What to look out for when inspecting your garage door

You should avoid tampering with broken components, but there are some easy checks all homeowners should do before getting in touch with a technician.

1. Check your transmitters

   Your closure problems could be as simple as needing to change a remote control’s battery. See if you can close the door using the switch on the wall. If everything seems to working just fine, try and test the transmitter on your car - and if you have more than one of these, check both to see if it really is a battery issue. Changing a remote control battery is easy enough: just open up your remote control and put in the appropriate battery.

   Hasn’t resolved your issues? Then try the second alternative.

2. Stop, Look and Listen

   First and foremost, check if there isn’t anything blocking the door’s path. This could be a garbage can that’s too close to the door, a toy that was dropped by accident or anything else that could have triggered its reversing mechanisms. If there’s nothing physically causing interference, check the photo eye sensors on each side of the door - if they are misaligned or dirty, it may affect your garage door’s ability to open or close normally. Cleaning a clogged-up sensor only takes some gentle dabbing of warm water and a streak-free cleaner, but one must be careful not to scratch the glass surface. As for photo eye sensor realignment, you will need specific tools to do the job and an expert can provide any details needed.

   If that’s not the source of your issues, listen to all noises as you try to open and close the door. When operating smoothly, your door will not be making any scraping noises or other dissonant sounds. Also, observe the door as it opens - is it struggling to make its way up? Does it look slightly askew? If anything we said sounds true so far, proceed to the next stage.

3. See how easily you can lift the door

   Close the door, disconnect the automatic opener and lift it about halfway. Lifting and keeping it in place should be easy - if you struggle, your door is most likely out of balance. An out of balance door is usually a sign of broken springs or cables, so it’s best to call a technician to provide you with a repair or replacement in this situation. These damaged components can be quite dangerous to handle without proper training, so don’t try and remove any damaged cables if you spot them.

   To be certain that these are the cause of your problem, refer to the next step.

4. Take a quick glance at your rollers, springs and cables

   This one is one of those “look, don’t touch” procedures - especially when it comes to broken springs and components connected to the cable system. Focus your attention to the bottom of the door’s roller bracket. Look for broken strands, chips, cracks or other signs of damage. Damaged rollers, cables and springs should be replaced as soon as possible.

When (and how) to hire a technician

If you know, or suspect, that your door closure issues are the sign of damage, get in touch with a garage door repairs technician in your area as soon as possible. A lot of businesses offer 24/7 repairs in the most urgent cases - so if your door is damaged to a point where it has become a safety hazard, this might be your best option. Tell them your issues and troubles and they will take things from there.

Even during emergencies, we would recommend you don’t jump in and hire the first business you find online or in the yellow pages. It’s always best to call a couple of garage door repair professionals before settling on the best one to hire.

But how do you know you’re hiring a trusted professional? Referrals are definitely the best place to start - see if anyone you know has had to hire a technician in your area, and ask about their experience. Otherwise, find a few places to investigate yourself paying attention to customer reviews, any complaints filed against the business (ask your Better Business Bureau), or any client references they have in the area. Try to be present on the day your chosen technician arrives, and never pay full price upfront.

Don’t forget to ask for a full cost breakdown of repairs, details about product warranties, and information about the company’s licensing and insurance. In order to ensure your business is legitimate and locally-based, check if their address matches what is in the location, and listen to the way they answer your phone and queries. Any business who refuses to give a full company name, opting to answer the phone with a generic sentence like “garage repairs” is not to be trusted.

We hope this blog post has helped shed some light on some of the common reasons why your garage door may experience closure problems. Look and listen closely to identify any damage, or simply check if your issues are as simple as just adding oil to parts.