What to have ready when you call
What the door is doing right now, and the sound it made. A door that creeps down after it is closed is not the same job as one that slammed shut with a sharp bang, and a rasp or grind points to different parts than silence after a button press. The sound is often the strongest clue about which part has gone.
When it started, and whether the change was sudden or gradual. A door that quit this morning after a cold snap tells one story; a door that has been louder every week for a month tells another. A sudden change usually points at a part that just let go; a gradual slide points at wear.
The opener's brand and model, from the label on the motor housing. The head unit on the ceiling carries a sticker, usually on the side or the back. The model number tells you whether replacement parts are still made for the opener you have.
The size of the door, and whether it is insulated: both set the spring size and tell the opener how heavy the lift is.
Whether a car or anything else is behind the door. A door that will not open with a car trapped inside is a different first move than a door that will not close with the driveway empty. If someone will be out in the garage with the door down, say that too.
A door that will not budge sometimes starts running again after a few checks you can try before you dial. For bigger trouble, the full list of what we repair is the next stop.
If the door is stuck open in Arlington Heights
- Keep people, pets and cars clear of the opening, and do not drive any vehicle through the opening until a technician has looked at the door.
- Switch off the garage breaker at the electrical panel so a passing button press cannot start the opener. Do not reach for the ceiling plug under a raised door that may be hanging on a failed spring or cable.
- Leave the red emergency release cord alone. On a door held up with a snapped spring or cable, that cord drops the full weight in an instant.
- If a car is trapped inside, or the door is hanging on a broken part, put that first in your call.
Call us from well back on the driveway or from inside the house, and tell us what the door is doing.
Where we work
Read us the address when you call, with the nearest cross streets if the house is new or the number is hard to make out from the curb. Most addresses in the village sit in Census ZIP code areas 60004 and 60005.1 The Arlington Heights area page is the longer read on where the village sits.