Garage Door FAQs
You have questions, we have answers
Forty of the questions we get asked most, answered by the people who build the doors. If yours is not here, call your nearest branch and ask.
These garage door FAQs cover choosing a door, aluminium and steel, Eazy Lift motors, repairs and installation. Answers come from our own technicians and from the factory in Centurion where the doors are made. Where a question needs more than a paragraph, the answer links to the page that covers it properly.
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Choosing a garage door
Material, style and which door suits the way you actually use the garage.
How do I choose the right garage door for my home?
Material, style and how hard the door works. Aluminium is the low maintenance, modern option and never rusts. Steel is alu-zinc treated and gives you six patterns and six colours. Compare them side by side on the ranges page.
What is the difference between a sectional and a roll up garage door?
A sectional door is panels hinged together that fold up and back along a ceiling rail. A roll up door is a single curtain that coils onto a drum above the opening. Sectional suits garages with space above the opening, roll up suits compact areas and commercial spaces.
Which garage doors are best for security?
Sectional doors are more secure than roll up doors, and an alu-zinc sectional makes considerably more noise when it is tampered with than a wooden door does.
What type of garage door is most reliable?
Sectional. Fewer things go wrong with a sectional door than with a roll up over the life of the door, which is part of why the whole range is sectional.
What is a wood look garage door?
A door that mimics real wood without the maintenance. Ours are alu-zinc steel in three wood-look finishes: mahogany, imbuia and teak. Full colour and pattern availability is on the steel pages.
Which garage door suits coastal areas?
Aluminium, because it does not rust. Steel can be fitted at the coast but we cannot guarantee it will not rust, so it needs washing with a bit of soap and water every two to three months. Our George and Gqeberha branches also stock galvanised torsion poles and nylon hinges for rust prevention.
Do you still make wooden or pivot garage doors?
No. We manufacture aluminium and steel only. We still service and repair wooden doors that are already fitted, we just no longer build them.
Does a new garage door add value to my property?
It is one of the largest single surfaces on the front of most houses, so it carries more weight on kerb appeal than its cost suggests. A door that works properly and looks current is a reasonable investment before a sale.
Aluminium and steel
What each material does over time, and how to look after it.
How long will an aluminium garage door last?
Aluminium is corrosion resistant and forms its own protective coating, so the lifespan is long. We put it at more than 40 years, and the construction industry rates the material at 60.
Do aluminium garage doors need special maintenance?
Very little. Warm water, a mild soap solution and a soft cloth, then rinse with clean water. That is the whole routine.
Are steel garage doors rust resistant?
Yes. Our steel panels are alu-zinc treated before the base coat and the colour go on, which gives a longer service life than galvanised steel. We cannot guarantee no rust at all, particularly at the coast, so the door still needs washing.
How do I prevent rust on a steel garage door?
Wash it with a bit of soap and water, or a car shampoo, every two to three months. That is the single thing that keeps an alu-zinc door looking new.
How do I clean an alu-zinc garage door?
The door is powder coated, so dust washes off with water alone, or a good car shampoo and a soft cloth. No solvents and no abrasives.
What is the difference between aluminium and alu-zinc?
Aluminium is the metal the door is made of. Alu-zinc is a coating applied to steel to slow corrosion. An aluminium door does not rust at all, an alu-zinc steel door rusts far slower than untreated steel but is not immune.
Can a garage door be insulated after installation?
An alu-zinc door can, by fitting polystyrene into the panels from the inside. Weigh every material before you fit it, because the door gets heavier and the springs have to be changed to match the new weight. Get it wrong and the door will not balance.
Eazy Lift motors and automation
Power, batteries, remotes and the faults we get called out for most.
Do garage door motors use a lot of power?
No. The Eazy Lift Mark II draws under 2 amps while running.
Do I need to replace the motor battery when it goes flat?
Not to keep using the door. The Eazy Lift is a battery backup motor, so it runs on 220V AC regardless. You will only notice a flat battery when the power goes off.
Why does the battery go flat quickly?
A motor battery normally lasts one to two years. Once it is flat, the motor's internal trickle charger can take up to 18 hours of continuous charging to bring it back to full.
Why is my motor only working when the power is on?
The battery is flat or has failed. That can be the battery itself, a charging board not charging correctly, or a bad connection. Call your nearest branch.
Why does my remote work only sometimes?
Usually a weak remote battery. It can also be signal interference or a remote on its way out.
Why does the remote not open or close the door at all?
The remote needs reprogramming, or its battery is flat. The Mark II has a universal receiver, so any remote can be programmed in.
The motor runs when I press the remote but the door does not move.
The traveller is not connected to the door, usually because it was disengaged to open the door by hand. Open the door halfway, pull the red cord towards the motor head until the clip sits horizontal, then run the motor to reconnect it.
Why does the door open by itself at random?
The closing limit is set incorrectly. That is a settings job, not a fault. Call the branch.
Why does the motor not open the door all the way?
Either the door is too heavy because the spring tension is wrong, or the motor needs reprogramming. Both need a technician.
Why does the door close partway and then reverse?
Almost always the safety sensors. They are misaligned or something is breaking the beam, so the motor thinks the path is blocked.
Can I replace my garage door without replacing the motor?
Yes, if the motor is in good condition and rated for the weight of the new door. It is worth having the whole system checked at the same time, because a new door on a tired motor is a call-out waiting to happen.
Can I add a keypad or extra remotes later?
Yes. External receivers can be added to either motor without changing the motor itself. See garage door automation.
Repairs, servicing and faults
What goes wrong, why, and what you can safely do yourself.
How often should I service my garage door?
Once a year. That is the interval the spring life is based on, and serviced annually a set of springs lasts up to ten years. A door in heavy use or badly exposed to weather is worth doing every six months.
What are the most common garage door problems in South Africa?
Lifting cables coming off, most often. That traces back to springs losing tension, the door being opened too fast or past its limits by hand, or a limit stop that was never fitted.
What are the most common garage door repairs?
A noisy door, or one that does not run smoothly. Usually fixed by adjusting the channels and springs and relubricating the moving parts. See repairs and servicing.
Why does my garage door need help to stay open on manual?
The spring tension is wrong and the door is out of balance. This has to be adjusted by a qualified technician, especially on a torsion system. Serious injuries happen when the correct tools and procedures are not used.
Why is my door hanging skew and not working?
Either a spring has broken, or on a torsion system a cable has jumped off the drum. The springs get replaced or the cable goes back on the drum, and both are technician work.
My door is very noisy when it opens and closes. What can be done?
Usually the hinges and wheels need lubricating. Use a spray lubricant, preferably one with silicon in it, on all the working parts. If your motor is an Eazy Lift Mark II, do not spray oil on the chain. It runs off onto the profile and makes a mess.
Why does my garage door open slowly or struggle to lift?
Worn springs, poor balance, or resistance in the tracks and rollers. All three are what an annual service is meant to catch before they become a call-out.
Why do you replace both springs when only one broke?
The pair has carried the same load for the same number of cycles. Replacing one leaves a new spring next to a worn one and a second call-out a few months later. The same applies to cables.
What makes garage door springs break early?
Extreme temperature swings, and doors that go years without a service. Neither is unusual in South Africa.
What tools do I need for basic garage door repairs?
Do not attempt to set the tension on a torsion spring. It is genuinely dangerous and it is the one job on a garage door that puts people in hospital. For basic work on a tension system you need 10, 11, 13 and 17 spanners, a hammer, a vice grip, a spirit level and a silicon based lubricant spray.
What can I use to treat a wooden garage door?
An oil based product such as Silkwood oil. Never varnish the door. We no longer manufacture wooden doors but we still service the ones already out there.
Buying, installation and replacement
Lead times, custom sizes, upgrades and what a door costs.
Do you manufacture the doors as well as install them?
Yes. Every aluminium and steel door we fit is manufactured at our Centurion factory and has been since 2001. Installation is done by our own technicians out of five branches, and we repair and service existing doors of any brand.
How long does a garage door installation take?
Most standard installations are three to six hours. More complex jobs take longer, and the branch will tell you which yours is before the day.
Do you offer custom sizes?
Yes, and it is how we build by default. Panels are made to fit your opening rather than a standard door being cut down to suit it. Send the opening width and height for a quote.
What should I check before replacing my garage door?
The condition of the door, the tracks and the motor. Often the problem is one component rather than the whole system, and replacing everything is the expensive way to fix a cheap fault.
Can I upgrade my existing door instead of replacing it?
Often, yes, if the door is still structurally sound. Motors, springs and rollers can be replaced without a new door. The spare parts range covers most of what wears out.
What does a garage door cost?
Every door is priced on its design, colour and size, so there is no list price to publish. Tell your nearest branch the opening size and the range you are looking at and they will quote you.
Do you install outside your branch towns?
Usually, yes. Each branch covers its surrounding area and the lists on the branch pages are not exhaustive. Call and ask.
Still have a question?
Call your nearest branch and speak to a technician rather than a call centre. If it is a quote you need, send us your opening size and we will come back to you.