The garage door is one of the most functional doors in any home. It is being used multiple times a day throughout the year. That explains why it’s common for it to develop problems often. When your garage door develops a fault, you should take immediate steps to fix the fault. That way, you’re ensuring that the safety of your garage will not be compromised.
Although some garage door problems may require some assistance from a garage door technician in Coquitlam city, fortunately, most problems are not so technical and can be fixed at home with the right tools. Here, we will discuss some common garage door problems you may experience and what to do about them.
Noisy Garage Door
A noisy garage door is one of the most common problems homeowners experience. Common sounds you may notice are:
- Squeaking Sounds: This usually indicates rusty or worn-out rollers. If the former is the case, a simple application of silicone-based grease can do the trick. If it is the latter, you will need to change your rollers completely.
- Rattling Sounds: loose nuts, screws, or bolts on your garage doors may be the culprit here. To fix this, tighten the loose nuts or screws with a wench, and you’re unlikely to hear the noises again.
- Popping Sounds: You can trace this to faulty torsion springs. Torsion springs can be dangerous to work on; if you’re not careful enough, you can sustain an injury. It’s best to get a technician to fix faulty torsion springs.
Garage Doors That Won’t Open or Close
If you own an automated garage door, and it doesn’t seem to respond to any signal you send, it could be due to several reasons. Automated garage doors are usually remote-controlled. So, check the remote and see if the batteries have been run down. You can also check if the keypads are functioning properly. If there is no fault with the remote, then the issue could be from your garage door opener. If the lights in the garage door opener units are not working, the motor may have been disconnected from the power supply, or it may have developed a more serious fault. Have a professional take a look at it to diagnose the problem and remedy it.
Garage Doors That Don’t Open or Close All The Way
Some types of garage doors have inbuilt photo eye sensors as a safety feature to prevent accidents from happening. Without photo eye sensors, objects along the door’s path can be hit when closing the door. Although photo eye sensors play a major role in ensuring your safety, they can stop your garage door from closing properly if they are misaligned or dirty. Cleaning with a soft dry cloth or adjusting the alignment of the sensor can solve the issue.
Garage Doors That are Difficult to Open
If your garage door becomes too difficult to open, possible causes of this can be either faulty rollers or obstruction in the tracks. Over time, sand, dirt, or other particles build up on the track and can interfere with the free movement of the rollers on the track. Cleaning your tracks often will ensure that there are no obstructions in the track as well as facilitate the easy movement of the rollers on the track.
Faulty rollers, such as old or rusty rollers, can also cause difficulties when opening your garage door. For your rollers to function effectively, they need to be lubricated often. If your rollers are still difficult after lubricating them, you may need to change them entirely.
Basic Maintenance Tips for Your Garage Door
With proper care and maintenance, most problems with garage doors can be avoided. You don’t have to wait for your garage doors to develop a fault first. It is a lot cheaper and easier to maintain your garage doors than to repair the faults when they develop. That is because minor faults can accumulate and pose a bigger problem in the long run. Some basic maintenance tips include:
- Lubricate your rollers seasonally to reduce wear and tear from friction.
- Clean your tracks with a brush to prevent dirt buildup.
- Check the springs and pulleys occasionally to ensure they are in good shape. If they get too old or worn out, contact a professional to have them changed.
Most garage door problems are easy fixes. You can always refer back to your garage door user manual if you can’t exactly point out what the problem is. However, if the problem persists after you have followed the instructions in the manual, you can rely on more professional help to troubleshoot the problem.