Garage Door Repair questions from Lee County homeowners

Yes, in practice. A replacement door here goes in with a Florida product approval, and Cape Coral and the county both want that approval number on the permit. The rating that matters is the design pressure on the label, which depends on the wind speed the house is built for, its exposure and the size of the opening. A 16 foot door on an open canal lot needs more than a single door on a sheltered street. Lee County is not in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so a Miami-Dade approval is accepted but not required.

In Cape Coral, yes: the city issues it over the counter to a licensed contractor or an owner-builder, the product approval number goes on the application, and an inspector checks the installed door. Unincorporated Lee County asks for the same approval number. Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Estero and Fort Myers Beach have their own building departments, and we confirm with the right one before ordering.

Yes, before the next one. A door that took a gust can have a bent track, sprung hinges or a strut pulled loose without looking any different from inside the garage. Run it once by hand with the opener disconnected. If it binds, drifts down from half height or rubs one side, leave it closed and call (239) 688-7816.

Salt air and humidity. Near the Gulf and the canals the coil, the cable ends and the bottom bracket rust long before the spring reaches its cycle count. Lubricating the springs and hinges slows it down. Once the coil is pitted, replacement is cheaper than the opener damage a broken spring causes.

A service call with diagnosis is $75, and it comes off the repair if you go ahead. Springs are $200 to $400 with the door rebalanced, cables or rollers $120 to $250, a new opener installed $350 to $650, one replacement section $250 to $800. A new product-approved door usually runs $1,200 to $3,500, and a wide door rated for a high design pressure can land above that.

Florida has about 50,600 community associations with nearly 11 million residents, second only to California, and in the gated and golf communities around Fort Myers, Estero and the rest of Lee County an architectural committee usually has to approve a new door style, color or window layout before it goes in. We hand you the spec sheet, the Florida product approval and a photo of the door to submit, and the door is not ordered until the approval is back.

Pull the red release cord on the opener rail and lift the door by hand from the bottom. A balanced door lifts with one hand and stays put at half height. If it is too heavy to lift or drops when you let go, a spring is broken and the door should stay down until it is fixed.

Almost certainly. The opener feels far more weight than it was set for and stops to protect its gear. Look at the bar above the door for a gap in the coil and stop pressing the button.

A cable broke or came off its drum, and the door is hanging on the other one. Running it can bend track and drop the door. Leave it where it is and call (239) 688-7816.

Florida certifies garage door installation specialty contractors through the Construction Industry Licensing Board, and Cape Coral issues a garage door permit only to a general, building, residential or garage door specialty contractor or to the owner. Look the license up on the state DBPR search before anyone starts, and expect proof of insurance, a written price and a parts and labor warranty, which we provide.

The photo eyes, by breaking the beam while the door closes, and the reversal, by setting a block under the door. Force limits get turned down until the door backs off on contact. On a spring job the door is also checked by hand at half height.