Common Garage Door Issues

It happens to someone every day. They jump into their vehicle and hit their garage door opener to leave for the day and…silence. Or the door opens halfway, then stops. Garage door problems can be frustrating and very inconvenient. Knowing the common garage door issues and what needs to be done to resolve them can help get you on your way faster the next time it happens to you.

No Response

If you garage door does not respond at all, it is probably a problem with your opener. Try to use your wall unit to open the door. If it works, you may need a new battery for your remote or something is wrong with your smartphone app. If the wall unit does not work, make sure it is plugged in and getting power. Still no response? Call your garage door repair service.

Door Only Opens Partially

If the door doesn’t open completely or closes again, there may be a problem with your safety sensors. Make sure nothing is below the door, triggering the safety auto-stop mechanism. It may need the lasers aligned – check instructions in your garage door opener manual.

Door Won’t Open

Do you hear the garage opener working, but the door isn’t opening? It could be a broken spring or other hardware problem. Try opening the garage door manually. If it is difficult to move, do not force it. Call your garage door repair service.

You cannot prevent all garage door problems, but regular maintenance can alert you to issues that need repair before they leave you stuck in your garage. Schedule a tune-up and replace hardware, springs and other components as advised by your repair technician to prevent many garage door issues.

Posted on behalf of:
Habpro
The Garage Door Specialists
Dacula, GA 30019
770-985-3355

Photoelectric Eye Maintenance To Avoid Garage Door Entrapments

A garage door is the largest, heaviest moving object in your home.  Garage doors weigh hundreds of pounds and when operated with an automatic garage door opener, they can exert deadly force when they are closing.  A person or child trapped under a garage door can be seriously injured or killed due to crush injuries or by asphyxiation.

Incidents of garage door entrapments have declined since the mid 1990’s when all garage door openers sold in the United States were required to have safety reversing systems such as a photoelectric eye that reverses the door when an obstruction is detected in the path of the door.  However, the danger of entrapments has not been completely eliminated.

Unfortunately, photoelectric safety eyes are one of the most common problems with garage doors.  They are easily knocked out of alignment or blocked by insects, dirt or debris, all of which causes the garage door to become stuck in the open position.  As a result, they are frequently seen as an inconvenience by many homeowners who then attempt to bypass the sensors.

Bypassing the photoelectric safety sensors on your garage door is very dangerous and can lead to injuries or death due to garage door entrapment. If you are having problems with your garage door photoelectric eyes, do not attempt to bypass the system.  Instead, call your local garage door repair service.

Properly installed and adjusted by an experienced garage door technician, the photoelectric eyes are a reliable and important safety mechanism.  Your garage door repair technician can adjust and align the sensors to ensure that your garage door operates smoothly while protecting against garage door entrapments.