Your Go-To Garage Door Repair Specialists!
Fast, Friendly, Professional Repairs!
O’Brien: A Company You Can Trust!
Why O’Brien?
Family Owned and Operated Since 1988!
Strongly Value Our Customers
Professionally Trained Technicians
Stand Behind Our Work
Commercial Grade Replacement Door Parts
Support 7 Days a Week
Fast, Friendly, Informative Service
Service Most Makes & Models
Honest Repairs
Emergency and Same Day Often Available
At O’Brien Garage Doors, repairs and maintenance are our specialty! Whether you have a broken garage door spring, door off track, your garage door reverses, or you’re experiencing something else, we are here to help! Our top priorities are to offer fast, reliable service when you are in a bind, install the highest quality, commercial grade, steel parts for our doors, use brand specific parts for the openers whenever possible, and be a place of guidance when it comes to deciding what repairs you may need and when it makes the most sense to replace instead. We service most makes and models such as LiftMaster Professional, Genie, Overhead Door, Chamberlain, Clopay, Amarr, DoorLink, Mid-America, C.H.I. Overhead Door, and much more! Our mission is to get you taken care of quickly and to be your garage door company of choice for all the years that you own your home!
Frequently Asked Questions
Carefully crafted FAQ’s to be a source of information for you!
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If you are interested in reducing noise with your garage door system, we’ve got several suggestions! The first is to start with a garage door tune-up. The lubrication of all moving parts and tightening any loose hinges and bolts often greatly reduces squeaking and other noises. It also helps the door to run smoothly! The next step may be to replace the existing rollers with our heavy duty, steel ball-bearing, nylon coated rollers. Rollers may become brittle or break over time and can cause quite a bit of noise, if not damage. Lastly, if you’d like to go the extra step, you may opt to change your automatic opener to one of our “whisper” belt drive openers. Professional grade belt drive openers such as LiftMaster Professional can be much quieter than chain drive or builder’s grade openers.
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One of our most common repair calls! Most of the time, when the garage door only goes up a few inches, it is because there is a broken spring. Since the springs are what do the heavy lifting of the door, if they are broken, it will not go far. There can, however, be other reasons the door is not going up all the way such as, a problem with the automatic garage door opener, something jamming in the tracking, a cable off the drum, or something else!
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Often, when a garage door is reversing when trying to close, it is a problem with the safety reversal system. It could be that something is in the way of them, they need to be cleaned off, the need an adjustment (perhaps they have become misaligned), or they need to be replaced. Sometimes we even run into cases where the evening or morning sun interferes with their signal! You may also want to check the tracking to make sure nothing is causing it to jam and make sure the cables have not come off their drums.
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When a garage door spring breaks, there are several indicators it has occurred! Firstly, if you look at the spring, you can see that it is separated into two pieces. Secondly, if you happen to be around when it happens, you will hear a loud “bang” noise. Lastly, if the spring is broken, more than likely, the door will only open a few inches and then stop. If it does happen to open, the door will be extremely heavy. Sometimes, if the spring breaks, it will send the door off track because the cables come off of the drums and it loses its balance. We recommend having a spring replaced right away by a professional if it is broken to prevent more damage to the system.
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Good question! We definitely recommend having the spring changed immediately by a professional if it is broken. Most of the time, the door will only rise a few inches. But if it does open, it will be extremely heavy and will cause damage to the automatic door opener. (The springs are what lift the door, the opener is only in place to gently assist it). The door is also likely to come off its tracking because it will not be balanced properly and the cables may come off the drums.
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We always recommend replacing both springs if you have more than one, even if only one is broken. Here’s why: the springs were most likely installed at the same time and most likely have the same lifecycle. If one is broken, the other one is likely to break soon after.
Cost: If the work is done at the same time, the labor fee and service call covers both. If a return visit is needed for the second spring, those will have to be charged again.
Convenience: If the second spring breaks later, your cars may be trapped in your garage again while you wait on another repairman to come to the rescue!
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If your garage door spring is not broken but is older, near the end of its lifecycle, showing signs of wear, or the door feels heavy to the touch, it may be time to consider replacing the spring. If you replace the spring before it breaks, you may save yourself the headache of scheduling an emergency appointment when your cars are trapped inside the garage due to the door’s only opening a few inches. Sometimes when a spring breaks the door will come off track as well resulting in a larger repair.
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Garage door springs will have several factors that contribute the their lifespan:
The quality and lifetime rating of the spring installed
How often it is used (how often the door opens and closes)
How well the garage door and opener system is maintained over the years
It is important to choose a company that intentionally chooses to use springs made of high-quality steel with high-lifecycle ratings and stands behind their work!
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Your garage door should normally be light to the touch when disconnected from the automatic opener and lifting by hand. It should also, for the most part, be able to balance in place if lifted part way. If this is not the case, it is most likely not properly balanced, which could mean:
The springs may break soon because they are weak
The springs are not tensioned properly but are still in good condition
The wrong springs are on the door
Running a heavy garage door with an automatic door opener is not good and may cause damage to the motor.
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We always recommend hiring a professional for work beyond the basics of lubrication, changing batteries, programming remotes etc. The door itself has a tremendous amount of torque and pressure that may result in serious injury if one does not have proper training and tools. Additionally, a professional repairman will know exactly which parts go on the door to ensure the repair is done correctly the first time around. For example: there are many springs on the market, and each garage door must be fully examined to determine which spring or combination of springs your particular door requires.
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Sometimes tracks may become rusty/brittle overtime. We recommend keeping all cleaning supplies and pool chemicals away from the tracks.
Common Repair Services
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If you are looking to maximize the performance and longevity of your garage door and to potentially redce noise, our comprehensive garage door Tune-Up is an excellent choice. During this service, our technicians perform a full system inspection, thoroughly lubricating all moving parts, tightening loose hinges or bolts, and testing the safety reversal system to ensure it is functioning correctly. We are also happy to answer your questions, provide tips on how to maintain your system over the years, and identify any potential safety hazards before they become costly problems.
For those interested in a quieter garage door system, a tune-up is the perfect starting point and often results in quite a bit of noise reduction. To further reduce noise, you might consider upgrading to our premium, steel ball-bearing rollers with a nylon coating for smooth operation. For more noise reduction, you may choose to replace your current automatic opener with a high-performance, “whisper” belt-drive opener.
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Our professionally trained technicians arrive in fully stocked with most residential springs to ensure we’ve got the exact spring or combination of springs that your door takes and can get your spring replacement done on-the-spot.. We carry high-quality, high-lifecycle springs and do not cut corners on our products. If your door requires a specialized or custom-ordered springs, we will get them ordered and installed quickly!
Do I need to change my spring right away?
Definitely! If the door is operated with a broken spring, it can cause the door to come off track and/or cause severe damage to the automatic door opener due to its heaviness.
My spring is not broken, should I replace it?
In some cases, it is best to replace the spring before it breaks. If it is near the end of its lifecycle, it may break soon and you may be stuck with a door that will not open. A key sign that the spring may be nearing the end of its life is if the door feels heavy or does not balance properly (hovers in place when ½ open) when it is disconnected from the opener.
Should I perform the spring replacement on my own?
We strongly recommend hiring a professional to do the spring replacement because the doors carry a tremendous amount of torque and pressure that may result in serious injury if you do not have the proper training and tools. Also, each door takes a specific spring or combination of springs and professional technicians will make sure the right spring is installed for proper balancing and avoiding having to make multiple purchases to get it right.
Replace both springs or just one?
If you have a multi-spring system, and one is broken, we always recommend replacing the others at the same time. The reason is that the other springs most likely have the same lifecycle and were installed at the same time so if one is broken, the others will likely break soon, resulting in another service call, labor fee, and more time out of your day to schedule an appointment.
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If your garage door has slipped off its tracks, whether it is just slightly misaligned or hanging significantly crooked, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Our expert technicians will arrive promptly, carefully respool the cables back onto the drums, place all the rollers back in the track, and work with the spring and cable system to make sure everything is properly balanced.
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Does your garage door seem misaligned, drop heavily when released, or perhaps open too quickly? These are classic signs that your spring system may be out of balance. A door that is not correctly balanced can place immense strain on your opener, causing it to burn out, and can become a safety hazard. Our skilled technicians will recalibrate the tension on the springs as well as making sure the entire lifting system is working properly.
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Is your garage door opener acting up? Whether it’s reversing unexpectedly, making a grinding noise without moving, or your remotes, keypads, and wall switches have simply stopped responding, we are here to help!
At O’Brien, we stock brand-specific electronics such as Genie, LiftMaster Professional, Chamberlain, Overhead Door, and more, because using brand-specific vs universal parts will always work best in the long run. Our goal is always to repair vs replace when able, but are here to help you make that choice!
When should I replace instead of repair?
The opener cannot be repaired
Replacement parts are no longer made
The cost of repair is close to or more than a new opener
There may be a lot of repairs to come due to age/condition
You would like to upgrade because of advanced safety and technological features or noise reduction
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Over time, the vital moving components of your garage door system can become brittle, develop rust, or eventually fail due to wear and tear. Maintaining these parts in peak condition is essential to prevent damage and ensure your system continues to operate at its best. You may not need an entirely new door to help it run smoothly; you may just need to replace some hardware parts!
At O’Brien, we maintain a comprehensive inventory of premium, commercial-grade steel replacement parts. Our selection includes parts such as high-cycle springs, commercial grade steel cables, pulleys, drums, torsion tubes, bearings, hinges, and steel ball-bearing, nylon coated rollers for smooth and quiet operation.
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The good news is that a damaged section or panel doesn't always require a full garage door replacement. If the specific section is still in production, we can typically order and install a matching replacement for you. Our technicians will visit your home to gather details such as the make, model, dimensions, and color to get the correct panel ordered for you.
When should you consider a full replacement instead?
If more than one panel is damaged, the cost may start to get close to a full door replacement
Fading: If the color has changed on the door due to age/weathering, the new panel may not be a perfect match
Not manufactured: if the specific panel is no longer in production
If you prefer to upgrade your door due to quality, style, color, etc.
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Are you experiencing leaks, drafts, moisture, or critters getting into your garage due to poor sealing? It might be time to replace the weatherstripping around the edges or along the base of your door. If the problem isn’t related to structural shifting or foundation damage, we can help secure it and keep the elements out with bottom seal and/or vinyl trim to go around the door!
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While we have listed some of our most common repairs above, we specialize in much more than what is listed! If you have a problem, we are happy to take a look at it and see what we can do to help! Reach out today via phone, email, or chat to get started!