If your notice that your garage door opener seems to be straining to open the door, you need to investigate a little further to find the source of the problem. It could be the opener wearing out or a problem with the door, but whatever it is you should have it fixed. Otherwise, at a minimum your opener could wear out prematurely but more importantly, you may have a broken spring and the door could potentially come crashing down on someone or on your car.
The first think to check is whether the door operates properly when opened manually. With the door in the down position, disconnect the door from the opener by pulling on the red handle. Don’t do it with the door open – if the springs are broken the door could come crashing down.
Garage doors are much heavier than most people realize – typically 200 to 400 pounds. That’s why they use springs to help lift the load so the door can be opened manually and to take the strain off of your opener. If the springs are properly adjusted, the door should open easily by hand and should stay in any position.
If the door seems very heavy, you probably have a broken spring and you need to call a professional garage door technician with experience in garage door repairs. Never try to remove or adjust the springs or disconnect the cable that attaches the spring to the door. The springs are under a lot of pressure and can cause serious injury or death.
If the door doesn’t seem too heavy, but sticks or is difficult to open and close, the tracks should be adjusted and the rollers lubricated until the door opens easily. You may be able to make some simple adjustments yourself or call in the pros.
Finally, if the door operates easily by hand, it’s probably time for a new opener. If in doubt, have the door check out by a good garage door technician.
