garage door

Just like any other sectional overhead horizontal slats, garage doors require frequent and thorough inspections. They need servicing and preventive maintenance to ensure that they keep running smoothly without failing. Lack of such maintenance results in damage to smaller components that in the long run, destroy the entire door. It may cost you dearly to replace such parts and sometimes, the whole garage door. Here are some garage door repairs you need to know about:

A GARAGE DOOR OPENER THAT WON’T OPEN

Sometimes, you may try to open the garage door, but it just won’t budge. This is usually a result of malfunctioning of the garage door opener. Here’s what could have gone wrong:

  1. There could be a problem with the remote control or the wall switch. The remote could be damaged, the signal blocked or the motor could dysfunctioning.
  2. The motor could be unplugged
  3. The fuse, GFCI or circuit breaker could be tipped or burnt out.
  4. The motor could be burned out.

In such a case, it would be wise to try the remote first. You could try moving closer or reprogramming it. Next, check whether the motor is plugged in. Check the antenna to make sure it is in the correct position and not broken.

A NOISY DOOR

Garage doors are designed to be quiet, but sometimes you may try to open it and hear a screeching sound. This means that something is wrong. Here are a few reasons why your garage door could be noisy:

  1. The motorised shutters could be worn out. This is usually the case when they are subjected to excessive friction, pressure, and moisture. They get rough cracks, and the edges break off, which makes them bump and bounce rather than glide smoothly.
  2. You could be using a chain drive operator which bounces and bangs noisily against the metal rails during opening.
  3. Lack of proper lubrication which makes the metallic pieces to scratch and rub against each other.

THE DOOR CLOSING AND OPENING WITHOUT COMMANDS

This is not a problem you want to be dealing with, especially when that door really needs to stay closed (for example, when the outside is flooding or snowing). You may be driving your car into the garage only for the door to close when you are halfway in.

This is usually caused by a problem with the photo eye or sensors. They may be broken, poorly aligned, or just not working. If a green light is not showing on the devices, it means that the safety feature is not working.

THE DOOR WON’T CLOSE FULLY

This may cause problems with insulation. It may allow water, dust, snow, and even insects into the garage. This may mean that something is getting in the way of the door-closing mechanisms.

In conclusion, these are just but a few problems that you may encounter while operating a garage door. Many of them can be prevented by regular maintenance and servicing. If you don’t know how to fix a garage door problem, you should call experts.