Jack-shaft garage door opener offers space saving benefits

Whether you have a small garage or a larger garage you tend to keep full, if you want to save space in your garage, there are garage door opener options that can help. A jack-shaft garage door opener serves this purpose well.

Firs thing to determine is if a jack-shaft garage door opener is the right solution for you. You must have a torsion spring system. With a torsion spring style garage door, torsion springs serve as the counter weight to the door to keep it moving in a controlled and smooth motion as it goes up and down. Torsion springs mount against the wall above the garage door opening and take up much less space than the typical extension spring system, which extends back from the garage door. Thus it helps in a tight space.

The more common extension spring system has the garage door opener mounted on the ceiling somewhere toward the middle of the garage. It has rails, rollers and a spring system installed on either side of the door. This is a lot of equipment to get the job done. It works well, which is why most people have it. But, it takes up a lot of space, too.

Most modern garages are designed with a lot of space, which easily accommodates the extension spring system. But if your garage is older, it is probably smaller and may not easily accommodate this style of garage door opener.

During the late nineties, a trend among builders in Northern Illinois developed putting structural beams through garages that had a second story of the house above the garage. Often these beams get in the way of the optimal placement for the extension spring garage door opener system. The solution, in either case, is probably a jack-shaft garage door opener.

If all you want a cleaner look to your garage, with a ceiling free of machinery, or if you want to build a loft so you have more storage space above your garage, a jack-shaft garage door opener could be the answer.

The jack-shaft garage door opener is installed to the side of the garage door opening. All that is needed is 3” to 4”of headroom (space between the torsion shaft and the ceiling) and 8” of space between the garage door opening and the wall on the side where you want to install the Jack Shaft.  You will also need electricity in that corner. That does not mean running an extension cord over there. You’ll have to have an electrician install a grounded outlet in the corner where you want the jack-shaft garage door opener installed.

General routine maintenance for this type of system helps keep your garage door opener running smoothly. If, however, you have issues with the cable, if it goes limp or the door stops moving, call a professional for help. Since the springs are loaded with considerable tension, these repairs involve a high risk of danger. This is NOT a job to take on as a DIY project.

Everything considered, however, if you want more space in your garage, a jack-shaft garage door opener, with a torsion spring system, can serve you well.

Not doing anything Saturday night? Come out to the McHenry VFW, just east of the Fox River on Route 120, for Shop With A Cop. The event includes raffles, a silent auction, a live auction, food, cash bar and the live music of Hans and the Hormones. The Johnsburg High School Madrigal Choir is even coming in Victorian outfits to sing holiday songs. And all this fun will raise money so area police officers can take deserving children out shopping for the holidays.

The party begins at 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21.

Yes, the elements will affect your garage door opener

The elements in Northern Illinois can affect the performance of your garage door and garage door opener. Fortunately, we don’t don’t have to deal with hurricanes here in Northern Illinois and tornadoes aren’t frequent, but storms still can affect us. For instance, our Northern Illinois winters are often vicious and can cause problems.

Polar vortexes, blizzards and ice storms give us enough to worry about each winter. But, with a little planning and care, you can prevent them from making problems for your garage door and garage door opener. Typically, your garage is warmer than outside. This means that each time you open your garage door, the threshold warms up and then gets cold again when the door closes. This warm-cold-warm-cold cycle causes ice to build up. This creates issues for your garage door opener. The opener has a set limit, preset to a range that the door goes to in its closed position. Even a buildup of half an inch of ice can prevent the garage door from reaching its limit to completely close. This in turn tells the garage door opener that something is in the way and raises the door as a safety measure. Taking the time to use your snow shovel across the threshold on a regular basis helps prevent this. Liberal application of ice-melt can help as well.

The cold and the changes from warm to cold and back again, also add stress to the rails, rollers and springs of the garage door opener. Contraction and expansion happen with each of these changes. A little preventative maintenance goes a long way to alleviate issues related to contraction and expansion. Make sure all moving parts are oiled and lubed appropriately. It’s easier to do this when it’s warm, but if you forget and find that you need to do this in the winter, don’t stress, just dress warm so you’re comfortable as you work. Fortunately, it only takes a few minutes anyhow. Using motor oil is effective and a 5W30 is easier to work with in the winter. An oil can will help you to dispense the oil onto the hinges and other moving parts.

Proper lubrication of the garage door’s moving parts will also help in the warmer months. And it does get hot in Northern Illinois, though not as hot as in some other regions. Just remember that mechanical devices generate their own heat when they work. When it’s hotter outside, they heat up more. Again, preventative maintenance goes a long way. If everything is oiled and lubed, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Even though, hurricanes aren’t a concern in the Midwest, the storms we do get can do damage to your garage door and/or upset the settings for your garage door opener.  Most often this results in cosmetic damage to the garage door panels. Unfortunately, the solution is generally to replace the garage door panels.  If your door is older, with ship lap panels rather than tongue and groove panels, you may find it harder to find replacement pieces. You could find yourself needing a full door replacement.

Lightning strikes can cause issues with your garage door opener. As with most complex devices, it contains a small computer that regulates various functions. A power surge, even from a brown out, can melt important components in the garage door opener. Plugging the garage door opener into a surge suppressor power strip can help prevent this. It won’t protect your garage door opener from all electrical surges, but it will protect it in many instances. In this case, a purchase of less than $20 can go a long way to help you avoid buying a new garage door opener.

Lastly, on a small scale, keep the photo eye devices clean. You’ll find these on attached to the garage door rails near the floor. These tell the computer in your garage door opener if there is something in the way when it is time to close. Anything obstructing the connection between the eyes lets the garage door opener know that it is not safe to close. Leaf build up in the fall, snow and ice in the winter, or spider webs any time of year, can affect this. It’s a good idea to occasionally check for this.

Even though we get some crazy weather in Northern Illinois, even brutal at times, routine maintenance and care can keep Mother Nature from affecting your garage door and garage door opener.