Did you know that around 66% of homes in the US have garages and, by extension, obviously, garage doors? And modern homes have garages big enough to fit two cars in? That’s a significant number of homes with garages, and for the most part, they are an essential and useful part of the home, whether you use it to park a car in or you use it for storage, a gym, or even a kids’ playroom.
But when you use the garage as part of your living accommodation or to store valuables in, you need a garage door that works properly, bolsters your home security, and allows you to access the space with ease and not cause damage to people using it or the property.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the more common repairs homeowners experience, so you know what to look out for, so you can have any problems repaired sooner rather than later.
Broken or Weak Garage Door Springs
Your garage door springs hold most of the door’s weight. But you know that, right? But over time, with use, they can start to weaken. This is natural wear and tear or caused by incorrect use. And you will notice something is amiss with the spring as the garage door will start to feel heavy, or it will struggle to open correctly. It might jerk up when the opener pulls it or drop too quickly when it’s being closed. And if the spring snaps, you’ll hear this as it’ll be accompanied by a loud bang.
The moment you notice any of these signs, you need to get the springs repaired or replaced. At the very least, you need garage door repair engineers to come and check what the issues are before it causes any damage or broken springs render the garage unusable. It’s not really a job for you to DIY.
Frayed or Loose Lift Cables
Your lifting cables run along both sides of the garage door. Their role is to work with the springs to raise and lower the door evenly. Now again, like with your springs, these cables are subject to wear and tear, which is something you need to factor into your use and care of garage doors.
And when they start to wear or fray, there will be signs. The door might start to lift unevenly or tilt slightly when opening. This is your sign to stop using the door. Not “be careful with it” or “go slowly”, stop using it.
A snapped cable can cause the door to drop suddenly or slide off track, and this can cause massive damage to the garage, your home, and anyone in the area. Get a reliable repair company to assess the damage, replace the cable, restore balance and movement, and then once installed correctly, you can start using the door again.
Misaligned or Bent Garage Door Tracks
Your garage door tracks guide the rollers as the door travels from fully closed to fully open and vice versa.
However, if the track shifts slightly out of position, you’ll notice some noises and sounds that you shouldn’t hear during opening and closing operations. It might be scraping noises, vibrations, or movement where the door hesitates before fully opening or closing.
Minor alignment issues that are a result of loose mounting brackets can be corrected by tightening the brackets and repositioning the track. But if the track itself is damaged, then you need to get the affected section or the entire track replaced by a garage door technician to restore proper alignment.
Worn or Damaged Rollers
Your rollers sit inside the track system; their job is to ensure that the garage door glides along its path. And as a supporting component, every time the garage door opens and closes, it is exposed to wear and tear. And like any part in this type of action, it will gradually degrade over time. It’s natural and to be expected. But if you start hearing rattling noises or it feels like it’s grinding during operations, this is your sign that things aren’t in the best conditions for ongoing use.
On top of this, cracked or worn rollers can result in the operation becoming more jerky, or there might be hesitation where the door once opened smoothly.
But how can you tell if you have cracked or worn a garage door roller? You can see the rollers as they’ll be invisible inside the track in the mechanism
Once this happens, you need a roller replacement, and sometimes you can complete a DIY task to get things moving properly again, but for heavier or non-standard garage doors, it is probably best to call the pros for an expert garage door repair.
Opener Malfunctions
When your garage door opener malfunctions, you’ll notice immediately. This is the mechanism that lifts and lowers the door automatically when the unit is used. And the opener contains several components to facilitate the opening of our garage door, including motor gears, drive system, and electronic circuits.
You might notice that the mortor runs when you use it, but the door barely moves, or the door stops halfway through opening, or reverses direction unexpectedly. All of those indicate there are worn gears or problems within the drive mechanism.
The fix is to diagnose which part is failing and get it replaced or a new system entirely if it’s not salvageable.
Professional repair companies such as AA Garage Door Services can help you diagnose garage door opener malfunctions and restore normal door service quickly.
Warped or Damaged Door Panels
Garage door panels, as you are aware, form part of the structure itself and over time the panels can be exposed to damage, weather, or general wear that slowly weakens the safety and functionality of the panel.
Even the most minor damage can impact how the garage door operates if the frame gets even the slightest bit twisted. For example, the door would start rubbing against the track or frame, which will impact how it opens and closes.
Ideally, as soon as you notice any damage to the door panel, you replace it so the door can retain proper alignment and not cause further damage to the system as a whole.
