Anyone able to service a Merlin motorised tilt-a-door in Kapiti?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Anyone able to service a Merlin motorised tilt-a-door in Kapiti?

dafman

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#196304 26-May-2016 13:29

Hi, I have a Merlin tilt-a-door that the motor is not shutting off and the door keeps reopening.

Know of anyone that would be able to service this in Kapiti (Waikanae Beach)?

Preference is to find someone not directly associated with a company selling motorised doors as strong preference to fix, if possible, not replace.

PM me if you can assist, many thanks.

mattwnz

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#1560042 26-May-2016 13:32

You should get an instructions leaflet for it, as it maybe really simple. I had something ike that happen with another brand of opener, and it was just a dial you turn with a screwdriver in the box, that changes the pressure that it switches off with, as overtime it needs adjusting

frankv

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#1560070 26-May-2016 14:19

As the mechanism gets old, it wears and gets play in it. At various times of the year (I think temperature related) you will need to adjust it again. If you get a "technician" to adjust it, you'll be calling him back every 6 months or so. I think the only answer to this is a new mechanism. Having said that, mine is still working after years of tweaking.

The adjustment is really easy...

There are two adjustment screws. One adjusts the top (or maybe the bottom) limit, the other the range of movement. Before doing anything, it would be sensible to mark the current positions of these screws.

Then, adjust the first one until it turns off just before the door hits the physical limit. (Obviously?, this will also be changing the limit at the other end. So if you change this first setting, you will probably also need to change the second). Then adjust the other until it too turns off just before the door hits the other physical limit. Once you know what you're doing it's a 5 minute job. Except that if your mechanism is worn, adjusting the second screw will move the position of the first setting, so you may need to go round this cycle a few times.

Fred99

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#1560314 26-May-2016 22:05

Before adjusting the door opener, check a few things.

If the top of the door sits under the lintel when closed (rather than behind it), check that the top of the door doesn't touch the the lintel when it's closing via the auto unit. Lintels often sag over time, and that can cause an issue with closing. if that's happening, there would usually be scrape marks on the top of the door and the lintel. Then operate it manually and check to see if anything is making it stick, twisted jamb, door touching the floor, dent in flashing on jamb, old lock mechanism etc.

Then adjust the close limit on the door. Those old worm-drive limit adjusters eventually wear out on the threads, so if it's needing constant adjustment or hard to set, then it's possibly not just a case of the contacts themselves wearing. If they're stuffed, plan on getting a new opener - don't throw good money after bad. if it's a newer unit with electronic limit settings, then as that shouldn't go out of whack, I'd be suspecting some kind of obstruction as above. Be very careful if adjusting the force limit, apart from being bad news if there's too much force and it comes down on your car, if it's closing too far and with too high a limit set, the force can break the top of the door where the bracket from the auto attaches.

timmmay

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#1560414 27-May-2016 07:15

Fred Chapman based in Porirua. Might cost you $100 for someone to have a look, more if they need parts. It's probably not worth repairing unless it's very new.

My old door opener got old and wore out, made weird noises, didn't work so well. Needed more remotes, which were $100 each or something. I got a new opener with two remotes from Miter 10 or bunnings for a relatively reasonable price, this one is $384 (they have different types). A friend and I put it in in a few hours.

dafman

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#1560445 27-May-2016 08:58

timmmay:

Fred Chapman based in Porirua. Might cost you $100 for someone to have a look, more if they need parts. It's probably not worth repairing unless it's very new.

My old door opener got old and wore out, made weird noises, didn't work so well. Needed more remotes, which were $100 each or something. I got a new opener with two remotes from Miter 10 or bunnings for a relatively reasonable price, this one is $384 (they have different types). A friend and I put it in in a few hours.

Thanks. I rang one garage door company (not Fred Chapman) and was instantly told that it needed replacing at $800, hence my wariness about asking a garage company to look into. But thanks for pointing me to a reasonably priced option if repair fails.

dafman

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#1560448 27-May-2016 09:03

Fred99:

Before adjusting the door opener, check a few things.

If the top of the door sits under the lintel when closed (rather than behind it), check that the top of the door doesn't touch the the lintel when it's closing via the auto unit. Lintels often sag over time, and that can cause an issue with closing. if that's happening, there would usually be scrape marks on the top of the door and the lintel. Then operate it manually and check to see if anything is making it stick, twisted jamb, door touching the floor, dent in flashing on jamb, old lock mechanism etc.

Then adjust the close limit on the door. Those old worm-drive limit adjusters eventually wear out on the threads, so if it's needing constant adjustment or hard to set, then it's possibly not just a case of the contacts themselves wearing. If they're stuffed, plan on getting a new opener - don't throw good money after bad. if it's a newer unit with electronic limit settings, then as that shouldn't go out of whack, I'd be suspecting some kind of obstruction as above. Be very careful if adjusting the force limit, apart from being bad news if there's too much force and it comes down on your car, if it's closing too far and with too high a limit set, the force can break the top of the door where the bracket from the auto attaches.

Thanks Fred99, and Mattwnz, for your suggestions. I'll have a tentative play this weekend before calling for an expert.

timmmay

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#1560449 27-May-2016 09:04

Yeah they charge for their time, that costs more than the actual mechanism. After I installed the new unit I had Fred Chapman come and check it was done right, and safe, they just added a little more bracing and charged me for an hour.

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Fred99

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#1560483 27-May-2016 09:39

$800 does seem like a high price to supply and install a replacement auto. $6-700 would be more normal, but it depends. If it's a large heavy door and needs a more powerful (and expensive) opener, if there's not enough head-room to install the auto in the usual spot and instead would be installed at the back of the garage with a rear-mount kit etc. I'd expect a general service included in that price anyway, check arms, springs, tracks etc and adjust, lubricate, no "extras" unless something else needs replacing.

I think those Mitre 10 auto units are ok. Belt drive is quiet, though chain probably lasts longer, channel (vs pole) can make it easier to set up and look neater if you've got a ceiling. Call Windsor doors and ask for pricing on their units - they might not be much more expensive and they are good, easy to set up.

ETA - but anyway, the existing opener might be perfectly fine and just need tweaking/adjustment - it seems unlikely to me that they'd be able to diagnose that it's stuffed over the phone if you told them what you've said here. So do check that out first.