There is a wide range of garage door issues that may prevent you from opening and closing your garage door. While some garage door issues require a professional garage door repair service, there are several you may be able to fix yourself.
In this article, you will discover eight common garage door issues and how to fix them.
Garage Door Issues and How to Fix them
Your garage door works hard, day in and day out. You’ll use it to get in and out of the garage all the time, so over time, it’s going to need some repair. Sometimes, it’s a minor thing that you can handle yourself, other times, you’re going to need to call your local garage door repair company.
We thought it would be helpful to explore a few common garage door issues as well as their solutions so you know if you should call a professional or fix the problem yourself.
Here are eight common garage door issues and how to fix them.
1. Squealing Garage Door
Is your garage door making all kinds of noises when you open and close it?
Whether it’s squealing or scraping, the noise is an indication that something is not right. Don’t worry, this is a problem you can handle yourself. It could be that the tracks your garage door travels on have dented or bent, so you’ll need to put them back into shape.
You’ll need to unscrew the tracks from their brackets and find the spot that’s bent out of shape. Then, simply tap it back into shape with a rubber mallet. If your attempts aren’t working, or the bend is too great for you to repair on your own, call a local repair company to help you.
2. Dented Garage Door
It’s so easy to dent a garage door.
A stray football, a hailstorm, or simply a foot slipping onto the accelerator pedal can all cause a dent in the door. If you have a steel or aluminum door, then you can easily tap a dent out. Using a piece of wood and a mallet, simply place the wood over the dent and tap it to set the metal back into place.
If you’re unable to fix the dent yourself, contact a professional about replacing the damaged garage door panels or installing a new garage door.
Further reading:
3. Garage Door Opener Doesn’t Work
There are multiple reasons why your garage door opener may not be working.
The first thing you should check is the batteries, as the batteries in the opener may be dead, or the connections corroded. Next, check to see the door hasn’t been locked manually. If this doesn’t work, you may find the opener has been unplugged, or the disconnect switch has been pulled.
Check all these things before talking to a professional.
Further reading:
4. Garage Door Opens by Itself
Another garage door opener quirk is when it starts opening itself.
This is obviously concerning, as it’s a security issue for your home. If this is happening, don’t panic. It could actually be the fault of multiple garage door openers working on a similar frequency.
If this is happening, talk to your neighbors. Are they finding their garages won’t open when they press the button on their remote? It could be that the frequency is too similar to your home, so it’s opening yours instead. This is easily fixed, check your manual to see how to to change the radio frequency the opener works on.
Further reading:
5. Auto-reversing Sensor Issues
The auto-reverse feature on your garage door is an important safety feature. If anything is in the way of the garage door, then it won’t shut on it. Instead, it’ll reverse back and open up until the obstruction is removed. This is good for the bodywork on your car and the safety of you and your family. You will need to find out what is causing the obstruction though, in order to correct it.
In most cases, there will be something obstructing the door, so simply remove it to correct the issue. If that’s not the case, then it could be that the photo eyes need to be cleaned. Any dirt blocking them will interrupt the beam they put out, much like an obstruction would. If that doesn’t work, check that the photo eyes are aligned correctly.
Further reading:
- How to Tell if Garage Door Sensor is Bad
- How to Repair Garage Door Sensors
- How to Align Garage Door Sensors
6. Broken Springs
Your springs are what give the garage door tension and allow it to open and close. Are you finding that your garage door has lost its balance, or can’t stay open on its own? That’s a sign that the springs are starting to wear out.
If the springs are left for longer than this, then they will eventually break. If you’re home when they do, it sounds like a loud banging coming from your garage. This is the springs snapping and sometimes even flying away from the door with the force of it. There’s a lot of tension in those springs, so it’s unsafe to replace them yourself. Instead, your garage door will be best in the hands of a professional.
Further reading:
7. Bent or Broken Tracks
Above we noted how you can fix the tracks on your garage door if they’re slightly dented or bent.
If they’re badly bent, you shouldn’t attempt that repair yourself. The garage door is under a lot of pressure, and it’s a lot of weight to fall on you if it does go wrong. The same goes if your door has totally come off the track.
Further reading:
8. Old Rollers
If you discover your garage door isn’t opening or closing smoothly, you may need to replace the rollers. Garage door rollers are the wheels that allow the garage door to move and down the track smoothly.
As your rollers age, they may need to be replaced depending on how well they were maintained. Fortunately, a professional will be able to provide and install new rollers for your garage door at an affordable cost.
Further reading:
9. Broken Cables
Garage doors open and close using cables that are pass through a pulley system, allowing your garage door to open and close with ease. Though they’re made of metal, garage door cables may become damaged and need replacement over time.
Operating a garage door with damaged cables is dangerous so it’s best to contact a professional for help if you notice a problem.
Learn more:
10. Garage Door Replacement
Garage doors get old and will eventually need to be replaced.
This is something you just shouldn’t try to DIY. A garage door is full of moving parts that need to be put together correctly, and this is difficult to do if you’re not an expert. It’s better to call a company to handle the whole job for you.
Learn more:
- New Garage Doors
- Garage Door Installation
- Request an Estimate
- Garage Door Replacement Cost Recouped During Resale
Conclusion
Now that you’re more familiar with some of the most common garage door issues and how to fix them, you can make a more informed decision regarding whether or not you need a professional to fix the problem at hand.
If, however, you’re still not sure why your garage door isn’t working properly, you may want to contact a professional garage door service provider located near you.