You’ve had a long day, you’ve worked late and all you want to do is get into your pajamas and wind down. You pull into your garage, and suddenly your day just got longer: Your garage door will not close. had a long day, you’ve worked late and all you want to do is get into your pajamas and wind down. You pull into your garage, and suddenly your day just got longer: Your garage door will not close.
Sometimes, your door will fail all at once, and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it. Other times, you may have a hint that something is going wrong, and you can avoid these scenarios. Read through the article below to find out ways to detect that your garage door may need a repair soon as well as what to do if it stops working altogether.
The Easy Fixes
One of the most frustrating things about a garage door that won’t open or close is that there are so many things that can be wrong with it. However, you can eliminate a few possibilities quickly.
First, if the door won’t close, make sure there’s nothing in the way. Did you pull in as far as you usually do? Did something stored near the door fall over? The photo eye that is a part of most broken springs garage doors installed in the last 30 years can be very sensitive and may detect something that is tiny, even a wad of paper, so be sure to look carefully. Dirt on the photo eye can also cause an issue, so giving each one a quick swab with a tissue may help.
There’s also the problem that has probably plagued you before while watching TV, dead batteries in your remote. You can change these yourselves.
If your door won’t open, you should make sure that your garage isn’t locked. Even if you are sure you didn’t lock it, go ahead and double check it. Someone else in your household may have locked it, or you may have activated it by accident, which is easy to do.
Garage door openers have a disconnect switch. Make sure that you have not accidentally disconnected it.
Your remote signal could also be blocked. You may need to cut back a tree or shrubbery or clean the dirt off your antenna. Make sure it is pointed in the correct direction. If the antenna is broken, you’ll need to call a professional.
If your door is newly installed, the sensitivity settings, which determine the force needed to raise and lower the door, may be wrong. You might be able to reset these yourself using the manufacturer’s manual, but you can also call a repair person if you are more comfortable with that option.
Broken Springs and Cables
You may need to reset your remote or the keypad. The user’s manual can help you with this. Finally, make sure everything is plugged in that needs to be and that all relevant fuses and outlets are working correctly.
Even if you didn’t see anything affecting the photo eye, they could be misaligned, or they might be damaged by rain. Did your door close but then immediately start going back up again afterwards? This is most likely a problem with a faulty limit setting. This causes the door to respond as though it has hit an obstacle instead of the ground and immediately go back up.
If the door is moving slowly, squeaking when it moves or just doesn’t seem to be going up and down smoothly, there may be an issue with the track alignment. These are all relatively simple garage door repairs that a garage door services professional can help you with.
Two dangerous but relatively common issues that can arise are broken springs and cables, and the second often follows the first. If you heard a sound like a firecracker, you may have a broken spring although if you were driving away at the time, it’s possible that you did not hear it.
Garage Door Broken Springs
This is not a problem to DIY. In fact, you should not attempt to open the door or handle the broken springs at all. You should contact a garage door services professional to take care of the issue.
One reason a broken springs is so dangerous is that the only other thing preventing the door from dropping suddenly, possibly causing damage to property and serious injury to people are animals, is the cables. However, cables can snap as well. In fact, once a spring has broken, it’s only a matter of time until the cables go as well. If you have a broken cable, you should also contact a professional.
Paying attention to how your garage door is operating can help you catch many of these issues before they become serious. Regular maintenance may also help prevent some of them. Over time, even the best quality garage doors repairs and their broken springs parts will wear out and need replacement.
Having a garage door broken springs that operates correctly is not just a matter of convenience but also of safety. If you are currently experiencing a problem with your garage door or you are simply wondering whether it is time for a maintenance check up, you should not hesitate to contact a garage door professional today.