Common Causes of Garage Door Problems and How to Fix Them

A garage door is a worthy addition to any residential or commercial property. If you are lucky enough to have a garage door on your premises, then you want it to work as it should.

Unfortunately, things are never perfect, and even your garage door could face significant issues. Your garage door is a barrier against substantial investments such as cars, trucks, motorcycles, and even power tools hence the need to function optimally.

You can fix Most garage door problems that can be fixed with regular maintenance. However, troubleshooting these issues is also a viable option.

The following are the most common causes of garage door problems and how to fix them:

Garage Door Making Weird Noises

When a garage door is working correctly, it should only produce slight sounds that are normal. An example is a sound the garage door makes as you lift it into or draw it out of its storage compartment.

If your garage door is producing unusual noises, squeaking, grinding, or creaking in particular, then it is often the case that the garage door has lost its lubrication. It may also be that some parts of the garage door are entirely worn out.

The solution for the sounds above is to lubricate the garage door with lithium or silicon-based grease. If applied well, the creaking, squeaking, and grinding should immediately disappear.

If the cause of the weird noise coming from your garage door is that parts such as rollers and cables are worn out, then you have to replace them. You should call a professional to do it rather than do it yourself. The reason is that if the replacement is not sufficient, these parts may eventually break down, which will cause even more damage to the door.

Rattling sounds coming from your garage door means that some nuts, bolts, and screws on your garage door are loose. You can use a wrench and socket to silence the noisy parts.

Furthermore, if you ever hear a single large banging sound when opening or closing your garage door, then it means a spring broke. The solution is to replace the spring as soon as possible.

If there is a popping sound regularly coming from the garage door, it is also an issue with the torsion spring. Lubrication or adjustment is the solution to this issue. It will help if you let a professional handle such a job as it can be hazardous working with garage door torsion springs.

Garage Door Not Fully Closing

It almost goes without saying that a garage door should close all the way. Therefore, if the door is not locking all the way, it is symptomatic of a more significant underlying issue.

Several things can cause a garage door not to close fully. One of them is a problem with the limit switch. If the controller has a problem, it is best to call in a professional to repair it and ensure the door closing mechanism works.

In other cases, it may be that your garage door is reaching the ground and then coming up again. If this repeatedly happens, then there is a problem with the photo-eye sensor or some obstruction in the door closing mechanism.

It would be best if you began by ensuring that there is nothing in the way of your garage door fully closing. If you can find a hindrance and can remove it yourself, it should solve the issue.

Otherwise, contact a professional to resolve the issue.

If your garage door is a manual one and it is not fully closing, it is probably an issue with a few things. The cables could be broken, the door tracks could be bent, or the garage door parts are worn out. These are not issues you can effortlessly solve yourself; hence you should contact a professional garage door repair company for assistance.

Sticking or Completely Stuck Garage Door

A properly functioning garage door opens and closes effortlessly by smoothly moving along its tracks. If the door starts sticking, then it is symptomatic of a severe issue with the door. Worse still, the garage door could be stuck entirely, leaving you unable to access any of your prized possessions.

The garage door system is much like a pulley. Like any other pulley, all parts need to move in tandem and be completely functional for the whole to work. The more damaged parts there are, the less likely it is for the garage door to function.

The solution to a sticking or completely stuck garage door is to call a professional as quickly as possible. A local company will help you get the job done faster, according to https://okdiscountgaragedoor.com/, as you need the job done fast, particularly if you have to use a vehicle in your garage. Another reason why a garage door may be stuck entirely or partially is that there are obstructions in its tracks. You should thoroughly scrutinize your garage door and remove anything that could potentially make it stick.

If you cannot find any obstructions in the garage door, then it may be a lack of lubrication. A system usually attaches moving parts to a garage door to allow them to move. Lubrication is essential for the moving parts to function correctly. Lubricating these parts with grease or oil should make your doorstep sticking or become wholly unstuck.

Garage Door Opens or Closes Too Quickly

The purpose of a garage door is to protect the possessions inside the garage. One way a garage door serves its purpose is to react to anything in its path hence close and open slowly. It ensures that things moving in and out of the garage can do so before the garage door closes.

When your garage door is opening or closing too quickly, it poses a tremendous danger to anything passing through it. Such a garage door is a significant risk to cars, motorcycles, people, and even pets.

A garage door may close too quickly because the closing mechanism is no longer able to react to anything in its path, which will cause it to close almost immediately as if there was nothing under it. The cause of a garage door that closes too quickly is a snapped spring or cable in the garage door closing mechanism. The solution is to replace the damaged part as soon as possible or risk severe loss or injury.

On the other hand, if your garage door closes too slowly, it is an issue with its opening mechanism. The issue will often manifest itself as a door that opens too sluggishly if automatic or requires too much effort to open in manual. The problem is predominantly the same as it still involves issues with the springs or cables in the garage door.

The remedy is the same as you need to call a professional garage door repair company to address the problem.

Garage Door Doesn’t Open or Close in Winter

The weather conditions of winter pose a tremendous and unique challenge to mechanical systems. A familiar scenario is a garage door refusing to close or open during winter.

The severe cold temperatures of winter will cause particular garage doors to malfunction. The cold causes the garage door’s gears to stiffen since they are the essential moving parts that allow the door to open and close; when they don’t move, neither will the garage door.

It would be best if you fixed a garage door that will not open during winter as soon as possible. For starters, it could lead to a frigid cold penetrating your house, which will increase your energy bills or make your life a living hell without an adequate HVAC system. It could also be an opening for burglars to enter your home.

The good news is that it is easy to fix a garage door that won’t open or close during winter. The first step will be to screw in the motor unit until the opener’s sensitivity is increased. It would help if you referred to the user’s manual to find the right setting.

You can also fix the issue by lubricating the gears since the cold significantly erodes them. Lubricate all the necessary moving components of the garage door using a sufficient lubricant or oil.

Automatic Garage Door Not Responding to Remote or Keypad

If you have an automatic garage door, you either use a remote or keypad to close or open it. Though it does make using your garage door very convenient, especially if you have a vehicle, it also poses a set of challenges that a manual garage door does not.

If your garage door is not responding to the remote or keypad, the remote controller or keypad needs to take the blame for not functioning. It is rarely the case that the garage door is the problem.

The solution to this problem lies in fixing the connection between the garage door and the keypad or remote. Modern garage door openers will utilize a wireless controller to communicate with antennas in the garage door to either open or close the door.

You have to be within the antenna’s range for the wireless controller to function. Therefore, you should check if there are any issues with the controller’s coverage or range.

You should also check the controller’s or keypad’s batteries and see if they are functioning. If not, replace the batteries and test the controller and keypad again to see if the garage door works.

Cracks or Gaps in the Door or Sealant

A garage door will experience a lot of use, especially if you are constantly entering and leaving your house. The frequency of use will determine how worn out the garage door becomes. One of the issues that can appear in a garage door is cracks or gaps in the door itself or the door sealant.

Cracks, gaps, and splits in the garage door or sealant can lead to significant issues. For one, it will ruin the aesthetic appeal of your garage door. It will also affect the door’s capacity to protect the garage from the elements.

Hence, water can enter and build up in your garage, leading to mold, which can cause serious health problems. It could also affect the security of your garage since cracks and gaps are security vulnerabilities that criminals can explore.

The only solution to the issue of gaps and cracks in the garage door or sealant is to replace them as soon as you can.

Uneven Movement

Your garage door may be opening and closing, but it may be doing so in a very inconsistent manner. If so, it can affect how you use your garage, and in some cases, it may entirely impede movement in and out of the garage.

Your garage door is experiencing erratic movement due to an obstruction in the gears and components of the garage door. The rusted tracks and damaged springs are often the problems causing the garage door to move unevenly.

The solution to a garage door’s erratic movement will depend on the reason for the problem. If it is the rusted tracks, you should first remove and scrape the rust from the appropriate parts. You should then apply lubricant to the rusted tracks. Look out for any points where water may leak into the tracks and cause rust. The best way to avoid such issues is regular maintenance.

If it is the damaged springs causing the jerky movement, then it is because they provide uneven or little tension. It would be best if you did not replace the springs yourself but call a professional repair company for the various options.

Blocked Sensors

Certain sensors may be blocked or obstructed if you are having trouble opening or shutting your door.

Adapt signals. You must look for any potential signal-blocking objects in order to guarantee that your remote and door operate as needed. Be sure no bushes or other vegetation is in the way of the sensor while using your remote.

Moreover, you should inspect the antenna for any debris or buildup that could be obstructing the signal. A straightforward repair is to realign the antenna if it becomes out of alignment from time to time.

Broken Springs

Your garage door may fall suddenly if the extension or torsion springs fail. Purchase new springs. After a certain number of cycles, the system’s springs will tap out and eventually shatter. Be mindful of the springs’ lifespan and seek expert assistance to replace them as needed. Your door may crash down and hurt someone else or damage your car if your springs fail while it is in use.

Do not attempt to open your garage if you hear your springs crack while they are not in use as the system may send the springs flying and injure you.

Roller Issues

If your system’s rollers are made of nylon, steel, or plastic will affect how long they survive.

Renew or Replace. Rollers that are corroded or old might make it difficult to open your door. Lubricating them is what you should do first. Replace them if they are still giving you problems.

Typically, rollers only function up to their maximum cycle limit. To guarantee a flawless roller replacement, keep note of when your rollers are approaching the end of their useful life.

Transmitter Problems

Your garage door should open easily using a remote control, but occasionally this does not happen.

Change the batteries. Your transmitter’s issues may usually be resolved quickly by switching out the batteries.

You should first test the transmitter within your garage to identify the source of the issue. There is a deeper issue if the door will not open. If it opens, your batteries are most likely dead, though.

The back of the remote must often be removed in order to change the batteries (in some cases with a screwdriver). To prevent concluding that something else is wrong when the remote does not function, always make sure the batteries are facing in the right direction.

Keypad does not work

Not all garage doors can be opened using a keypad. But if yours does, these can also start to malfunction. Before doing anything, make sure the batteries remain functional. Try entering your keypad number again after changing the batteries to see if the issue is resolved.

Your keypad might occasionally need to be reprogrammed. For instructions on how to accomplish this on your specific keypad, consult your handbook. If you do not have the original handbook, try looking up the model online.

Motor Runs Without Door Moving

The motor may start operating when you click the open button, but your door might not move. It is possible that the boundaries are incorrect in this situation. The door will move when this occurs, but the motor will continue to operate after the door stops moving. You should pay close attention to the motor noises because this might occur whether you are opening or closing the door. In either scenario, change the restrictions to indicate to the motor when to shut down.

The garage door may have become separated from the belt if it is completely immobile. You will need to adhere to certain instructions to reattach the belt depending on the installation system you have. When someone mistakenly pulls the emergency release cord, this frequently occurs.

Frozen Garage Door

You need and value the ease of your garage door opening and shutting swiftly the most on the coldest days of the year. However, that particular day might make this harder because of the combination of dampness and cold. Garage doors have been known to freeze to the ground. When you press the opening button, sometimes there is just a slight frosty connection between the two that may be broken.

But if the door will not move after the initial effort, hold back on the impulse to repeatedly press the button for the automatic opener. This might lead to a more significant issue with the garage door opener, such as stripped gears, broken springs, and a burned-out opener motor, among other things.

Instead, try several techniques that could unfreeze the joint between the door and the floor. For instance, you may use a hair dryer or heat gun to melt the ice and release the door. Conventional de-icing solutions can also be effective. A flat shovel or other similar instruments can be used to chip away at the ice, provided you take care not to harm the door or the seal at the bottom of the door.

After the door is open, sweep any snow, ice, or liquid off the garage door’s base. Further freezing will be avoided by keeping this region dry.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a garage door may seem like a tertiary element of your house, but it is just as important as any other part. They offer security and protection from the elements. The above are the most common issues you will find with garage doors, but there are others. If you follow the solutions prescribed above, you should have a fully functioning garage door in no time.