A garage door system has many moving parts that can break down and require service. Some can be easy to fix, while others are complex and dangerous.
Look at the springs and track and make sure they are symmetrical. A sagging or off-balanced door makes the opener work harder and shortens its lifespan.
Broken Springs
The springs are responsible for supporting the weight of your garage door when you open and close it. When they break, your garage door won’t be able to open. This can be extremely dangerous because if you attempt to lift it manually, the weight of the door is so great that it may cause the garage door to crash down. Unless you are very experienced with DIY projects, we highly recommend calling a professional Garage Door Service in Georgetown TX to replace your broken springs.
Most springs are engineered and rated for about 10,000 cycles – one cycle being the door going up and down to open and close it. If you have children that ride their bikes through the garage, if your spouse uses the garage door to commute, or if you have a car in the garage, those thousands of cycles can add up quickly and your springs can start to wear out.
If you notice your springs are starting to wear out, we recommend using a garage door lubricant to help them last longer and perform better. This lubricant can be applied by spraying it onto the springs every six months.
Broken Cables
The garage door’s cables are responsible for counterbalancing the heavy weight of the doors and allowing them to open and close. They are made of long strands of metal that are woven together to create the cable itself. The more strands of metal in the cable, the stronger it will be. However, these cables do have a lifespan and will eventually begin to wear out. Usually, the first sign of a broken cable is hearing a loud “snap” when opening or closing the garage door. Other signs include rust, fraying or excessive wear.
These cables run over a series of pulleys and wind on a drum or spool to keep them coiled up when the door is not in use. When a cable starts to break it is typically due to the metal rubbing against other hardware parts such as the track or bottom brackets. This will accelerate the wear on the cable.
Luckily, repairing these cables is relatively simple. The first step is to open the door all the way and secure it in place by placing a ladder/scaffold under the track near the bottom roller. Then, attach two pairs of locking pliers or C-clamps to the track on both sides, just above the last roller. This will keep the door from lowering unexpectedly and allow you to work on the cable without being injured.
Damaged Tracks
The vertical and horizontal tracks that guide your garage door into an open or closed position are important to the operation of your garage doors. However, these tracks can become damaged by many different things and may need repair or replacement. You can usually tell if the track has been damaged by listening for unusual noises. If you hear a thud or clang coming from one spot in the garage, this is often the sign of a broken track. It is best to contact professional technicians to fix these types of problems. They can determine if the track is salvageable and will be able to repair it if needed. They can also check the rest of the components to make sure everything is working properly with the new track system.
Over time, it’s not uncommon for garage door tracks to become bent or misaligned. There are a few common causes of this issue. Dirt, dust, and other debris will build up on the rollers over time, which can cause them to become displaced from the track. This can create friction between the track and the rollers, causing them to bend or break.
Additionally, the footings and jamb brackets that hold the tracks can decay over time, which can also cause the tracks to become misaligned. If your tracks are misaligned, they can put unnecessary stress on the entire garage door and can lead to premature wear and tear.
Broken Photo Eyes
A modern garage door has photo eyes placed on either side of the door that work to make sure a person or something is not in the way of closing the door. These sensors use an invisible beam to communicate with each other, and if anything interrupts this, it will break the circuit and prevent the door from closing. These are great safety features that help keep the kids, pets and cars in the driveway safe from the heavy weight of a closing garage door.
When the photo eye system isn’t working, it can be a serious problem and one that needs professional attention. If you suspect the sensor is faulty, there are several troubleshooting steps you can try before calling for a garage door repair service.
Photo eye misalignment is often the culprit of this issue, as they are mounted only a few inches above ground level and can easily get bumped by cars or people moving around the garage. If you can see the LED light blinking on your sensors, loosen and move each bracket slightly up and down and around until the red lights stop flashing and the photo eyes are re-aligned.
Dirty lenses are another common cause for this problem, and it is simply a matter of wiping the lenses down with a soft cloth. If the lights are still not communicating correctly, you may have a pinched wire and will need to call a repair service for help.