Whether you discover your garage door isn’t working properly or you need help replacing parts, a professional garage door service will be able to help you with most problems.
In this article, we’re sharing some of the most common garage door repair services available today.
Garage Door Repair Services
Your garage door is a complex piece of machinery, with more moving parts than you would think. That’s why some parts will break down over time. All good homeowners need to be maintaining and inspecting their garage doors, looking for anything that may need to be repaired.
Here are some of the most common garage door repair services offered by garage door companies, and when you may need them.
1. Spring Replacement
The springs on your garage door are one of the most important things on it. Without these springs, the door just can’t open and close. They give the door the tension needed to do so. Of course, they will extend and contract so many times over their lifespan, at some point they will start to wear out. If you see that they have begun to go slack or the door won’t stay open when you open it up, that’s a sign that they need to be replaced.
Garage door springs are one of the most dangerous parts of it, as well as one of the most important. As they hold so much tension, they can spring away and cause serious injury. That’s why many are held on safety cables, that hold them against the door if they were to break. If you are confident about repair, then you may be able to change them out yourself. However, it’s usually best to call a professional garage door repair service to help you with this job.
2. Moving Part Lubrication
Have you found that the door is starting to make squeaking or squealing noises when you open and close it? Has it started to stick when you’re trying to use it? These are signs that the garage door needs lubrication.
Lubrication is essential to keep all moving parts of the door working as they should. This is usually done during an inspection, to keep everything in top shape. If it has been neglected for a while though, you’ll see these problems appear. If you’re quick enough, simply lubricating the parts will be enough to stop the problem.
When choosing a lubricant, use lithium-based grease. These are best for garage door parts, and you’ll usually see them marketed as for garage doors. Once you have it, you’ll need to get every part lubricated. This includes the chain or belt on the automatic garage door opener, the hinges, rollers, bearing plates, springs, armbar and lock, and the top of the rail. Again, if you’re not sure where to start, a garage door expert can help you.
3. Repairing Bent Tracks
Bent tracks are another common problem with garage doors. These should be straight, in order for the garage door to travel up and down the track easily. If one is bent or misshapen, then it won’t be able to do this properly. You may find that the door isn’t sitting evenly in the frame, or that the door is making squealing or scraping sounds as it moves.
This is a problem as if left long enough this will damage the garage door itself. You’ll need to have the bent track repaired to ensure this won’t happen. If the bend isn’t too bad, it can be hammered out. If it has warped too badly though, you’ll need to have the track replaced.
4. Troubleshooting Automatic Garage Door Openers
Garage door openers are a lifesaver for many people. You don’t even have to get out of your car to get into your garage with them, as all you need to do is touch a button to open the door. Sometimes though, they stop working or don’t work as intended. There are lots of reasons why this may be the case, so you’ll need to troubleshoot it to see where the problem lies.
For example, the problem may be that the batteries in the remote have died, or the contacts have become corroded. That’s a very simple fix, so you should try that first. You’ll also need to check if the opener has been unplugged, something that usually happens when other repairs are being done on the door. You’ll also need to check your limit settings if the door won’t shut all the way. This tells the opener where the ground should be, and if it’s set too high then it will believe there is an object in the way. Finally, it’s always worth checking your photo eyes. They have become covered in dirt and need cleaning, or need to be realigned.
If you still can’t find what’s wrong with the automatic garage door opener, then you’ll need to call on the experts to help you out.
5. Fixing a Dented Garage Door
Nearly every homeowner has had to deal with a dented garage door at some point. Steel garage doors are especially vulnerable to this, as they can be dented easily. A stray football or a minor ding with the car can create dents, so you’ll need to know to get them out.
There are several ways you can remove dents, depending on the severity of the dent, the material of the door, and so on. Many find success with the ‘lighter trick‘, where they use a lighter, compressed air and some aluminum foil to make dent ‘pop’ back out. This works well on less severe dents. You can also use some wood and a rubber hammer to fix a dent.
If the dent is too severe, then you may need to have the garage door replaced. Your local garage door company will be able to tell you what needs to be done.
There are many things that you may need to have repaired on a garage door. In some cases, you’ll be able to do the repair yourself. If you troubleshoot and can’t find the issue yourself, then you’ll need to talk to a garage door team to get their help.
These are the most common repairs that need to be done on modern garage doors. If you discover any of these issues on your door, call for help, and have them repaired as soon as possible. If you’re in Los Angeles County or Ventura County, give us a call and schedule an estimate today.