A sectional door is several panels connected by hinges. Panels articulate through the curved track section, transitioning from vertical to horizontal along the ceiling-mounted horizontal track.
Vertical tracks on both sides, a curved section, and horizontal tracks along the ceiling. Per Clopay, rollers sit in the tracks and are steel or nylon.
Springs counterbalance the door. Per Clopay, cables work alongside the springs to help lift and lower the door. Balance is a technician's check.
Per Clopay, the cables are attached to the bottom corners of the door and run up to the drums near the top.
A curved J-arm connects the trolley to the door's top bracket. As the door opens, the arm pivots at the bracket, accommodating the geometry change as panels transition through the track curve.
Bottom rubber astragal seal, side and top weatherstripping, and inter-panel seals between sections. The bottom bracket is where the lift cable attaches; bottom brackets are a call-a-pro part.
Per Clopay, garage door springs are under a lot of tension, and adjusting or replacing them can be extremely dangerous. Springs are a job for a trained technician. Never adjust or replace them yourself.
Standard springs: ~10,000 cycles (~7 years at 4/day), and certain wire types can offer 25,000 cycles or even 50,000, per IDC Spring.
Some doors use two springs on one shared shaft.
Extension springs can have a safety cable; ask a technician about yours. Springs and their cables are a job for a trained technician.
Pulleys guide the cable.
A torsion spring sits on a shaft above the door. Extension springs run alongside the horizontal tracks.
HomeAdvisor says broken springs are one of the most common and dangerous garage-door issues. Extension springs and their safety cables are a job for a trained technician.
A chain loops around a sprocket on the motor and an idler at the far end of the rail. The chain connects to a trolley riding the rail.
Pro: Per HomeAdvisor, chain drives are "the least expensive."
Con: HomeAdvisor says "the biggest issue with chain drive garage door openers is the noise" and that "they require more maintenance, including regular lubrication."
A belt takes the place of the chain, looping around a drive pulley and an idler pulley. The trolley and rail work the same way.
Pro: Per HomeAdvisor, belt drives are "significantly quieter than chain drive systems," and the same page says "they require less maintenance."
Con: The same HomeAdvisor page says "belt drive openers can wear out more quickly than chains."
A long threaded rod spans the rail and the motor turns it. The trolley rides along the rod like a nut on a bolt.
Pro: Per HomeAdvisor, screw drive systems "have very few moving parts, resulting in lower maintenance costs."
Con: The same HomeAdvisor page says they "aren't ideal for heavier garage doors."
The motor unit is the trolley and travels along the rail.
Pro: Per HomeAdvisor, direct drive "means fewer moving parts and less maintenance," and these operators "make very little noise, can lift heavier garage doors."
Con: The same HomeAdvisor page says they are "more expensive."
The motor mounts on the wall beside the torsion shaft and turns that shaft.
The motor turns the drive. In the cutaway, a worm gear on the motor shaft turns the gear that drives the output sprocket.
A reduction gear sits between the motor and the drive.
Ask a technician about your limit settings.
Under 16 CFR part 1211, openers manufactured on or after January 1, 1993 for sale in the United States have to initiate reversal of a downward-moving door within 2 seconds of contact with an obstruction. Test your door's reversal, following the opener's manual.
Under 16 CFR part 1211 (section 1211.9(a)), an opener has to come with a means to manually detach it from the door, with a red handle. Your opener's manual says how to use it and how to re-engage.
Wi-Fi models connect to your home network and a phone app.
Your opener's manual says what remote it uses and how to program it.
Ask your installer what your opener supports.
A smart-home standard that some openers support. Check your opener's manual.
Click a symptom to expand the diagnostic path: