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Get the most out of the investment you’ve made for your home with our greater Delaware garage door support!

Garage Door Components

(1) Window Lite — Glazed section with various types of glass or clear acrylic to allow for light and visiblity

(2) Sections — Steel panels reinforced with stiles interconnected with hingers and rollers

(3) Bottom Bracket — A structured suport which provides for attachment of lifting cables

(4) Cable Drum — Grooved drums on the torsion spring shafter that lifting cables wind around when door is opening

(5) Torsion Springs — Provides the means to raise and lower the garage door via cable winding on drums.

(6) Extention — Extend beyond both horizontal tracks

(7) Rear Track Hanger

(6) Extention — Extend beyond both horizontal tracks

(7) Rear Track Hanger

(8) Track — Provides a guide for section to raise or lower the garage door

Track Types
Standard
Low Headroom

Track Components
Vertical Track: on either side of opening.
Horizontal Track: attached to ceiling.
Radius: curved track

Standard Heights
7 feet heigh — 4 sections heigh
8 feet high —5 sections high

Headroom Chart
4-1/2′-10″ — low headroom track
10″ — standard track/extention spring
12″ — stadnard track/torsion spring
14″ or more — required for operator

Common Issues

We tend not to worry much about our garage door until something goes wrong. If you do happen to find a problem with your garage door, here’s a list of the ones you’re most likely to come across. You’ll be able to identify the source of the problem and either contact the specialists at First State Garage Doors to make the necessary repairs, or in the case of a simple fix, handle it on your own! We offer greater Delaware garage door support.

The door opens or closes with a thud
This is most likely an issue with your door’s torsion spring(s), which may be broken. Another possible cause is that one of the lifting cables could be either broken or on the verge of breaking. Do a visual inspection of your garage door system. If a spring is broken, stop using your garage door and give us a call.
The door has come off its hinges
Most of the time, this problem is due to one of the horizontal tracks falling out of alignment, the bracket at the end of the track coming loose, or the bolts holding the bracket in place coming loose. If the door has fallen onto the floor, call us immediately! If the rollers are still in the tracks, it could be as simple as closing the door gently and tightening the bolts. Also, make sure that all of the tracks are parallel.
Sometimes the door opens and sometimes it doesn’t
That’s an easy one. The battery in your remote is dying. Just change the battery! One other unlikely option is that if you have an opener manufactured before 1993, a neighbor may use the same type of device with the same transmission code. If it happens to be this issue, just change one of the code buttons on your remote and that should solve it.
When closing, the door goes down a little and then goes back up
This is usually an issue with your automatic photoelectric backup system, which has units on either side of the door that are likely misaligned. Also, something may be in the way of the sensor between those units. Simply do a visual check and make sure that the area between your doors is totally clear. If it is, attempt to realign the units. An indicator light should stop blinking on your garage door system control panel once they are back in line.
There’s a power outage
These do happen and can be a big source of frustration…if you don’t have a system with a battery backup (which we can install for you, by the way!). You’ll need to go inside your garage through a door and open your garage door manually. Simply pull back on the emergency cord to deactivate the motor. To reclose, pull the cord forward, making sure the carriage assembly is properly engaged.

Care and Maintenance

It’s easy to ensure that your garage door works properly at all times by performing regular care and maintenance throughout the year. A few simple steps can keep things up and running at peak performance!

Twice a year you should perform a full garage door system check:

1. Check the door balance
Disconnect the opener with the release handle (usually a red cord) and manually move the garage door halfway up. If it doesn’t stay put, the springs are improperly balanced. Give us a call and we’ll come out and adjust it for you.
2. Do a visual inspection of your door rollers
Worn, chipped, or cracked rollers should be replaced as soon as possible. This would be a tough DIY project for most, but First State Garage Door of New Castle County, is always available to switch these out for you when it’s time.
3. Check the weather stripping on the bottom of your door
If it is brittle or cracked, it should be replaced right away, to keep the elements out of your house and where they belong. Weather stripping is sold by the foot at the hardware store. Make it a DIY project, or call the experts in to take care of it.
4. Check the cables
These are too dangerous for anyone but a pro to handle, but take a look at their condition to make sure there are no broken strands or damage.
5. Test the auto-reverse safety features
Put a block of wood or a brick down on the ground in the path of the door. When the door touches it, it should reverse direction and go back up. Try this again and kick your foot in the path of the sensor this time. Again, the door should reverse direction.
6. Clear the tracks
Make sure that your tracks are free from debris.
7. Lubricate the moving parts
Use white lithium grease on the opener’s chain or screw and a spray lubricant to coat the overhead springs. Keeping things greased will add years of operation to your system, and only takes a few minutes to do!
8. Examine your door
Check wood doors for damage or warp, and chipped or peeling paint. Check steel doors for rust spots that may need to be sanded, primed, and painted. Also, give your door a quick wash when you’re washing your car. Grooming your door occasionally can add years of life to it.