3 Common Problems To Expect With Garage Doors

Posted on: 20 December 2021

On average most garage doors weigh between 100 and 400 pounds. This weight can take its toll on your door since you likely open and close it regularly. So, it's no surprise that most garage doors break down over time. Fortunately, most issues are easy to repair.

Stay on top of repairs to prevent major problems or a full replacement. But before you call mechanical experts, it is important to clean the door and its components to eliminate obstructions like dirt and twigs or frayed wires.

Take a look at three common garage door problems to keep an eye on.

Loud Noises

Noisy garage doors usually indicate an underlying problem. Learn the common noises and their likely cause.

  • Grinding or squeaking. The likely issue is that your rollers are worn out or not well-lubricated. If lubrication is the issue, you can use lithium or silicone-based lubricant. For worn-out rollers, call in a specialist to help you replace them.
  • Popping noises. Oftentimes, popping noises indicate that the torsion springs need to be adjusted or lubricated. Remember that adjusting torsion springs yourself is quite dangerous if you don't have any technical garage door knowledge. Engage an expert to be safe.
  • Rattling noises. Rattling sounds indicate that some screws, bolts, or nuts might have come loose. Call an expert to tighten the screws and bolts to see if the noise disappears.

Remember that you are not supposed to lubricate some parts of your garage door. Your garage door is delicate and requires caution before handling any repairs.

Door Not Opening Evenly

Several issues can make your garage fail to open evenly or fail to open and close all the way. 

  • Obstruction in the photo-eye sensor.
  • Tracks are messed up.
  • The spring system delivers too much or too little tension.
  • A misadjusted limit setting.

Sometimes, the garage door opens too slowly. As mentioned, if there is no obstruction or dirt, call in an expert, especially if you believe the problem lies in the extension or torsion springs.

Opener Switch Not Working

You may have several potential issues when your door doesn't open or close when you hit the wall switch. First, make sure the door isn't locked. Disable the lock button because the door won't budge if the lock is activated.

Secondly, the motor may be unplugged. Check to see if it's unplugged because you just need to plug it back in most of the time.

Bigger problems usually involve circuit breakers or damage to the photo-eye sensor. These two issues can affect the opener switch. Make sure there is no dirt is covering the photo-eye sensor. Also, ensure the circuit breaker hasn't tripped. If the lights are off on your door opener switch, the chances are that the motor is not connected to any power source. 

Try resetting the circuit breaker, but contact garage door repair technicians if the power doesn't come back on.

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