Tips for Troubleshooting Common Garage Door Issues

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If you own a home with a garage, you need to be attentive to the condition of the door. After all, overlooking problems with your garage door can lead to serious long-term damage. In some cases, those malfunctions can even leave your garage vulnerable to burglary. Here are a few of the things you may encounter with your garage door and some advice to deal with them.

Physical Damage

If your garage door panels are physically damaged, it's a significant concern. Don't dismiss it as just a cosmetic issue, because damaged garage door panels can actually weaken the structure of the door. Over time, this can leave your door vulnerable to would-be intruders. You should repair or replace damaged panels right away to keep your garage door as stable and strong as possible.

Door Won't Close

If your garage door isn't closing properly anymore, it's going to make the garage a security concern. There are a number of different reasons why the door may stop closing. For example, if you can close it manually, that's a sign that the automatic door opener may need new batteries.

In cases where you can't close the door all the way even when you try by hand, that's a sign that there's a problem with the track. Open the door as far as you can, then examine the exposed track for debris or obstructions in the track. If there's anything in the track, it's likely binding or blocking the wheels and keeping the garage door from closing. Clear the track and see if that restores movement.

If there aren't any obstructions in the track, the problem may be caused by heat expansion that's causing the metal to bind a little bit. Lubricate the track to see if this helps ease the drag on the wheels.

If the problem persists after these steps, the problem might be that the garage door is uneven. If so, you'll have to have the springs adjusted. Check the springs on each side of the door. If they aren't perfectly even, you may need a repair technician to adjust them because they can be dangerous to handle on your own.

Shaking, Wobbling, and Other Movement

An unbalanced door will often wobble and shake when you're opening and closing it. The springs on each side of the door should be symmetrical whether stretched out or not, so if one is stretched further than the other or is physically damaged, you need to have it replaced. You can also have a garage door technician examine the door to see if there's a weight balance issue on the door itself.

Sometime shaking or vibration can be caused by problems with an automatic door opener. If the motor on your garage door opener is hesitating or making unusual sounds, there's a good chance it's also causing that vibration or shake in the door. You'll need to have the motor serviced if this is the case.

No Closing Resistance

Garage doors are designed to have some resistance when you close them, and that resistance is an important part of keeping the door from slamming closed. This prevents some injury risks, so you don't want to dismiss it if your door is lacking the resistance that it used to have. In most cases, lost resistance is a sign that the torsion springs on either side of the door are failing. Those springs work together to create the resistance needed to prevent the door from falling or injuring someone. If the springs start to deteriorate, stretch, or otherwise weaken, you'll need to have them replaced to restore the necessary tension in the door.

With tips like these, you can troubleshoot many of the possible issues with your garage door. Understanding the things that you shouldn't dismiss and knowing how to address those things will empower you as a homeowner, making it easier to maintain the door and your electric opener. Talk with a local garage door technician today from a service like Academy Door & Control Corporation about any work you may need done.


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