having to revert back to an ordinary door mechanism that wasn’t remote controlled?

If you look at a house with beautiful wooden garage doors it may not occur to you in the same way the importance of having automatic doors, as the traditional wooden doors add character to the home. But along with the character they add, you have to think about all the times you have to get out of your car in the rain in order to open them.

So, how exactly does the mechanism for an automatic garage door work? When you hit the button on your remote control it actually sends a signal to the receiver that is located inside your garage premises. The frequency range for this signal is normal somewhere around 300-400 MHz and is known as a rolling code. What is meant by rolling code you ask? What the term rolling code means is that the code never stay the same, every time you hit that button, it will calculate a brand new code, making it virtually impossible for thieves to crack the code.

This may seem complex in its own right, but far more complicated is the mechanism for actually physically moving the door, the hardware and springs of the door. When you hit the button on your remote, the mechanism for opening needs to be kick started into action, and the doors are normally opened by a mechanism involving chains or belts. Whichever mechanism you have, the motor in the box on your garage door ceiling will start turning and start to pull the belt or chain clockwise. This in turn will pull the springs along the track mechanism of your door, and the door will begin to rise. Closing you door involves exactly the same process, but this time in an anti clockwise motion.

A modern roller system for your garage door is so much better and safer than traditional methods that involved potentially dangerous torsion springs. They are installed with a limiter that tells the door when it has reached the top or bottom, and also has a sensor that will notice if anything is in the way of the door. This could be a child or a household pet that otherwise could be harmed. On detecting the child or animal or other blockage the door will stop opening or shutting until it finds its’ path free once more.

Dan Pevney has been providing helpful information regarding Garage Door Cleveland for many years. His expertise is the result of years of hands on experience in the garage door business. If you are having trouble with your door and would like some help he recommends giving Garage Door Repair Cleveland a call.