Garage Door Repair Services & Common Problems

Garages play crucial roles in any residential area. For instance, they are vital structures that accommodate family cars alongside protecting them from various external adversities. Notably, garages wouldn’t provide those services without the presence of reliable, strong, and functioning doors.

Garage doors are fundamental functional units that facilitate the movements in and out of the garages. In attempts to understand the usability and functioning processes of garage doors, it is vital to understand some of their characteristics. A typical garage door should possess the following characteristics:

• Open either vertically or horizontally
• Maybe either insulated or non-insulated
• Made up of either wood, PVC materials, aluminum, steel, or even fiberglass
• Have functional components that support operations

The notable garage door characteristics vary from one place to another and may determine the door’s reliability and resilience aspects. For instance, different materials that make garage doors have different degrees of resilience and maintenance frequencies. Similarly, insulated garage doors possess the R-values that are relevant in regulation.

Functional Components of a Garage Door

Due to the diversification of knowledge and technologies, different manufacturers are able to consolidate various components to support the opening and closing processes of garage doors. For instance, garage doors involve vertical or horizontal movements that would require a lot of force to manually open and close. Therefore, there are sets of accessories that cooperate in articulating the movements. They include:

1. Cables : Garage door lifting cables operate alongside springs to support the opening and closing processes. With the garage doors requiring force to initiate movements, lifting cables are fundamental in providing the appropriate support for vertical and horizontal movements.
2. Springs : Springs provide the thrust force in cooperation with the lifting cables. Essentially, they make it possible to open or close garage doors manually as well as automatically. In many instances, you will notice that door designers install large spring coils at the top of the garage doors or as secondary springs over door tracks.
3. Hinges : Remember that garage doors are subject to large scale and frequent movements. Therefore, door designers install hinges in between the sections of the garage doors to support bending and alignment of the doors with respect to movements. Notably, Hinges may provide the baseline to know the quality of the garage door, with many people preferring double hinges for better quality.
4. Rollers : Rollers are metal wheels that move on the door track to ease movements. The wheels are fundamental in resisting friction and door resistance to movements as they smoothen the overall operations.
5. Garage door tracks : Door tracks are metal frameworks that accommodate rollers and other door components. Essentially, they facilitate opening and closing processes as all the functions take place on such alignments. Metal tracks are suspended or anchored to the garages’ ceilings.
6. Garage door openers : Thanks to the modest technologies and knowledge diversification, garage door openers now encompass combinations of motorized devices. Garage door designers install door openers to automate movements. Some parts of garage door openers include lifting drums, manual disconnects, and chains.
7. Weather-stripping sealers : Often, garage doors are subject to weather conditions that may affect their operational integrity. Such weather conditions as wind and all forms of precipitations may affect the operations of garage doors in the long run. Therefore, weather stripping sealers are vital in preventing wind and precipitations from getting into the garage and other garage door components.

Common Reasons That Your Garage Door Won’t Work

Now that you have an overview of various vital components that make up garage doors, it is relevant to appreciate that garage doors are subject to malfunctions and damages that arise from various sets of conditions. Firstly, one is bound to ignore the servicing process of garage doors unless there are large scale damages and malfunctions. Secondly, various damages and functional issues may require expert knowledge to identify. However, there are some obvious reasons why your garage door won’t work:

1. Broken springs

Despite the existence of appropriate technologies of installing garage door springs, breaks are inevitable. Some factors that facilitate spring breaks include rusting, high movement forces, and other aspects. Broken springs are not only hinder garage doors’ operations but also contribute to physical injuries. For instance, when door spring breaks, they alter garage door movements and may result in uncontrolled falling and door hanging.

2. Door opener failures

Certainly, various components of garage door openers may fail to articulate and initiate movements. There are combinations of activities and factors that may facilitate the “responsiveness” of door openers. Such factors include:

• Interfering with the motorized devices
• Garage door sensor (s) failures
• Effects of weather conditions such as some forms of precipitations that may affect some vital components of door openers
• Mechanical failures due to lock time operations and old age, among others

The questions of how failed garage door openers affect the overall garage door working are relevant in informing personal preparedness toward addressing such issues. For instance, there are various garage door “misbehavior” that emanate from garage door opener malfunctions.

Such misbehaviors include:

• Garage door obsessions – you may notice door obsessions when your garage door(s) closes and reopens even after the completion of set automation times for complete movements. For instance, a modern garage door comprises mechanisms to control the opening and closing processes through appropriate timing of movements across the tracks. Therefore, frequent closing and reopening movements outside the set mechanisms may represent door opener failures.
• The door opens and doesn’t close – again, there should be appropriate timing on the simultaneous opening and closing of your garage door (s). There are instances where the door would open and may not close even after running the door opener. Such incidences may represent the mechanical failures of garage door openers that may require immediate interventions and solutions.
• The door opens and reverses itself – the incidences of reversing and counter reversing are common when door openers are obscured; do not sense remote commands and any other related incidence. For instance, such incidences require immediate responses since they may lead to physical injuries and even death to children and pets.

3. Cable breaks

Like springs, garage door cables are prone to regular wear and tears. In the event of cable breaks, there are gross alterations of garage door movements. In some instances, the door may cease to open or close, hence demanding immediate fixing. At other times, the door may clumsily open or close and may produce noise due to movement difficulties and resistance.

4. Sticking rollers

Certainly, rollers are subject to high friction and resistance with respect to door materials of different weights. Despite the presence of high friction and resistance, the primary factors that facilitate the process of roller sticking include rusting and metal track breaks.  The effects of stuck rollers include:

• Garage door track alterations
• Difficult movements of garage doors
• Door stopping and reversing
• Noise arising from movement resistance forces, among others.

5. Remote control failures

There are incidences where garage door sensors fail to articulate and respond to promote control commands. Well, this may be a small concern; you should understand the factors that contribute to the remote control failures. For instance, it could be the sensor malfunctions, keypad failures, or even remote batteries that require recharging or replacements.

Basic Garage Door Maintenance and Quick Repair Services

Now that you have a glimpse of the obvious reasons why your garage door may cease to work, it is vital to evaluate the potential real-time fixes as well as maintenance interventions. For instance, you should not ignore some incidences or indicators such as noise, rusting, and component tears or wears. Therefore, the process of repair and maintaining your garage door should start with you. Here are some of the quick fixes and maintenance strategies that you should consider:

Galvanizing rollers

As evident, rollers are metal wheels that enable smooth movements of your garage door (s). Their metallic characteristics make the susceptible to rusting that may arise from various weather conditions including precipitation and other factors. Subsequently, rusting leads to wearing, sticking, and destruction of rollers as they move along the door metal tracks.

All you should do to prevent the rusting of metal rollers is frequent monitoring and galvanizing them to ease their movements along the door tracks. Such activities would not only facilitate the door movements but also promote the aspects of efficiency and durability. Additionally, such processes would eliminate the need for frequent replacements and costly repairs.

Frequent garage door balance tests

Testing the balance aspect of your garage door would be vital in identifying the presence of any breakage on cables, springs, and even door hinges. For instance, when lifting cables and springs break, you would require a lot of labor to move the door upward. Similarly, the hinge breaks may alter the normal alignment of your garage door (s).

Essentially, you should monitor the “behavior” of your garage door(s) with much attention to the overall balance aspects. In instances where the damage is above your understanding, it is vital to contact expert installers at your proximity to get the problem fixed.

Regular checks on electric cables and pulleys

Often, electric cables facilitate the motorization of the overall opening and closing processes of your garage doors. On the other hand, pulleys play fundamental roles in articulating upward and downward movements of your garage door (s). Electric cables and pulley strings are prone to periodic wear and tears. Therefore, you should embark on activities such as proper cleaning and regular lubrication activities to reduce movement resistance and friction.

For the purpose of ensuring proper functions of electric cables and motors, you should consider contacting electricians and other experts to sort out issues of replacements and repairs.

Regular tests on the auto-reverse feature

As of now, you have an overview of the factors behind the uncontrolled opening, reversing, and closing of your garage door (s). In attempts to prevent problems arising from your garage door (s) irresponsive reversing, you should regularly check the auto-reverse feature. If there are any issues with auto-reverse scheduling, consider changing schedule settings.

Importantly, you may consider calling an expert to monitor the performance of the auto-reverse feature (s) of your garage door (s). In the event where the door reverses due to other factors such as track alterations and door openers’ responsiveness, consider replacing them with new ones.

Tightening the hardware components

There are frequent movements present with respect to the garage doors. Regular closing and opening process may tend to alter the overall compactness of all components along the metal tracks of garage doors. Subsequently, the alterations on the compactness aspects lead to door sticking, stopping, and overall resistance to movements.

Tightening and correcting any gap may be appropriate in correcting various scales of alterations relevant to many components of garage doors. It is possible to tighten the hardware yourself but you may opt to cooperate with experts in attempts to understand various dynamics regarding component maintenance.

Troubleshooting Common Garage Door Problems

Often, many incidences occur outside the consent of garage owners. Therefore, the process of understanding garage door problems relies heavily on the owner’s ability to identify the deficiency or malfunction with respect to time. Therefore, the questions of what indicators are appropriate in identifying garage door problems are relevant. Here are the indicators of an impending garage door problem:

Noise when opening or closing

Often, the presence of noise when opening or closing the garage door means that there are high levels of movement resistance and friction. There are some mechanical damages that may lead to noise in the event of garage door movements. Such damages include:

• Spring and cable breaks
• Roller rusting
• Hinge breaks
• Track alterations, among others

Rusting and presence of gaps/faults

Rusting is one of the conspicuous contributors of mechanical damages to various garage door components. Overtime rusting may contribute to the presence of gaps and faults to the affected component (s). Therefore, the presence of rusty surfaces or components should inform your response toward maintaining all components of your garage door (s).

Garage door “misbehavior”

The immediate change of operations, reactions, and the response of your garage door (s) to remote and other control commands should inform you of the underlying problem (s). There are several aspects of your garage door “behavior” that should notify you of the presence of a problem. They include:

• Stuck garage door
• Running door opener but the door won’t respond
• The door opens and then reverses
• Door obsession, among others

Common Garage Door Problems That You May Repair Yourself

Notably, not all garage door problems that would prompt you to seek external expertise or guidance. Some of the problems arise from basic factors that you may fix on your own. However, you should be extra cautious since the processes of installing garage doors and their components involve high expertise and knowledge. Here are some of garage door problems that you may repair yourself before looking for an expert:

Component (s) rusting

Rusting is a process that arises from the exposure of metallic components to precipitation among other factors. It is a common phenomenon with respect to garage doors since there are several metallic components including rollers. It is possible to control rusting through:

• Sealing potential gaps that would facilitate the entry of various forms of precipitations
• Galvanizing the metallic rollers
• Lubricating rollers and metallic tracks
• Regular cleaning to eliminate the accumulation of dust particles
• Insulating any naked electrical wire, among other mechanisms

Garage door openers sensor obscurity

Garage door openers rely heavily on commands from external remote controls, among other strategies. However, they may fail to respond to commands if they are obscured, covered, or inclined in different directions. In the events of such incidences, you should embark on cleaning the sensors, inclining them to the appropriate directions, and uncover them. Surely, such activities would not require expertise or any level of specialization.

Remote opener failures

There are many instances when remote controls fail to articulate commands and controls with respect to garage door movements. Such failures may arise from internal malfunctions of the remote controls. You should try the following strategies to correct remote control failures:

• Consider replacing remote control batteries
• Evaluate the efficiency and functioning of remote control keypads
• Consider replacing it if there are large-scale internal malfunctioning

Top Rated Garage Door Repair and Service Providers

In your endeavors to ensure the proper functioning of your garage door (s), you would require experts or specialized agencies to fix any problem. For the residence of various states in the United States of America, there are plenty of top-rated garage door repair services providers at their disposal. Some garage door specialists services include:

1. Precision Door services

Precision Door Services is one of the most profound and standout companies with respect to garage door repair and maintenance. To start with, the company boasts of over 100 locally-owned franchises in the country. Secondly, the company operates on the objectivity of expertise, trust, and confidence. Other features include:

• Reliable customer services
• Proper communication
• Diversity of operation, among others

They provide 24/7 customer communication through 877-301-7474

2. Overhead Door Corporation

Overhead Door Corporation is a legendary company with respect to garage door repair. Here are some of its distinct characteristics:

• Over 100 years of operations
• Dependable and quality product provisions
• Qualified and experienced professionals
• Reliable and fast communication through 1(800) 929-3667
• Diversification of products and services

3. Garage Door Guru

As the name suggests, the company is instrumental in transforming your garage through appropriate repairs and maintenance mechanisms. Garage Door Guru provides the following services:

• Free on-site quotes
• Commercial and residential services
• Timely responses
• 24/7 communications through 1-866-427-2430
• Affordable service rates, among others

4. Garage Door Doctors

Garage Door Doctors provide a wide array of garage door repair services with the aim of satisfying their clients’ preferences and needs. The company targets the residents of West Chester, Downingtown, and Chester County. Its distinguishing characteristics include:

• It’s a family-owned and operated company
• Provide repair services to all garage door regardless of their sizes and shapes
• Provide services at affordable and flexible rates
• Reliable communication through 484-685-5123, among others

5. AI Garage Door Services

The company is instrumental in providing reliable repair and maintenance services to the residents of various prominent towns and states. Such towns and states include Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma, among others. Alongside serving a large population, the company (AI Garage Door) also provides the following services:

• Repair of all garage door components
• Reliable and timely communication through 844-214-2724
• On-site free cost estimates
• 24/7 emergency repair services, among others

6. Garage Door Plus, LLC

Thomas Rodriguez founded The Garage Door Plus Company to serve the twin cities metro area. The company plays fundamental roles in providing its clients with flexible, reliable, and proper services that include:

• Diversity of garage door repair and maintenance
• Consultations and buying advice
• Reliable communication through 612-760-7551
• 24-hour emergency garage door repair, among others

7. Garage Door Services, Inc

The Garage Door Service, Inc. is a prominent company that serves a large population. The company satisfies the needs of clients in the entire Traverse, Benzie, Kalkaska, Antrim, and Elk areas. If you reside in these areas, you can reach out to the company via (231) 947-5151 and enjoy efficient, reliable, and affordable garage door repair services.

8. Garage Door Services in Houston, Inc

Since 1991, the company has served its clients with the objectives of providing reliable, efficient, and pocket-friendly services. The company Garage Door Services has branches in Houston (Texas), Oklahoma, and Tennessee. The company is accessible through (512) 846-1139 and provides a wide array of services that suit customer preferences.

9. JS Garage Door Services

The Minnesota-based JS Garage Door Services company broke away from the National Garage Repair Company with the objective of providing pocket-friendly services. There are plenty of benefits attributed to the company. They include:

• Low overhead cost
• Operational diversity
• Reliable and timely communication through 763-308-4885
• Expertise services, among others

10. Garage Door Services LLC In Pittsboro, NC

The company provides services to clients in Pittsboro, NC, and its neighborhoods. The company targets the provision of garage door services that satisfy clients’ needs and preferences. Other benefits include:

• Repair and maintenance services to garage door of every shape and size
• Efficient, effective, and timely communication through 919-542-0667 or on website
• Employees’ training and high-level performance to complement clients’ needs, among other benefits.

Recap

Now you have a concept of various crucial aspects of garage doors. Therefore, you have the possibility to be in a position to identify, monitor, and consort with respect to your garage door problems. Always remember that many issues concerning your garage door (s) may require expert intervention and knowledge. However, do your part in maintaining your garage door (s). If there is any large scale concern (s), always look for an expert service provider at your proximity to have the problem addressed conveniently and with respect to time.