Every homeowner with a garage will have encountered problems with their garage door at one time or another. Whether your door is automated or has a manual opening mechanism the range of likely issues is significant. Here are some some common issues you may encounter and what you need to do about them.

Common Garage Door Problems You Need to Be Aware Of

Whether you’re planning to build a garage at home or you want your new home purchase to have a one or two-car garage, here are some issues you have to know beforehand to better position your wallet and mind for any mishaps that may come because of your faulty garage door.

What Garage Door Issues Should I Be Prepared For?

Since garage doors are used every day and have gears and components that need to work together in order to open and close the 3 to 5 meters of opening to your vehicle storage, it’s prone to damages and failures. What are they, you ask? Please read on.

• The garage door won’t close

This is one of the annoying problems people with garages encounter. More so when you’re running late for work. When it immediately goes back up just after it touches the floor, it can be frustrating.

Well, the problem might be that its sensors have malfunctioned or need some cleaning. SD Garage Doors experts explained that garage doors come with sensors on either side that detect if there’s something underneath the door while it is closing. This is why it doesn’t crush you to the floor when you walk under them while it is shutting down.

It might be that the garage door sensors are just too full of dust inside that it tricks it into believing that something is obstructing its way so it goes up again. What you need to do is to clean the sensors and adjust their alignment correctly to permanently fix it.

• Opening it is not possible

A door that won’t open is just as frustrating as when it won’t close. However, the issue with a garage door, not opening can range from a simple DIY fix to calling garage door experts to help you with the problem. Though you might have to spend some of your pennies to get it fixed, you know you have to especially when it’s a fact that a working garage door raises the ROI of a home. There are several reasons why your garage door doesn’t want to open up.

• The remote control opener is malfunctioning or needs some fresh batteries.
• Its wall-mounted operator failed and needs fixing.
• Its sensors are covered with dust and are not properly aligned.
• The garage door track is bent.
• Its springs are broken.

While it is easy to buy a broken remote or replace its batteries and clean the sensors and correct its alignment, fixing its wall-mounted operator, bent door track, or replacing the broken springs are for the professionals to take care for you. There are serious consequences if you attempt these repairs yourself not only to the door but also for your safety.

• It’s stuck halfway

What’s worse than a door that won’t open or close? A garage door that opens halfway and it won’t be enough to get your car to pass-through. Plus, it welcomes any intruder to your house. However immediate this needs fixing, you can’t do it on your own. The problem involves bent or broken tracks and worn cables or pulleys. Clearly, you would need a garage door repair team to patch this up.

• Eerie squeaking or grinding sound

This garage door issue is not as annoying and frustrating as the previous problems but it can be an embarrassment especially when you leave very early in the morning and go home when everyone’s starting to sleep. There can be a few causes of why your garage door just wants to sound like it’s being dragged forcibly.

Loose tracks

It might be that the screws and nuts of the door’s tracks have loosened up and need tightening. Just tighten it up with a socket wrench and you’ll be alright. Also, make sure that you have aligned the tracks well before testing it if your quick fix has worked.

Hinges need replacement

After some time, the hinges that hold your garage door will warp or wear out. However, you can’t fix this but you can purchase a replacement at your local hardware or online. Be sure that you know what type and size of hinge you’re getting before purchasing. Or better yet, just carry it with you if there’s a hardware store near your home.

It needs a roller replacement

Just like your garage door hinges, rollers become worn through time and as a result, become noisy when they function. Of course, there’s no fix for it. However, some garage door rollers have torsion springs in them that have to be kept in a certain tension to make the sliding up and down work and these cannot be tampered with by anyone who isn’t knowledgeable enough. To keep it safe and avoid additional costs, consult a professional when replacing your garage door roller.

• Frozen doors

This can really be a tough problem when everywhere you go, the areas are blanketed with snow and your garage door, unfortunately, is effectively sealed by the ice. Normally, it is enough to activate the door and the ice just breaks. However, there are times when this just doesn’t work. What you have to do is get a hairdryer and bit by bit melt the ice that’s holding your door down. Or you can ask the man of the house to get a shovel or trowel and chip the ice away.

• Cracks or gaps in your garage door

This usually happens to wooden garage doors. Of course, it’s an easy fix. Just buy a waterproof filler or sealant to mend the cracks. However, if the weather sealant is the problem, a waterproof filler is not the right material to solve the problem. You would need to install a new weather sealant seeping in or air coming into your garage door. This would also solve be available at your local home improvement store.

Garage doors almost always do what they are made for. To seal your garage from the changing weather, safeguard your valuables in it and in your house, and keep your vehicle safe and secure inside it. However, issues and problems are inevitable since it’s being used every day. Knowing how to fix some of the common problems will be handy to save some bucks and to understand when to call the pros.

FURTHER READING ON GARAGE & HOME MAINTENANCE FOR HOME OWNERS

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