Unlike the typical front doors, a garage door or overhead door contains essential garage door parts that work together to open or close the garage door automatically.
A garage door system has springs, rollers, cables, and a drive mechanism responsible for carrying the garage door’s weight whenever it moves. Moreover, garage door tracks serve as the pathways of the rollers.
Then, the garage door opener and its remote device grants you to control the garage door at a certain distance. Lastly, the garage door system has safety sensors that activate the garage door’s auto-reverse mechanism.
Since these garage door parts are essential for the garage door’s mechanism, you should be familiar with their possible issues. Your knowledge about common garage door issues can help you discover ways to prevent them. So here are some common garage door issues according to experts from garage door repair Naperville.
Garage Door Springs
Torsion springs and extension springs are two types of springs installed on a garage door. Older garage doors use a pair of extension springs, while modern garage doors use one to four torsion springs, depending on the size and weight of the garage door.
Since they are under a lot of strain, they tend to be the first ones to break from the garage door system. Here are some issues associated with a broken garage door spring:
- The garage door is too slow to open, too fast to close, or moving unevenly.
- The garage door refuses to fully open or close.
- The top garage door panel has bent.
- The cables have become loose.
A broken garage door spring requires a high-quality spring replacement. Please do not attempt to replace your springs since it is too risky.
Garage Door Rollers and Tracks
Garage door rollers ease the travel of your garage door along tracks. Rollers and tracks work together to lift or lower the garage door smoothly.
But like other garage door parts, they can also give a headache. So here are some of the common issues associated with your rollers and tracks:
- Squeaky garage door noise due to lack of lubrication
- Off-the-track rollers
- Deformed and dented garage door rollers
- Misaligned garage door tracks
- Dirt build-up on the tracks
Tracks and rollers require lubrication every six months. But once they show damages, it is best to call a garage door repair service.
Garage Door Cables
The garage door’s cables can be lifting cables or an emergency cable. The lifting cables help in carrying the garage door. Meanwhile, the emergency cable is a cable to pull if you want to disconnect the garage door from the opener.
For your guidance, here are the common issues associated with your garage door cables:
- The lifting cables have become loose because of a broken garage door spring.
- The garage door cables have snapped due to too much tension between the spring and cable.
- The cables get off the track and wind around the drum.
- The emergency cable cannot reattach the opener and garage door.
If you experience one of these cable issues, you should ask for a garage door cable repair. Only a garage door expert can do a garage door cable repair since the cables carry too much load.
Garage Door Opener
The garage door automatic opener contains the motor and the drive mechanism of the garage door – which you can classify as chain-drive, belt-drive, or screw-drive. Furthermore, the sensors are also part of the opener since they activate its auto-reverse mechanism.
Since the opener and the remote device or keypad work using frequency, it can experience some issues, such as the following:
- The garage door opener remote or keypad cannot open or close the garage door.
- The garage door does not fully close or open due to improper limit setting.
- The garage door moves very slowly due to an incorrect control speed setting.
- The motor does not stop running.
- The garage door refuses to open because of the activated lock.
- The garage door sensors are not working due to dirt build-up or misalignment.
Since the automatic opener, remote device, and safety sensors are machines, you should call for a garage door repair service. Any alteration to the opener can affect the garage door’s movement. So, leave the opener issues with a professional.
Conclusion
A garage door system contains a complex connection between garage door parts. One failure can affect its overall mechanism and cause damage to the whole garage door.
So, knowing some garage door issues is essential to prevent them from happening. But once a garage door issue occurs, trust a garage door repair service from a technician to avoid causing further damage.
As you have gained knowledge about the common garage door issues presented above, the well-being of your garage door now lies in your hand. If you want to raise your home’s property value, the key is to maintain a good garage door condition.