Garage Door Repair

How do I know when my garage door needs a repair or needs to be replaced?  A garage door is the largest moving object in the home that is often operated by electric garage door openers. Proper installation, operation, maintenance and testing of the garage door and electric garage door opener are necessary to provide safe, trouble-free operation.

 

Common Issues

• My door squeaks when it opens and closes. Springs, rollers and hinges can squeak and be noisy. This is caused by normal use and does not necessarily indicate a problem. Before calling a professional service technician, use a spray-on lubricant . If the noise persists, call a professional garage door installer for service.

• The Cable is frayed.  Contact a professional garage door dealer/installer. Do not attempt to remove, repair or adjust springs or cable. HIGH SPRING TENSION CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

• Garage door does not open smoothly, but in a jerky motion or with loud noises.  This may be due to the lack of maintenance of the garage door or garage door opener.  Consult a garage door dealer for a service check-up.  

• When I push the button on my garage door remote, the garage door doesn’t open.   This could be due to several issues.  The most common is that your spring(s) may be broken,  or your garage door remote may need the batteries replaced. .  Please consult your local garage door dealer for help. 

• My garage door does not close all the way, but goes back up into the open position.  An object may be blocking the path of the photo eye sensors of a garage door opener or the photo eye sensors of the opener may be misaligned.

• The bottom of my garage door has rust spots.  These rust spots may be caused by salt used during the winter to melt ice and snow or chemical splatter from a driveway cleaner.  Make sure to clean your garage door with water and soap to remove any debris that may remain on your garage door exterior.

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Visual Inspection

Look at the garage door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and other door hardware for signs of wear. If you suspect problems, have a qualified person make repairs.

Lubrication:  Regularly lubricate the moving parts of the door. However, do not lubricate plastic parts such as plastic rollers and plastic idler bearings. Consult the door owner's manual for the manufacturer's recommendation.

  
WARNING - Springs are under high tension. Only qualified persons should adjust them.

Garage door springs, cables, brackets and other hardware attached to the springs, are under very high tension and, if handled improperly, can cause serious injury. Only a qualified professional should adjust them. The torsion springs (the springs above the door) should only be adjusted by a professional. Do not attempt to repair or adjust torsion springs yourself.

A restraining cable or other device should be installed on the extension spring (the spring along the side of the door) to help contain the spring if it breaks.

Door Balance

Periodically test the balance of your door.  Start with the door closed.  If you have a garage door opener, use the release mechanism so you can operate the door by hand when doing this test.

You should be able to lift the door smoothly and with little resistance. It should stay open around three to four feet above the floor. If it does not, it is out of adjustment. Have it adjusted by a qualified service person.