Common Garage Door Problems

Garage doors can be either manual or electrically operated. In the case of manual doors there is little to go wrong, except problems with the latches, springs and tracks on which the roller run. These problems are usually easily spotted and are, in general, not too difficult to repair. Automatic doors, on the other hand, have a sophisticated operating system that includes a remote control. This makes the doors convenient to use but also provides for more things to go wrong.

A Smooth Functioning Garage Door is Important

Your car is among your most valuable possessions and a part of your daily life. Your garage keeps it safe from damage and being stolen. In addition the garage usually houses a lot of appliances and stored goods. These too have to be accessible and safe. Because the garage is partially detached from the rest of the house, it is easy to break into without the occupants of the home realizing what is happening. A garage door that does not close properly places everything in the garage at risk.
Also there are few things more uncomfortable than having to get out of the car in heavy rain or snow to open a garage door that is not opening properly. The same is true of having to carry heavy loads an extra distance because your garage door is stuck and you can’t get the car into it. Garage door problems can both put your valuable possessions at risk as well as cause you needless inconvenience and discomfort.
If you are looking to have a garage door installed or for professionals to attend to your garage door problems, the information you need to contact experts in your area is available via the Internet. Finding these professionals online is not that difficult. Be careful though, there some nefarious and untrustworthy folks online that are just looking for peoples’ addresses.

Common Problems with Garage Doors

The most common garage door problem is that of it not working at all, either from the remote or the wall switch. The reason for this is usually that there is no power for the door motor. Check the wiring to see if any connections have come loose and if this is not the case, check the circuit breaker, fuse etc. Once the power is back on, the door should work and if not, the motor is defective. If the door works with the wall switch but not with the remote, check the batteries in the remote and replace them if needed. If this does not solve the problem, see if the antenna on the motor unit is damaged, has been moved out of position or is disconnected from the motor. If none of these are the cause, the remote is probably defective or needs reprogramming. If the door works with the remote but not the wall switch, check to see if any of the connections to the switch are loose. If they are okay, the switch has probably gone bad and will need repair or replacement.
Other common garage door problems are often connected to the limit switch which controls the amount of movement and tells the door when to stop in both the open and closed position. If the door will not open or close all the way, the limit switch will need adjusting. The same is true if the problem is that of the garage door only partially closes and then immediately starts opening again. Also, if the door opens or closes but the motor keeps running, it means that the limit switch is not detecting that that no further movement is possible and does not turn the motor off. If adjusting or repositioning the limit switch does not work, the best thing to do is to replace it. Make sure that the replacement unit is the same as the original.

Keep Your Garage Accessible

In most cases a garage door will give early signs of problems before it stops working. Attending to the signs of possible problems immediately will make repairs easier, reduce repair costs and allow you to access your garage as and when you need to.