Your garage door is a part of your house that you depend on every day. You need it to open whenever you have to get your car out of the garage to go somewhere, and you need it to close after leaving and after coming back. If your garage doors fail, it affects your ability to go about your life. But why would your garage door stop working? Here are five reasons why garage doors fail.
Lack Of Maintenance
Everything needs maintenance, from dusting our furniture to having our teeth examined by the dentist. Garage doors are no different. Garage doors require proper maintenance in order to keep running smoothly and keep your life on track. If you don’t have it maintained, that can cause problems that can lead to it not working. To maintain your garage, you should:
- Be observant. Watch and listen to see if your garage door is running and sounding normal. If it’s going up asymmetrically or making loud noises when you use it, those are some signs that it needs to have work done.
- Keep it clean. Dirt can damage your garage door and affect how it operates.
- Lubricate it. Lubricated garage door rollers, tracks, and hinges help your garage door open and close smoothly and quietly. This should be done annually.
- Test the safety. Garage doors have safety mechanisms to keep them from closing on something in their path. If you put something in its path and it doesn’t reverse, the safety features need to be replaced.
- Test the balance. You can unhook your garage door for the automated opener and try to open it yourself. If it doesn’t open evenly, is difficult to pull up, or won’t stay up, you need to call a professional to come look at it.
These maintenance methods can keep your garage door from failing. But lack of maintenance isn’t the only way garage doors fail.
Your Springs Are Broken
Your garage door springs are an essential part of your garage door system. They help safely lift and close your garage door. If your garage doors fail, it could be because you need to have your springs replaced. This is not a job that you can do yourself, as it can be very dangerous. You also shouldn’t try to lift your garage door with broken springs, as it can come crashing back down. If your garage door won’t open, the springs could be the culprit. A professional can fix them for you and get your garage door running again.
DIY Repairs
There are things about your garage door that you can indeed safely fix yourself. However, many people will notice a problem like a broken spring and think that they can fix it themselves or they will put the wrong kind of lubricant in the garage door tracks. A shoddy repair job can cause a garage door to break, and maintenance done wrong can too.
The Track Is Not Aligned
Garage doors run on a track system to open and close. The operating system is what actually lifts and lowers your garage door, but the tracks are what keep it aligned. If the track isn’t aligned or secure, this can be why your garage doors fail. This is because if your tracks are misaligned, this affects how well the door works. Left unattended, this can develop into a serious problem.
Your Garage Door Opener Needs Fixing
Sometimes when garage doors fail, the problem isn’t with the garage door itself. It can be because your garage door opener is having problems. A garage door opener that won’t work results in a garage door that won’t work. This can happen for a number of reasons, from a dead battery that needs to be replaced, to faulty wiring, and more. If you have any questions about garage door openers and if it could be the problem, you can contact a professional.
Did Your Garage Doors Fail?
These are but five of the potential reasons why garage doors fail. There are several other things that can cause garage door failure that are not covered here. If your garage doors fail, it’s best to call a professional to come out and assess the situation. They can both figure out the problem and fix it, getting your life back on track.
Here at Advanced Door, we understand the vitality of your garage door to your life. If your garage doors fail, we can help you out. We offer professional garage door repair and are happy to provide our expert services to anyone who has garage door problems or any other garage door needs. For any questions or to schedule an appointment, please contact us at Advanced Door today!