Signs Your Garage Door May Need Service
It’s 7:15am and you just managed to pour a cup of coffee. The dog is scratching at the back door to be let in. The kids are packing their bags and clamoring to get out the door.
You’re not late yet! You can still get them to school on time and maybe even beat the backup on I-94. Everyone piles into the car and buckles up, and then it happens:
Click click.
A light begins to blink on your garage door opener.
Click click.
The door won’t budge. You’re stuck.
Even if you’ve never been in this scenario before, you’re probably cringing at the thought. The unexpected is often unavoidable, but there are steps you can take to prevent being trapped by a broken garage door.
We’ve created a list of signs to look out for, that may indicate incoming trouble for your overhead door.
The garage door track is out of alignment, or damaged.
Over time, garage door tracks can become misaligned or damaged. Oftentimes, it’s not an accident or impact event that causes the garage door track to fall out of alignment. Normal wear and tear and the weight of the garage door can cause gaps between the rail and rollers, or the track itself may become dented or bent.
If you notice your door has started to produce squeaking, rubbing sounds each time you open or close it, or if you see the door start to slow down or struggle through certain points, it’s time to inspect the tracks for damage.
The springs appear worn or broken.
Contrary to popular belief, a garage door motor is not the heavy lifter when it comes to opening or closing a garage door. The springs bear the most burden.
Garage door springs are created to last for many cycles, but there will come a time when they have exceeded the number of open and close cycles that they can safely bear.
A broken spring is easy to identify. You’ll notice a gap or perhaps a clean break somewhere along the length of the spring.
A spring that is distressed or near a total break may begin to sag in certain spots, or you may notice that the coils of the spring have become elongated in certain spots.
If you suspect your garage door spring may be damaged or broken, contact us right away! This is a potentially dangerous situation that our professional service staff will help you evaluate and fix.
Something is blocking a photo eye
If your garage door fails to close entirely, or stops suddenly at a certain point, there may be damage to one of the photo eyes located at either side of the door.
Garage doors that were installed after 1993 have two small lenses, called photo eyes, on each side of the garage door. They transmit an invisible beam between one another to detect any obstruction in the path of the garage door.
If there is no visible obstruction in the way of the photo eyes, they may simply need to be cleaned. Because of their proximity to the floor, photo eyes have a tendency to gather dirt.
To clean them, use a soft cloth to gently wipe the lenses. Next, inspect the lenses to make sure they align with one another. It’s possible that one of the units was bumped, and can’t connect with the other lens. If the garage door still will not fully close, give us a call for prompt service and a free estimate.
Taking action the very first time you suspect that there might be a problem with your garage door can prevent you from experiencing a stressful emergency event.
Routine maintenance and inspection of your garage door is key in helping maintain your investment. Still searching for answers? Visit our Garage Door Repair page for more information on common garage door problems.
