In detail: do-it-yourself automatic gate repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
Already you will not surprise anyone with the presence of automatic gates in garages or at the entrance to private territory. The undeniable usability of design and use makes this exterior element not just a whim, but a part of comfort, safety and style. However, nothing eternal has yet been invented, so even such an expensive product requires periodic maintenance and repair. In this article we will tell you about the main types of gates, about the most "weak" points and how you can fix them.
During the operation of doors of any type, the components and mechanisms wear out. Also, breakdowns may occur that are not directly related to the opening or closing of the gate.
excessive increase in the input voltage in the network;
mechanical damage to the structure;
deformation due to bad weather conditions;
other unforeseen breakdowns.
To restore performance, primary diagnostics are required. You can do it yourself with a minimum set of tools. Most often, it is enough to have such a set:
multimeter;
set of screwdrivers;
set of wrenches;
sometimes you need a level or tape measure.
Almost any owner will be able to notice the breakdown, so it is hardly worth calling a team of repairmen and paying for their services before an independent inspection was carried out.
Each type of gate has its own problem areas. Therefore, it is necessary to control such nodes in accordance with the established option.
The least vulnerable type of construction is swing garage doors. They often do not have electric drives, so they can be installed in any garage, even the most remote from the power line.
Their design consists, as a rule, of two valves, less often of one. These halves are hung on a metal frame with hinges. There are designs with a built-in door in one of the parts of the door leaf. Although this option weakens the gate a little, it is an additional convenience for the owner of the premises.
The main problem during operation may be the reliability of the hinges. Due to this, the gate needs to be repaired.
Video (click to play).
displacement of the axes of the loops (occurs due to poor-quality welding or too large a mass of the canvas);
deformation of the sheet (may occur due to residual stresses in the metal or mechanical damage);
breakage of the hinge rod (poor-quality or insufficiently strong material of the hinges or a sharp dynamic load, which happens during severe frosts);
corrosive processes (occurring due to lack of lubrication or regular exposure to moisture);
weakening (the reason is stem wear or poor welding).
In each of these cases, the problem can be resolved on its own.
When the axes are shifted, it is necessary to cut off the canopies and weld on new ones or the same ones after accurate measurements and alignments along the axis. An additionally welded corner will help to avoid deformation. It will slightly weigh down the canvas, so it is required to select a material with a size of no more than 40x40 mm.
If the rods break down, they need to be replaced, most likely with more powerful ones that can withstand significant loads. To prevent the stem from sticking to the walls in the hole, it is necessary to regularly lubricate. You also need to select hinges with gaps of 0.2-0.3 mm. This will ensure good rotation without binding, even with slight misalignments. Too large gaps can cause the hinges to loosen.
Hinged garage doors should not be left open for long. At this time, the hinges are subjected to power loads, and their deformation occurs.
The design of such gates is most popular among the owners of modern garages due to its versatility, maintainability, relative reliability and fairly high performance characteristics. Their installation requires an electrical connection.
Due to the large number of working units and mechanisms, this design has vulnerabilities. However, most breakdowns can be repaired on their own without resorting to outside help.
Arising design problems:
jamming or tight movement (the reason may lie in the deformation of the guides or some parts of the web, sometimes the reason is too much tension of the springs);
extraneous noise during closing / opening (happens when debris or foreign objects get between moving parts; squeaking or other sound may occur after the rollers or grooves are worn out, as well as when there is a lack of lubrication in the bearings);
breakage of cables or springs (occurs when the springs are excessively worn out, stretched along the axis; when the cable breaks, it is most likely that forces exceeding the calculation were applied, this often happens in mechanisms with a manual drive);
problems with the shaft on the drive drum (this is a non-maintenance unit that only requires replacement with a new part);
mechanical deformation of the guides (occurs during intensive use for a long time);
damage to the web (a bottleneck in the design of the web can be called the connecting nodes, which can become dirty over time and fail without proper cleaning, damage to the web itself from impacts or scratches also occurs).
The jamming issue can be resolved by loosening the tension spring. Also, with visible deformations, you can carry out a small straightening of the guides with a mallet. If there is an obvious need for this, the rollers or loops are changed. To get rid of squeaks or other noise, Litol lubrication of all moving parts is used. You can also tap on the guides to make them straight.
To avoid breaking the cable, do not turn the gear knob forcefully. If there is a break, then you can replace it yourself. Broken or significantly deformed guides need to be replaced. They can be dismantled on their own using a grinder, screwdriver or screwdriver.
Deformed door sections can be aligned. If it is not possible to return them to their original appearance, then the dismantling of individual parts is carried out. The problem may arise with the installation of new parts. This has to do with the choice of color. If there is no need to change the entire area, but you need to cover up the scratches, then there are special dyes to restore the coating. They are cheaper than a complete replacement.
In addition to mechanical failures, problems with the electrical part can arise. The solution in these situations is only to replace a single unit. Consider the options for breakdowns:
the movement of the web is jerky or with stops (an incorrectly configured control board leads to such a result; it must either be reconfigured or replaced, sometimes it is enough to lubricate problematic nodes that interfere with smooth movement);
closing / opening does not occur to the full (non-working limit switches responsible for turning on / off the power supply must be reconfigured or replaced);
the gate does not close (it is necessary to check the operation of the photocells responsible for blocking the movement of the sections in the event of obstacles, if necessary, they are replaced);
when pressing the remote control does not work, then the problem is in the receiving antenna, which can be brought closer, and there may also be a problem in the remote control, which needs to be replaced or reprogrammed.
Repair of garage shutters can also be carried out independently. The most popular problems with this design are replacing the mechanical spring or installing a new motor on an electric drive.
Other issues arising from the failure of such gates are extremely rare and are resolved purely individually in each case.
Automation changes only to the same model that was originally installed. There is no need to make any "adjustments" to the structure. You can order a burned-out board or motor at a service center or from official suppliers. It is hardly possible to find suitable spare parts on the free sale.
You can repair any garage door yourself. To do this, you need to correctly diagnose and identify non-working nodes. Sometimes there are several breakdowns. In this case, you need to carefully consider the obvious symptoms, and eliminate all problems in turn.
The automatics installed on the gates nowadays are quite reliable in operation. However, the more complex and expensive the equipment, the more difficult the breakdowns that occur in it. The car owner who installed the automatic garage doors on his own is also going to do the repairs with his own hands. Thoughts that the automation is to be repaired are disturbing, but you should not despair.
Of course, the time will come and something will have to be adjusted, or the board will stop working due to a power surge in the network. The gate drive stopped working, or the device does not want to work during installation, the main thing is not to despair, but to arm itself with information.
Let's try to understand the main problems arising in the operation of automation at the gate. First of all, get a tester - a multimeter. This device is a must in our time in the home workshop. A tester is needed for high-quality diagnostics of electrical circuits when repairing gates, without it it will be very difficult for you to work.
Many people are intimidated by this measuring device, but it works simply. As always, read the instructions carefully and everything will fall into place.
Most often, problems arise due to the lack of input voltage. Place the tester in the ACV 600V position and measure the voltage supplied to the motor. In its absence, you will have to check the entire chain, consisting of a cable, differential protection, automatic devices, and everything else. In this case, the automation is not to blame, we are looking for and fixing the problem of power failure at the drive input.
A low input voltage, less than 200V, will tell an experienced craftsman that the gate automation will work intermittently. Such a voltage drop can appear in the evenings, and in the countryside it happens on Fridays, when people come home or to their dachas en masse.
Pay attention to this parameter! Measure and remember the voltage value during gate operation. It is usually at this moment lower by 5-10V. Stable voltage is very important for work, because a large number of breakdowns are associated precisely with surges or voltage drops.
In the event of a voltage drop in the supply network, control boards, transformers and motors are often damaged. At the same time, service centers may refuse to provide you with warranty repairs if there are signs of combustion from undervoltage or overvoltage.
Be aware that purchasing a voltage regulator is less expensive than replacing a board. The power of your stabilizer should be twice the power consumption of the gate drive, because when the motor is started, there is a jump in current consumption.
If there is voltage at the input and the control board does not work, check:
Circuit breakers. Serviceability can be checked visually, but it is better to check with a tester;
When there are no indicators or diodes on the board, and the fuses are intact, then the board is out of order;
A symptom of a short circuit is a blown fuse when the drive is plugged into the mains.
For a specific short circuit detection, everything is turned off: the engine, lamp, limit switches and photocells. Then turn on the drive again. If after that the fuse blows out, then you have found a short circuit and you will have to repair or replace the control board. If the fuse is intact, then the reason is hidden in those devices that are turned off.
By connecting the fuses in turn, you can find in which of the sections of the short circuit circuit. It also happens that a completely new cable is defective, and may have a short circuit between the cores. You can check the engine for performance, again using a tester.
The tester is set to "200 ohms" and the resistance between the windings is measured. If the motor is 220 V, then check the resistance between 1-2, 2-3, 1-3 contacts of the motor. In a working engine, two measurements will be the same, while the third value will be twice as large. I would like to please - engines rarely burn out.
When the drive motor makes a sound, but does not rotate, then it can be assumed that the capacitor is faulty or the wire at the capacitor contact is broken, which is more often than a breakdown.
Transformers burn more often, since voltage drops in the network are not uncommon for us. Systems with 24V motors are particularly affected by this. To check the voltage, the windings are called, and if the result is negative, the transformer is changed to a similar one.
Garage door automation repair
With the diodes on the board glowing, a burnt-out receiver may be the cause of a malfunction. You will need to replace the receiver or install an external receiver. There are options when you can limit yourself to reprogramming.
In addition, check all connection pins, jumpers, board alignment, and other settings. Often the cause of failure is poor contact in the socket, or even a wire that has fallen out of the socket.
Key in the unlock cover
Please note that there are drives where limit switches are installed that block the movement of the mechanism when the unlock cover is not closed with a key. The structure should be carefully inspected.
A common problem is the movement of the gate in only one direction, most often the panel only opens. It happens that the problem lies in inoperative photocells. They can become covered with frost, snow, mud, fail, or their orientation towards each other can go astray.
It is easy to check the accuracy of the setting. The photocells will click softly when an obstacle appears between them. If you don't hear clicks, check if one of the reasons listed above is present. If you want to turn off the photocells completely, you can install an appropriate jumper on the control unit, which will block their operation.
Another reason for a failure in normal operation may be a burned out engine control relay or incorrect settings of additional sensors.
Sliding gates have problems with limit switches due to their failure, leading to jamming of the curtain. This happens when the mechanical limit switch freezes or falls off, or due to incorrectly adjusted switches. The height, distance, or angle of attack may be incorrectly set.
The way out is simple - the toothed rack is unscrewed, the drive is unblocked and the gate is moved to the required position.
Mechanical breakdowns are rare. This occurs in drives with plastic gears. In this case, you will have to replace the worn out part, and preferably with a metal one.
Pocket control panels for automation
It doesn't matter if you lost your pocket PU, in this case it is easy to fix the matter. Buy a new one and do everything that you did during the initial setup. You can also copy the program from your normally operating PU.
As a result, we can conclude that each drive is repaired, but sometimes difficulties arise with spare parts. Almost any spare part can be made to order, and electronics are brought back to life by replacing failed boards. The only obstacle is the cost of repairs, sometimes it is cheaper to install a new device. We wish you to work without problems!
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