Garage door repairs are an annoyance, but general wear and tear is inevitable. As with other mechanical structures, garage doors can break down. However, you can avoid most major issues through regular checks and maintenance.
Damaged garage doors pose a safety risk with your garage valuables on display for everyone to see. Broken garage doors are also unsightly, might decrease the value of your home and may leave you feeling vulnerable & ill at ease.
The good news? An expert can perform your garage door repairs. Fixing damaged parts might be a costly exercise, so it’s helpful to know what this involves and some of the main reasons garage door repairs occur.
What Causes Damage to My Garage Door?
Damaged garage doors result from various reasons. Homeowners could contend with this after purchasing a new house or simply due to parts—including your garage door motor—wearing out over time.
Although a garage door system is rather complex and numerous factors can cause it to stop functioning, all’s not lost! Thankfully it’s possible to repair or replace any of the components causing your garage door to break down. Some typical reasons for garage door repairs include:
Broken Springs or Cables
When you open your garage door, most of the heavy lifting relies on two springs. Their design enables operation for a certain number of open-close cycles until eventually, due to the enormous pressure they experience, they go out.
When a spring breaks the tension it carries makes it sound like a gunshot. Broken springs might allow you to open your garage door slightly or not at all. If you’re in your garage at the time and hear a loud sound of a spring falling off the door, you’ll know what’s happened. Keep a regular eye on your springs to inspect them and check there aren’t any broken springs on the ground. Springs are an easy, simple part of garage door repairs, which a specialist can do speedily.
If your garage door has wire cables to help lift and lower it down, these are also prone to damage after so many open-close cycles. Age can cause them to become brittle and snap, so examine these often for any indications of damage or decay. Contact an expert to replace your cables at the first sign of any issue, before the problem becomes worse.
Broken Tension Springs or Cables
If you’ve ever tried lifting your garage door, you’ll know it’s rather heavy. Specific tension mechanics in its design enable it to open and close slowly & smoothly.
Apart from a fluid movement, a garage door tension system ensures safety when rising and lowering. If your tension springs or cables break, your garage door will literally slam down, which can cause potentially severe injuries to anyone or anything under it. Ask a specialist to check any niggles or concerns you have regarding the closing of your garage door immediately.
Misaligned Tracks
Like a train, your garage door requires a set track to help it move up and down on a single unchanging path. If anything compromises or obstructs this track, the door can’t safely function.
Over time your garage door track can become damaged and shift out of place. Due to the heaviness of your garage door, a damaged track becomes worse until it’s realigned. A misaligned track can be avoided through routine maintenance, so stay alert and contact the pros at any hint of trouble. Rather save on time, money & repairs by acting quickly!
Worn Rollers
Rollers guide your garage door smoothly up and down its track. Worn rollers make opening the door tricky. Your garage door could either become stuck or have bumpy movements, and this can damage other parts.
If your garage door isn’t opening or closing as easily as it should, ask a trained professional to check it out. An expert eye can detect the signs of worn rollers or establish the cause of the problem.
Worn Hardware
Garage door repairs also stem from worn hardware such as rusty bolts and hinges. After time it’ll become harder for your garage door to function correctly. A thorough hardware check is key, plus tighten anything that’s loose and add an oil-based lubricant to help the door glide smoothly.
Should you suspect any problems with your garage door hardware, call a garage door specialist to inspect, maintain or repair where necessary.
Garage Door Motor Issues
If you hear excessive noise when opening your garage door, the motor could be on its way out. Either the gears are wearing out or the actual motor is struggling.
When getting in and out of your garage takes longer than usual, your garage door motor could be losing power. An unresponsive garage door opener or garage door that fails to open at all might also indicate a bad garage door motor.
A garage door can last for around 10 years, but technological advances can cause your garage door and motor to become outdated. Address any concerns with a skilled technician and they can repair your garage door motor or supply you with a new one.
[Conclusion]
Now that you know what to look out for, if experience any of these problems, there’s no need for you to sit with garage door damage. Rather than trying to fix it yourself, call in the experts who can assess the situation safely and skillfully. Great quality workmanship doesn’t need to cost the earth. Get it done right the first time and leave your garage door repairs in trusted & experienced hands.
After repairing a garage door, it’s also important to test it. Garage door specialists like Universal Garage Doors can make sure your garage door is in perfect working order, right from opening and closing to remote functionality.
You’ve got enough other things to worry about. Let the professionals find the root cause of your garage door damage and come up with a maintenance plan going forward. They’ll handle your garage door repairs and restore your peace of mind & security.