When replacing your garage door or installing one for the first time, you may find yourself caught up in choosing the door design and features. These are of course important as your garage door greatly impacts your home’s curb appeal and also plays a huge role in security and convenience, but it is also important to understand the process of the installation. Here is an idea of what you can expect.

Pre-Installation Prep

There are 3 main steps before the actual installation takes place to ensure that the process will be smooth. 

Site inspection – A garage door technician will confirm measurements. They will also check for any structural issues and advise of any shelving et cetera that may need to be removed. 

Check Power Source – The large majority of homeowners now use automatic garage door openers, which require electricity. The technician will check for a working power source nearby. If there isn’t an outlet, you may need to have one installed and the technician can suggest the best placement.

Clearing the Workspace – The work area should be cleared prior to the installation date of any items that block the space needed for the installation of the garage door. Vehicles, tools, garbage bins or any other items should be removed to allow the installers to work efficiently and safely. 

Old Door Removal

This step is only applicable if you are replacing an old door and will involve the following:

Opener disconnection – Electrical components will be disconnected.

Dismantling – Most garage door are in panels or sections so the installers will remove them one by one.

Removing hardware – All old hardware including the springs, tracks and brackets will be taken out.

Install New Garage Door

This step of the process will generally be the longest one and generally includes:

Installing the tracks and brackets – New tracks will be installed on both sides of the door, ensuring that they are perfectly aligned and secured. 

Putting in the panels – One section at a time the panels are installed starting from the bottom of the door. Panels are connected together with hinges and rollers are put in place. 

Cables and springs are installed – Extension or torsion springs are installed, as well as cables to lift the door. It is crucial that the door is balanced and tensioned correctly to ensure the door runs smoothly. 

Mount the garage door opener – If you are having a new garage door opener installed, it will then be mounted, connected to the door and plugged into the power supply. If using an existing opener, it will be connected to your new door.

Testing

Once everything has been installed, it is important for the installers to then check that everything is working correctly. They will test for:

Door movement – The door should run smoothly while operating, without any loud noises or jerking movements.

Opener functionality – The installers will check that the opener is working properly and check all of the opener functions. They will test the wall switch, remotes and sensors to make sure that they are communicating together reliably. 

Safety features – The doors safety features are essential to prevent accidents and injuries from occurring while operating the garage door. The automatic reverse mechanism will be checked to ensure that the door will stop and reverse if any obstructions are detected. 

Weather seal – The installer will check the bottom seal and weather stripping to ensure that there are no gaps that they are securely in place to help keep out drafts, pests and moisture. 

Cleanup

A professional should never leave you will a mess after they have completed the installation. The installer should remove all packaging, debris and old hardware. Often the disposal the old door is included and they should remove that as well if that service was included in the work agreement. 

Having a new garage door installed can seem like a very big job, but if you hire the right company, the process should be straightforward. Normally the entire installation can be completed within half a day. Understanding the process can help you to know what to expect and of course if you have any questions, you should speak with your installer. The more you know about the process, the smoother the entire experience will be.