What To Look For When Your Garage Door Won’t Budge

What To Look For When Your Garage Door Won’t Budge

Posted by on Sep 30, 2016 in Garage Door Services |

A garage door is absolutely essential to keep your cars safe from the elements. While a high quality door system can last years if maintained properly, even the best-maintained doors can get stuck and refuse to budge at times. A broken garage door can not only be a serious safety hazard to children, but can also increase your heating bill substantially, especially if you happen to live in a colder region.

There are a number of reasons why your garage door might get stuck and not work properly. Let us take a look some of the most common issues with garage door systems and what you can do to resolve them. If you want to learn more, check out Garage Door At Chandler’s Website.

 

Check Your Batteries

 

It is always a good idea to start with the obvious. More often than not, people fail to see what is staring right at them and instead look for something that is not there. If you have a remote control for your garage door, check if the batteries are dead or placed the wrong way. If the transmitter on your wall runs on batteries, you should check those batteries as well. While you are at it, make sure the power cord is plugged in properly.

 

Check the Electric Eyes

 

eye-sensorsssElectronic garage doors usually have two photosensitive electric eyes to ensure operational safety. These eyes are located on both ends of the door, facing each other. They are designed to shoot out an invisible beam along the path of the door opening to detect any obstructions. If the beam gets obstructed, the door will not open or close fully. This mechanism ensures the door does not accidentally close on an object or a person.

 

Check if there is anything blocking the sensor beam. If there is, simply move it out of the way. If not, check if the photo eyes are dirty. Their proximity to the ground makes the photo eyes susceptible to the accumulation of dirt and debris over time and could affect their function eventually. So, clean the eyes gently with a cloth and see if the door works properly.

 

Check the Door’s Track

 

Examine the door’s track closely. Sometime, small objects can fall into the door’s track and prevent the door from opening and closing fully. The door might also not function properly if the track is rusty or dirty. So, clean it and apply a liberal dose of lubricant along the track to see if the door starts working again.

 

If you have tried all these tricks and the door is still stuck, it could be an indication of a bigger problem. These include

 

Breakage of Torsion Springs

 

Torsion springs are the backbone of your garage door. The whole weight of the door is supported by these springs and if they fail, the door is usually immobilized.

 

Broken Cables

 

broken-cablesssCables can often snap under the pressure, especially if the one or more torsion springs are broken. In fact, these two problems often go hand in hand. So, if there is a problem with your springs, your cable is likely to break.

 

Track Out of Alignment

 

If the track is not aligned properly, the door may make a lot of noise when you try to open or close it. Eventually, it may stop working. It could be anything – a gap between the rollers and rails, bent rails in the track, or anything that could affect the alignment of the track.

 

In such cases, a DIY approach is not usually advisable. Whether it is a broken spring, snapped cable, or an unaligned track, you need a certain level of expertise and the right kind of tools to fix the issue. If you do not possess the necessary skill set and the exact tools required, it is a good idea to seek the help of a professional. A seasoned locksmith or repairman can inspect your garage door, find out what the problem is, and fix it right away.

 

At any cost, do not try to force the door. It is not only counterproductive, as it could further damage an already problematic door, but also dangerous. Once you get the door repaired, make sure you maintain it properly. It will not only prevent such issues in the future, but also make sure your door lasts longer.

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