Troubleshooting a Garage Door That Does Not Close

One of the most common and frustrating problems with automated garage doors is when they refuse to close. This usually happens at the worst possible time, when you are already running late for work or have an important appointment. You cannot leave your home with your garage door wide open, so what do you do? Here are a few of the most common causes of this frustrating issue, so the next time it happens you can troubleshoot the problem.

  • Sensors. As a safety feature, automated garage doors use photo-sensors to ensure nothing is under the door before it closes. However, if these sensors get dirty or are not aligned, they can prevent the door from closing when no obstacles are present. These sensors are located on either side of the garage door. If you don’t have time to fix the issue when it occurs, you can usually override this feature by using the wall unit, holding the button until the door closes.
  • Vacation or lock-out mode. Many garage door openers have a vacation or lock-out mode that can accidentally be triggered. These switches will disable the remote, meant to keep out intruders. If this is the problem, you should be able to close the door by using the wall unit. The vacation or lock-out option should also be located on the wall unit and can be turned off to allow the remote to work.
  • Remote issue. A faulty garage door remote is another common culprit when doors refuse to close. The batteries may need to be replaced, or you could be facing another remote-related issue. Once again, you should still be able to use the wall unit until the remote can be evaluated and repaired.

These are a few of the most common reasons a garage door will not close. If the problem is not resolved, you may need to call your local garage door service company to inspect your garage door and opener to find and repair the issue.

Posted on behalf of Habpro
Dacula, GA 30019
(770) 985-3355

 

Garage Door Maintenance

While it may seem that periodic painting is the only maintenance that garage doors require, nothing could be further from the truth.  Periodic inspection and maintenance of garage doors is required for the door to operate safely as designed.   Equally important is the regular inspection and maintenance of garage door openers. 

In general, inspection points on garage doors include checking the springs on the door to make sure the door is properly balanced, checking that bolts and screws are tight, checking rollers for signs of wear, checking track spacing and alignment, checking for wear on cables, checking for wear on springs, checking the condition of pulleys, checking on the condition of the attachment points for the cables and checking the spring mounting.  On doors with openers, the inspections include checking the limits of the garage door in the open and closed positions, checking the force settings and checking the mounting of the opener. 

Maintenance items on garage doors include lubrication of all moving parts, including the rollers and hinges.  Typical maintenance on garage door openers includes lubrication of the chain on chain driven garage door openers.  In addition, as a part of the maintenance process on both garage doors and garage door openers, the problem areas identified during the inspection process should be corrected as well. 

As with any inspection and maintenance program, the goal is to identify and correct potential issues before they fail and make the door inoperable.  In addition, some of the potential problems associated with garage doors and garage door openers can be dangerous and cause bodily harm, due to the weight of the door and the tension on some of the components. 

Posted on behalf of Find Local Garage Door Service

Prevent Expensive And Inconvenient Garage Door Repairs

It’s easy to take your garage doors for granted. Up and down they go, hundreds of times a year without a sign of any problems. Until one day, when all that easy convenience comes to an end. Like any major mechanical device, garage doors need maintenance to continue working properly. Not only can servicing your garage door annually prevent many common garage door repairs, it can also alert you to impending issues before they become major inconveniences. 

Annual Garage Door Service

There are many moving parts in your garage door which can become worn and unstable after years of use. Chains, gears and springs can wear out if not kept lubricated and tightened to manufacturer specifications. The best way to make your garage door system last for many years is to have it annually serviced. 

While some do-it-yourself homeowners may be able to do some of the normal garage door maintenance themselves, for most people it makes sense to call in a professional. Most garage door service companies offer tune-up services for garage doors which will encompass inspecting all components, lubrication, tightening bolts and even rebalancing the door. Not only can this make your door last longer and prevent many issues, a professional can recognize impending problems which you can fix before they need emergency repair. 

Losing access to your garage and vehicles can create major havoc in your life; prevent this from happening to you by keeping your garage door maintained with annual garage door service. It is much less expensive to maintain your doors than to call for an emergency repair that can cost hundreds of dollars or even require a complete door replacement.

Posted on behalf of  Legacy Garage Doors

 

 

Routine Garage Door Maintenance

As with most other item in the home, garage doors need periodic inspection and maintenance in order for the door to perform properly and safely.  The best way to make sure that these inspections are made and the maintenance is performed is to have a qualified, licensed and insured garage door contractor make these inspections at least two times per year.  In many cases, the inspections and preventative garage door maintenance will allow potential issues to be identified early and corrected before they fail.  Periodic inspection and maintenance services are quick and economical as well! 

During the inspections and maintenance visits, the technician will operate the door with and without the opener to listen for any unusual noises.  While they are operating the door they will also be conducting a visual inspection of the door, door parts, track, springs, cables, pulleys, and rollers.  The next thing that will be checked is the door balance.  Here the technician will verify that the door springs are working properly by lifting the door and making sure that the door remains fully open.

If the garage door has an opener, the technician will verify that the reversing mechanism is working properly.  As a part of this part of the inspection, the technician will verify the proper alignment of the photo eyes and examine the amount of force being applied by the opener to close the door.  The final part of the inspection will be a lubrication of the moving parts on the door and in some cases the moving components on the opener.  If issues are discovered during the inspection, the technician will be able to make the necessary corrections on the spot.  Periodic inspection of maintenance is the key to keeping garage doors operating properly and safely!

Posted on behalf of Legacy Garage Doors

Replacing Broken Torsion Springs

Depending upon the weight, type, and size of your garage door, it might have one or two torsion springs.  Over time the torsion springs, which raise and lower your garage door, experience wear and tear. Because of them wearing out, torsion springs begin losing their ability to adequately counterbalance your garage door’s weight. Eventually, your garage door’s torsion springs aren’t able to move your garage door at all. 

Occasionally, people with two torsion springs will opt to replace only one of them.  This is not recommended. Here are two reasons why it’s better to replace both torsion springs rather than simply replacing the broken one. 

  1. When one torsion spring breaks, the other spring then has to bear the weight of your entire garage door by itself. Replacing only the broken torsion spring and having the system reset will not result in a properly balanced garage door. Seeing as how the unbroken spring has been bearing all the weight, it won’t be able to fully do its job after the broken spring is replaced.
     
  2. You’ll have to call your professional garage door company again (perhaps sooner than expected) so that they can replace the other torsion spring when it inevitably breaks. This results in you having to spend more money and time dealing with your garage door. Replacing both torsion springs at the same time is typically less expensive than having one torsion spring replaced at a time. 

It’s important that your torsion springs be inspected periodically to make sure they are not too worn or fatigued to bear the load of your garage door. Attempting to tinker with or replace torsion springs on your own can be dangerous. A professional garage door repair company is highly recommended to complete the inspection and replacement of broken torsion springs.

Is Your Garage Door Needing Repair?

Most of us give little time or attention to our home’s garage door until it fails to open or, sometimes worse depending on your perspective, fails to close. Although taken entirely for granted without even a smidgeon of routine maintenance, we’re momentarily stunned by incredulous wonder at its sudden rebellion of inactivity. 

Some garage door problems are the simple result of wear and tear, especially if your garage door has some age: doors warp; chains, pulleys and hinges rust; cables become frayed or loose; or, the door track can become bent and misaligned. Any of these issues can cause the door to buckle or jam upon opening, making it impossible to reclose. Sometimes, everything looks and sounds fine, you hear the motor of the garage door opener and the pulleys are moving, but the garage door just doesn’t lift. Usually, this is caused by a broken torsion spring that helps keep the tension on the door as it lowers and raises. You may or may not have heard a loud snap when it broke, but if you glance at the spring above your door, you should see a visible gap in that spring. 

Of course, such things never happen at our convenience but usually at the most inopportune time. However, most local professional garage door repair services do perform emergency repairs on-site. Your professional technician should be able to show up at your home quickly, regardless of the time of day, assess the exact problem while giving you a full overview, and provide you with an estimate of time and cost for your repair. Chances are, you’ll never again take your garage door for granted.

The Purpose of Garage Door Springs

Many homeowners believe that their automatic garage door opener does all the heavy lifting when it comes to opening and closing the garage door.  Garage door openers are convenient and work hard opening and closing the garage door, but the garage door springs actually do most of the work lifting the weight of a garage door. 

Overhead garage doors can weigh hundreds of pounds and without garage door springs, they would be very difficult for most people to open.  They would also be dangerous to close because as the door closes, more of the door moves from the overhead horizontal position to the vertical position.  As a result, the person closing the door would bear more and more of the weight of the door until it became too heavy and came crashing down.

The garage door springs work by taking up the weight of the door as it closes.  There are two types of garage door springs.  Extension springs are installed parallel with the horizontal door tracks.  Extension springs extend as the door closes and contract as the door is opened.

Torsion springs are mounted parallel with the top of the door opening.  These types of springs coil up as the door closes and uncoil as it opens.  Both types of springs must be adjusted properly by a trained garage door technician in order for the garage door to open smoothly without jamming.  When properly adjusted, a garage door opened about half way will remain in that position when released.

Garage door springs experience metal fatigue and will eventually break after a few thousand opening and closing cycles.  When one spring breaks, both springs should be replaced so that equal opening tension is exerted on the door. Garage door spring replacement is a common garage door repair.  However, replacing garage door springs is very dangerous and garage door spring replacement should only be replaced or adjusted by a trained garage door contractor.

Why Do Garage Door Springs Break?

Overhead garage doors use lift assist springs to help open the door.  Garage doors are much heavier than most people realize.  A single garage door can weigh 100 pounds and double garage doors can weigh 200 pounds or more.  Without the lift assist springs, the garage door would be very difficult if not impossible for a homeowner to open by hand.

Garage door springs are placed under very high loads every time the garage door is closed.  Depending on your family’s usage habits, a garage door might be opened and closed 500 to 1,000 times per year.  Each opening and closing is called a cycle and the metal in the spring is fatigued slightly during each cycle.  After a certain number of cycles, the spring will fail.

Most garage door springs will last between 5 and 10 years depending on the quality of the steel in the spring, the size of the spring, and the garage door opening and closing habits of the homeowner and their family.  When one garage door spring fails, both springs should be replaced by an experienced garage door technician.  The non-broken spring will not be as strong as the new spring and the door could become unbalanced.  In addition, when one spring fails, the second spring is usually not far behind.  Having both springs replaced together will help the door operate smoothly and avoid a second service call by your garage door repair technician.

Never try to replace or repair a garage door spring yourself.  Garage door springs are under tremendous pressure and the force of a suddenly released spring can maim or kill.  Garage door technicians have the training and experience in garage door service and repair to safely handle garage door spring.

Garage Door Opener Safety Checkup

Modern garage door openers add convenience and provide an extra measure of security to your home.  Unlike automatic garage door openers sold decades ago, modern garage door openers are equipped with safety features that prevent injuries associated with older garage doors.  These safety features need to be working properly to provide maximum security and safety for your family.

Fortunately, it takes less than thirty minutes to run through a safety check to ensure your garage door’s safety features are properly adjusted and working as designed.  The first thing to check is the age of your garage door opener.  If it is more than 20 years old, you should replace it with a new garage door opener.  Garage door openers sold before 1993 are lacking important safety features that are standard equipment on every garage door opener today.

Next, check the spring tension by disengaging the opener while the door is in the closed position.  Then slowly open the door by hand.  Even though a garage door can weigh up to 400 pounds, the door should open easily and should stay in place when opened about halfway.  If the door is heavy, binds, will not stay partially open, or is otherwise difficult to open manually, have it adjusted by a garage door professional. Do not attempt to adjust the spring tension your elf!

Test the automatic reversing feature by re-engaging the opener and opening the door to the fully open position.  Place a two by four block of wood in the path of door and close the garage door.  The door should reverse automatically when it reaches the wood block.

Finally, test the photoelectric eye sensors.  Starting with the door in the open position, start closing the door with the opener.  Without getting in the way of the door, break the photo electric beam with your hand or a broom.  The door should immediately stop closing, reverse direction and return to the fully open position.

If any of your garage door safety features do not function properly, have the door serviced by an experienced garage door technician.

Garage Door Safety Guidelines

An average garage door can weigh up to 400 pounds which makes it the largest, heaviest moving object in virtually every home.  Garage doors have come a long way in terms of safety, but you can provide even more protection for you and your family by following these safety guidelines.

First, never attempt to bypass or disable the garage door safety sensors.  The photoelectric sensors mounted near the bottom on either side of the garage door opening are designed to detect an obstruction in the path of the garage door.  When an obstruction such as a child, pet, or vehicle is detected, the garage door opener automatically reverses direction and opens.

Second, the springs are arguably the most dangerous component of any garage door.  Garage doors springs are under very high tension and garage door spring repairs and adjustments should only performed by a trained garage door service professional.

The same goes for the cables.  These are attached to the bottom of the garage door and are connected to the springs through the lift assist system.  Have these cables replaced by a garage door professional when they become frayed or worn.

Garage door replacement and new garage door installation should only be performed by a trained garage door technician.  Not only are the garage door springs dangerous to handle, but an improperly installed garage door poses a serious risk of severe injury or even death.  The garage door can come off the tracks and injure someone, and even on the tracks, improper installation or adjustment can lead to a falling garage door.

Finally, have your garage door serviced annually by a professional garage door repair service.  Regular service will help keep the garage door operating smoothly and ensure that the door’s safety features are working correctly and adjusted properly.