| FAQ: Q: How much room inside the garage do I need to install a Herculift garage door opener ?
Q: How safe is your garage door and opener ?
Q: Can I really install a garage door opener by myself?
Q: In case of power outage, how do I use my garage door?
Before reading the following, please read our Terms of Use first. How much room inside the garage do I need to install a Herculift garage door opener ?
If your door is a roller door, the distance required (either left or right hand side of the door) from the door drum to the inside edge of the door support bracket should not be less than 85 MM, and the distance required from outside of the edge or the side wall should be at least 125 MM or greater. If your door is a sectional overhead door or a tilting type door with tracks, the opener requires a minimum of 80 MM above the highest point of door travel, plus the following horizontal backroom clearance for overall length of the opener and its rail:
- 3150 MM, if your door opening height is less than 2200 MM, or
- 3450 MM, if your door opening height is between 2200 MM and 2500 MM, or
- 3750 MM, if your door opening height is between 2500 MM and 2800 MM, or
- 3950 MM, if your door opening height is over 2800 MM, but less than 3000 MM.
If your door is a tilting type door without tracks (Jamb Type), the opener requires a minimum of 80 MM above the highest point of door travel plus a horizontal backroom clearance of 1950 MM for overall length of the opener and its rail. Back to Question List How safe is your garage door and opener ?
Did you realise that your garage door maybe the largest and heaviest moving equipment in your home? A typical door can weigh between 100 kg to 300 kg depending on its size and the material of the panels. This means that as the door is descending, any person or object coming into contact with it can potentially become injured or damaged or in worst cases, such injuries may result in deaths in the event that the closing garage door cannot be stopped. Apart from the sheer weight of this massive moving object, accidents may also arise as a result of the breakage of the door springs or parts of it, or loss of tension over time while the door is descending. At this stage it is unfortunate that there is no safety code in Australia to prevent such accidents from occurring. Even though most garage doors these days are designed such that they are capable of automatically reversing themselves should an obstruction occur while closing, the level of force or pressure that the doors sense is adjusted manually by a person who may or may not be technically skilful of knowledgeable enough hence accidents may still arise. As the doors are used over many years, the spring tension is gradually reduced and the parts gradually wear out. This means that the force needed to close the door needs to be increased. If it is increased excessively, it can potentially lead to more serious injuries to any person that comes into contact with it should the door fail to reverse. Only technologically advanced openers like Herculift's SDO V8 & V10 have preset automatic adjustment features that allow the doors to automatically 'memorise' the level of sensitivity and adjust the setting of the closing force accordingly. It is a must that all users test the sensitivity of this reverse force/pressure REGULARLY (visit "Helper" on the toolbar). Furthermore, an opener may also be fitted with an infrared beam eye (protector) or similar device which has the ability to sense objects under the path of the door, or a specially made contact strip (typically with a soft surface on the to-be-in contact side) that senses anything that comes into a very slight contact with the door and actually reverses it instantaneously. As mentioned earlier, over time door parts start to wear out and springs lose their tension, as a homeowner tries to close the door, it often reverses. In most cases, it means that the door needs re-tensioning of the springs, however, what most homeowners are likely to do is try to manually increase the setting of the closing force. This could pose more danger should the door not reverse itself, the increased strength will make the door more capable of inflicting damage to anything that it comes into contact with instantly. A homeowner should, therefore, be cautious about increasing the closing down force of the garage door opener by themselves and should instead carefully read the Owner's Manual... in other words, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THIS BE LEFT IN THE HANDS OF a professional garage door service installer for your own safety. Any improper installation may result in severe injury.
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Can I really install a garage door opener myself? Generally, it is not recommended by most opener manufacturers. Please check your Owner's Manual carefully first before you attempt to do the installation yourself. In addition, also check if the opener's warranty is still considered valid when a door is installed by the owner and not a professional garage door opener installer.
Nevertheless, most major opener manufactures have designed their openers such that they are easy to be installed but you still need to follow the instructions step by step. You may only need a ladder and some basic tools.
Important point to note: installing and wiring of electrical points are not discussed here.
Last but not least... TEST YOUR INSTALLATION to be sure it works safely!
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In case of power outage, how do I use my garage door?
Most standard openers are equipped with a release device that will release the door from its automatic mode to allow manual operation. In most cases, it requires pulling down the release device/handle. Check your Owner's Manual on how to operate. In many homes, the garage door is the only means of accessing the garage and the house. In the event of a power outage, this could become a problem as the garage door cannot be opened automatically with an opener and cannot be manually opened from the outside. It becomes essential to have the socalled 'External access device' that allows a lock mechanism to be installed on the wall or on the door panel with a cable attached to both the lock and the release device/handle of the opener. The cable is unrolled and attached to the emergency release lever on the garage door opener's trolley or release handle. As the key is turned, the lock gets pulled through the door, bringing the cable along with it. Pulling of the cable will then release the trolley from the opener's drive chain or belt, which allows you to manually lift the door. Make sure that the cable can be released easily so tying it loosely to the opener's arm should be sufficient. Don't forget this is for emergency use so a quick release is important.
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