Is your garage door suddenly not working? There are plenty of things that can go wrong with your garage door, and there’s never a convenient time for that to happen. Your garage door has a lot of moving parts and gets a lot of use, so normal wear and tear can mean parts eventually wear out or break down. Let’s look at what might be the problem and how Overhead Garage Door can help.
Broken Garage Door Spring
A garage door spring allows both manual and automatic garage doors to open and close effectively by offsetting the door’s weight. Most garage doors rely on spring systems to function properly. There are two major types of spring systems used in all major garage door types: extension springs and torsion springs. Before you can repair or replace your garage door springs, you need to determine what kind of springs your door uses.
You probably subject your spring system to a lot of repeated tension, which results in inevitable wear and tear. Aside from exceeding their normal lifespan of about six to 10 years, garage door springs break for several reasons, like:
- Temperature fluctuations: Extreme cold and heat can cause the springs to weaken and break, so it’s important that you keep a well-maintained garage door in every season.
- Needed adjustments: Professionals need to occasionally readjust unbalanced springs.
- Lack of maintenance: You can prolong the life of your garage door spring by lubricating the coil several times a year.
- Incorrect springs: If you installed the wrong type or number of springs for your garage door, it could cause serious issues down the line.
- Rust: Rust weakens the garage door spring, which can cause a reduced lifespan.
When you have a broken garage door spring, the best way to solve the issue is to replace it. Because both springs go through the same wear and tear, if one breaks, the other isn’t far behind. That’s why it’s a good idea to replace them both at the same time. It typically costs between $20 and $30 for a garage door spring, and the total garage door spring replacement cost usually runs anywhere between $100 and $200.
Garage Door Is off Its Tracks
If your door is sticking or not moving smoothly, one or more of the rollers might not be properly aligned with the tracks. If the door is off one of its tracks entirely, it’s best to stop using it right away and have it professionally repaired. Trying to force the door open or closed can lead to more damage. Garage doors can come off their tracks for several reasons, including:
- Bad rollers
- Damaged garage door panels
- Broken springs
- Loose hardware
- Something obstructing the track
Visual Sensors Needing Recalibration
On an automatic garage door opener, the photoelectric sensor is designed to protect you, your family, and your property from being damaged by a closing garage door. This part can malfunction and signal a hazard to your garage door opener, preventing it from working even if nothing is actually in the way.
How to Prevent Garage Door Problems
A properly functioning garage door should open and close smoothly and relatively quietly. Any irregularities can be a sign that your garage door needs professional attention. Here are some steps to take to avoid garage door issues:
- Establish a garage door maintenance schedule.
- Be aware of minor changes in the operation of your garage door.
- When you notice a slight problem with your garage door, have it looked at right away, before it becomes a bigger problem or an emergency situation.
- Look out for warning signs. When you open or close your garage door, always look and listen for, jerky or irregular movement and grinding or scraping sounds.
Why You Should Call a Professional for Garage Door Repairs
At first glance, it might seem like there are only a few key components and that any homeowner or handyman could quickly diagnose and repair, but garage doors are surprisingly complex. Many of the parts are interdependent, so a minor adjustment of one piece can affect one or more components. This is one reason that we recommend trusting an experienced technician to tune up your garage door and garage door opener.
Another very important reason to avoid working on your garage door yourself is safety. Garage doors and their parts can be very heavy. When the door is open, all that weight is overhead, making working below it dangerous. Springs, cables, chains, tracks, and other sharp or heavy moving parts all present their own safety hazards. We recommend scheduling a service appointment if you think your garage door is not operating as well as it should.
The experts at Overhead Garage Door recommend that you do not attempt to repair any parts on your garage door by yourself. Garage doors include hundreds of working parts — from springs to rolling parts — and many of them are under high tension. An untrained professional may cause further damage and risk personal bodily harm.
We Use Only Brand Names
Overhead Garage Door provides repair services on all door and operator products from brand-name manufacturers such as Clopay, CHI Garage Doors, Wayne Dalton, Amarr, Haas, Ideal, and Overhead Door.
Garage Door Repair Services Areas
We provide same-day service to the following Illinois and Wisconsin counties:
- Cook.
- Lake.
- McHenry.
- DuPage.
- Kane.
- Will.
- Boone.
- Winnebago.
- Kendall.
- Kenosha.
- Racine.
- Walworth.
Let our trained professionals at Overhead Garage Door take care of you. With over 35 years in the garage door repair business, our team can take on any job. We’re also happy to help with garage door installation and maintenance anytime. Call Overhead Garage Door for same-day/24-hour emergency services at 888-459-3720.