If you have a garage in your home, chances are that you had some issues with it at one point or another. The garage doors are mechanical devices and as such are not immune to malfunctions and breakdowns.
We asked garage door experts at Rockstar Garage Door Services to tell us more about the most common problems people come to them about. Here is what they had to say.
Grinding Noise while Opening
If you experience loud grinding noise while your door is opening, it is recommended that you stop using the door at once and contact a garage door service in order to avoid any further damage to the door.
The most likely culprit for this problem is some loose hardware, like bolts. Alternatively, it might be a part of the door which has been worn out and doesn’t function as expected. Finally, the noise might just be the result of poor lubrication. You can try lubricating the part which is causing noise before you call in the experts.
Electric Garage Door Opener Doesn’t Work:
Electric garage door openers are fairly commonplace in the US and most of us rely on the machinery to open our garage doors rather than doing it ourselves. However, just like any other machinery, garage door openers can malfunction, causing you some problems.
No matter if you use a wall-mounted opener or a remote controller to open and close your doors if your garage door opener stops working, the first thing you should check is the photo-eyes which connect the remote with the opener. It may be as simple as a power outage in the controller.
Alternatively, check if the outlet where your garage door opener is plugged in is receiving power by plugging in a different appliance. If it works, the problem is probably in the opener itself, which requires the attention of a professional.
Weather Sealant Problems:
In order to keep your garage waterproof and dry when it rains, garage door manufacturers and installers use a sealant around the edges. However, it is also useful as an insulation measure to keep out the cold air during the winter.
The sealant, however, is only useful in either of those tasks if it is intact. Over time, the sealant might crack due to the exposure to the elements. Fortunately, replacing the sealant is neither complicated nor expensive. In fact, with a little handyman know-how, you can do it on your own.
Remove the existing sealant, making sure that you remove everything (you can use a utility knife or something similar for this purpose). Once you have cleaned the existing sealant, you will need to apply the new coat. You can find a sealant in any hardware or home improvement store.
The Garage Door Doesn’t Close or Open All the Way:
The most common reason for this problem is the misalignment between the rollers on either side of the door. In that case, replacing the damaged or misaligned rollers is the simplest solution.
However, it is also possible that the proximity sensors aren’t set up properly. The garage door has these sensors for both opening and closing. The sensors tell the motor when to start and stop. If the sensors aren’t set up properly, they may signal the motor to stop before the door is fully opened or closed.
In order to set these sensors properly, you will need help from garage door maintenance professionals.
Garage doors have many moving parts which may get damaged or misaligned over time, so it is important to pay attention to the changes before they become too big and cause actual damage.
