What You Need To Know About Installing A New Garage Door Motor

By Author: Al Gilbert
Total Articles: 1
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It may take 4 to 6 hours. Of course, many people find it more convenient and cost effective to get an expert to install the motor and save themselves the time and hassle. Canberra Garage Doors have been doing this kind of installation work for many years.

There are cheap imports available on the market, but when time comes for a repair, it's good to get the reliable backup support and long-term sales of parts and spares that you'll get when you purchase a recognised, high-quality motor. So, it's important to do your homework and ensure you're buying a reputable motor that you can rely on for years to come.

Which motor do I use for which door?

For garage door motors in Canberra, Canberra Garage Doors supply and fit the ATA GDO-6v3 roller door motor on all roller doors, which is used in many countries around the world.

For the different needs of a sectional/panel lift doors or for tilt doors, the ATA ATS-2 Tempo (or ATA ATS-3 Syncro for smartphone usage) is recommended.

How Motors Work and How to Choose the Right Motor

The key factors in choosing your motor are the type of door/s you ...
... will be opening, and the size of those doors. The bigger the doors, the more power the motor needs to move them. If you have particularly wide doors, or the higher-style caravan doors, you need to ensure that your motor has sufficient power and torque to operate the door easily.

How to install It

Here are some handy hints for installing a roller door motor/opener. For info on panel lift doors or tilt doors, visit www.canberragaragedoors.com.au.

Check your roller door operation

Before installing your motor and remote garage door opener, you need to raise and lower the door a couple of times to ensure that it is balanced correctly and rolls freely with no snags. If you raise the door to halfway and let it go, the door should remain perfectly balanced. If you discover any issues, these will need to be corrected by a roller door technician t before you install the motor and opener.

Install the stop collar

Fit the stop collar hard against the boss of the door drum, on the opposite end to the motor. Ensure that the U-bolt holding the shaft of the door is fastened tightly. If not, the spring tension won't work.

Install the weight bar

The weight bar is installed in the centre at the bottom of the door. If your door has a lifting handle, you can remove it and install the weight bar here. If not, drill two 5.5mm holes through the two marked positions and use the bolts, washers and nuts to connect the weight bar to the inside of the door.

Connect the release handle/cord

Thread one end of the supplied rope through the hole in the top of the release handle. Tie with an overhead knot at least 25mm from the end of the rope to prevent slipping. The other end of the rope goes through the loop of the manual release cable. Adjust the rope length so that the handle is no more than 1.8m above the floor. Secure it with an overhead knot. The release cable is how you open and close the door manually if there's a blackout or your remote is missing.

Disengage the opener

Disengage the opener by pulling the release cable. You will hear an audible click when it has disengaged.

Mark where to secure the door

Before you install the motor, to ensure your roller door is secure pin it to the drum with screws. This is necessary so that your door doesn't 'balloon', which can delay the automatic safety reversal response. To do this, close your roller door and mark the last part of the curtain - where it meets the drum. Your screws will go here.

Put in the screws

Roll up the garage door until you can see the mark you made. Then lift the door about half a turn from the closed position to give you enough room to drill your holes. Secure the screws through the door curtain and into the drum wheel at the end of each roll. Now that the door has been pinned you can install the motor.

Prepare to remove the bracket

Your motor can be installed on either side of the door (as long as it's opposite the stop collar). Put your opener into manual release mode, and fully open the door. Make sure the U-bolt on the opposite side is done up tightly. Before removing the roller door from its bracket, you'll need a ladder and a ratchet tie-down strap or rope for extra support, plus a friend to help you, as these doors can be very heavy. Once the door is safely supported, you can mark the position of the door shaft on the door bracket.

Remove the brackets

Once the door is safely supported, you can mark the position of the door shaft on the door bracket. Then you can remove the right-hand axle U-bolt and the mounting bracket from the wall.

Install the motor

Now you can install the motor by sliding the opener over the door's axle. Then engage the drive legs into the door drum wheel on either side of the spoke.

Refit the bracket

Now you can refit the door mounting bracket to the wall. Clamp the opener to the axle and bracket using the supplied clamp. Then you should be right to remove the supporting ropes and ladder.

Check the operation

Check the operation of your roller door manually first, by disengaging the motor and manually rolling the door up and down a couple of times.

Program your remote

Make sure the door is halfway open and that the opener is engaged. Plug the opener into the power supply and check that the LED lights come on. To program your remote control, see the instruction manual included with your roller door. You can program your remote for left and right door operation, set door travel limits and set force limits.

Check the safety reversing system

To check the safety reversing system is working properly, place a block of wood or another object beneath the open roller door. Close the door. If everything is working correctly the roller door should touch the object then automatically reverse.