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.