What we fix, and what goes into it

Springs carry the weight of the door. The opener only guides it. When a spring breaks, the door becomes 150 to 350 pounds of dead weight, and on a wood door it can pass 400.

Torsion springs sit on a bar above the door opening. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on either side. Most San Diego homes built in the last 30 years use torsion.

What we do on a spring job

• Measure wire size, inside diameter, and length, because a spring that is close is not correct
• Replace in matched pairs, so the door stays balanced
• Check cables, drums, bearings, and the center bracket while the door is down
• Rebalance the door and test that it holds position halfway up
• Reset opener force settings, which are almost always wrong after a spring failure

Why we quote both springs

Both springs were installed the same day and have run the same number of cycles. When one goes, the second is not fine, it is next. Doing both in one visit costs less than one visit now and another in four months. We will replace one if you ask. We will tell you the odds first.

How long springs last and how to read yours →
Torsion vs extension springs, and how to tell which you have →

Cables lift the door and keep it square. They fray from the inside out, so the visible damage is the last stage, not the first.

A door comes off its track for a reason. Something was hit, a roller failed, a cable let go, or the track was bent. Putting the door back without finding the cause means we would be back next month.

What we do

• Secure the door before touching anything, since an off-track door can drop
• Replace cables in pairs and respool the drums so both sides sit even
• Straighten or replace bent track sections
• Check every roller and hinge along the way
• Run the door under power and watch it through three full cycles

We repair openers more often than we replace them. If the motor runs, the gear is intact, and the safety sensors work, a small part often buys three more years. We replace an opener when it fails to reverse, strips gears twice, or has no rolling code security.

Choosing a drive type

The right answer usually comes down to what sits on the other side of the garage wall. We will ask before recommending anything.

The full guide to choosing an opener →

Also covered

• Remotes, wall consoles, and outside keypads
• Safety sensor alignment and replacement
• Rolling code and security reprogramming
• Pairing the opener to a car's built-in buttons
• Logic board, gear, sprocket, and trolley repair

One dented panel does not mean a new door. On most sectional doors we can replace a single section, and it costs a fraction of a full replacement. Whether it is worth doing depends on whether the panel is still manufactured and whether the colour will match after years of San Diego sun.

Common hardware work

• Nylon rollers in place of worn steel, which cuts noise sharply
• Hinges, brackets, and end bearing plates
• Bottom seal and perimeter weather stripping, the fix for the gap you can see daylight through
• Track realignment and replacement
• Strut reinforcement on doors that flex in the middle

We measure on site, show you the options that fit the opening and the house, and take the old door away when the new one goes on.

Materials

Insulation, and when it earns its keep

Insulation is rated in R-value, and a higher number insulates better. It matters most when the garage is attached, when a room sits above it, or when you use the space as a workshop or gym. For a detached garage you use for storage, an insulated door is mostly buying quiet rather than warmth. Insulated doors also flex less and run quieter, which is a real benefit on a double door.

Insulation and R-value in a San Diego climate →

The cheapest visit we make. A door that gets looked at once a year rarely turns into the 7 AM emergency that costs several times more.

What a tune-up includes

• Balance test. We disconnect the opener and lift by hand. A balanced door holds position halfway up
• Lubrication of springs, hinges, rollers, and bearings with the right product, which is not WD-40
• Tighten every bolt and bracket, because a door shakes itself loose over years
• Safety reverse test on both the photo eyes and the down-force
• Cable and spring inspection for fraying, gaps, and rust
• Track alignment check against a straightedge
• A straight answer on what is close to failing and what has years left

Once a year suits most doors. Within a couple of miles of the water, make it twice. Salt air and garage doors near the coast →

Gates fail differently from garage doors. Usually it is not the gate itself. It is the operator, the photo eye, or the loop detector buried in the driveway. If yours opens but will not close, start with the safety beam, because a spider web across the lens is a common cause.

We handle swing and slide operators, safety beams, loop detectors, keypads, and hinge and roller work on the gate itself.

Book gate work in advance rather than same-day. Gate parts vary far more than garage door parts, and we would rather arrive with the right one than come back twice.

Two doors that look identical from the street can need different springs, and a number posted here would be wrong for one of you. Anyone quoting a firm price for a spring replacement before seeing the door is guessing, and the number tends to move once they are standing in your driveway.

What actually drives the cost:

• Door weight and size, which sets the spring you need
• Whether cables, drums, or bearings failed alongside the main part
• Single or double door
• Whether the part is standard stock or has to be ordered

So the estimate happens on site, and it is free. You see the number before any work starts. If something changes mid-job, we stop and ask before continuing.