Common Garage Door Issues and How To Apply Quick Fixes
Garage doors are not very complex devices. They work most of the time reliably and do their intended job without any hiccups. But there are times when it might stutter when opening, or make a strange noise when closing. In most cases, these issues are fairly minor and require just some quick fixes and adjustments. But be aware of what you are doing to your door. If you mess up a fix, it might lead to a bigger issue that will cost more time and money. If you are not fully sure of what you are doing, it is better to contact a professional garage door repair company.
If your garage door is working as intended at the moment, you can keep it in this state for a long time by following simple inspection and check up routines. Here is how you can fix some of the common minor issues that can arrive.
- Another thing to look for is the cables and pulleys that control the door’s whole opening and closing. A defect in these can cause jittery operation or, in the worst-case scenario, a complete deadlock. These pulleys and cables might wear out over an extended period of use and can break unexpectedly. These worn out parts should be replaced to keep the integrity of the door sustained. However, this process of replacing the cables is best left for the professionals since doing it yourself is risky.
- Give the door rollers a good look. If they are not cleaned in a long time, now would be a great time to do it. Monitor them closely and replace any bearing that is not working properly or causing issues. It is a good idea for long-term maintenance to brush the rollers and axles and lubricate them properly.
- Garage doors are meant to be opened and closed with only a few pounds of force from the motors. If the springs in the system are loose and worn out, it will require a lot more force to open and close the door than necessary. This extra load on the motors could cause them to break or burn out, costing you a huge sum of money in repairs. Replacing these springs should be done regularly, and it is recommended to hire a professional for the job.
- Garage doors have a lot of moving components, and after several years of operation, some of them can get loose. There are overhead parts of the garage doors, which are joined in smaller sections and attached to garage brackets. Inspect them and make sure all of them are well-protected. When you encounter a loose screw or bolt, tighten it thoroughly. You can also search for any screws that look worn out before they break down on you and replace them with new ones.
- Most garage doors have an auto-reverse function. If they encounter any blockage on their way down, they are designed to retract immediately. This is a safety mechanism that can cause a significant accident or harm to your vehicle if not operating. Garage doors are strong and heavy, and it can be deadly to have all that weight slam on a person standing underneath. Have the door opener repaired immediately if you find this problem with your garage door. Until it is repaired, the door is a safety hazard.
Some other minor garage door problems:
The door doesn’t close all the way
The easiest way to get rid of this problem is to buy a pipe insulation and fix it at the bottom end of your garage door from where it doesn’t open properly. This fix is super simple and you can buy the pipe insulation from any of your local hardware stores.
The remote-control is faulty
This is probably one of the most common issues with any mechanical, remote operating piece of hardware. To start off, check if the remote batteries are inserted properly or if they need replacing. If this doesn’t solve the issue, refer to the manual guide to reprogram the remote.
Garage door does not stay closed
This could mean that the garage door sensor isn’t working properly. To be more precise, the photo-eyes located on both sides of the garage door have some issues.
To check if this is true, look for the green flash light on the device. If there is none, check if there is any dirt or debris blocking the photo-eyes.
After doing the above and confirming the photo-eyes aren’t misaligned, measure the distance from the ground to the centre of one of the photo-eye. Then take another reading from the wall up to the centre of that same photo-eye. Repeat the process for the other photo-eye. If the measurements are off, align both the photo-eyes and recheck the door. If the problem still persists, call a technician to look over.
Opener garage door is not responding properly
Whether you’re using a wall controller, remote controller, or keyless input, an unresponsive operator might mean that there’s a photo-eye issue. If the photo-eyes show no signs of light, head to the breaker panel, locate it and switch it off and on. This should fix the issue, if it doesn’t then check the garage door opener and see if it’s properly plugged in and working. Test the outlet with another device and if the issue still remains, call in a professional.
Hire a professional inspector:Whenever you open or close it, you hear an odd sound from your garage door, or it jitters during the process. You tried to search for the problem but were unable to find the spot of failure. The correct course of action is to approach and employ a competent inspection and repair technician instead of looking further and running the risk of possibly damaging a portion of the door. This course of action should be applied immediately when none of the DIY tips work. These professionals understand what they are doing and will provide you quality services at a very affordable cost, they will find and fix the problem you are facing.
