Questions about garage door repair in Broward and Palm Beach

A standard torsion spring is rated for around 10,000 open-and-close cycles. At a typical few cycles a day, that’s roughly 3 to 10 years before the risk of failure rises sharply. It comes sooner on a door opened many times a day, which is why higher-cycle springs exist.

That’s almost always the torsion spring. It’s the spring, mounted on a shaft above the closed door, that does most of the lifting work. When it breaks or weakens, the door’s full weight lands on you instead.

Misaligned photo-eye sensors are the most common cause. The two sensors near the floor have to see each other in a straight line; if a bracket gets bumped or shifts, the opener treats it as something blocking the door and reverses or refuses to close.

Leave it alone and don’t force it by hand or with the opener. A door under spring tension can move unpredictably. If it’s stuck open, that’s a security and weather concern worth a call now; if it’s stuck closed and nobody needs the car out, it can usually wait for daylight. Call (561) 645-7806 and describe exactly what you’re seeing and we’ll help you judge it.

Yes. Torsion springs mount on a shaft above the door and are standard on most homes today; extension springs run along the horizontal tracks and are common on older houses. We work on both.

Craftsman, Chamberlain, LiftMaster and Genie openers, plus doors from Amarr, Clopay and Northwest Door. We service and install all seven.

Often it’s a worn or stripped drive gear inside the opener, the internal gear that turns the motor’s spin into the pull on the trolley. It’s a common failure and usually an opener repair, not a full replacement.

Yes. Lost remotes, new keypad codes, and getting a smart opener’s app working again are all part of a normal service call.

No. That’s a California requirement (SB 969), not a Florida one. Florida has no statewide law requiring battery backup on a residential garage door opener, though it’s worth having given how often storms here knock out power.

Heat is usually the culprit. South Florida temperature swings expand and contract the brackets and the concrete or track they’re fixed to, and direct sun glare on the lenses can cause false triggers too.

In most cases, yes. Palm Beach County’s own permit brochure specifically excludes overhead doors from its no-permit list, and Broward jurisdictions generally require a permit for construction work. Boca Raton streamlined this with an over-the-counter, same-day permit for a straightforward single-family garage door swap with no wall changes.

It depends on the county. In Broward’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, every door, glazed or not, must pass a large-missile impact test. In Palm Beach County’s Wind-Borne Debris Region, a solid door without glass only needs a wind-pressure rating; the impact test applies to glazed openings.

It can affect the “opening protection” line on Florida’s wind mitigation inspection form (OIR-B1-1802). An unrated garage door is scored as the weakest opening in the house, which can drag down the whole credit. What that’s worth on your premium is set by your insurer, not by us; ask your agent for the specific number.

Coastal salt air is hard on unprotected hardware. Industry guidance suggests checking springs, cables, rollers and fasteners at least once a year, more often the closer you are to the water. A yearly look catches wear before it becomes a Sunday-night breakdown.

Yes. Commercial services are part of what we offer, alongside residential repair, installation and maintenance.