Are you having trouble opening or closing your garage door? When a garage door refuses to do what it’s supposed to do, it can be a frustrating experience for all involved. Homes should be a place of comfort and convenience when you get home from work, especially when you try to enter through your garage doors.
Normally, automatic garage doors should operate without any issues. Since they are mechanical, however, they can be prone to problems. These range from broken down parts to lack of regular maintenance, contributing to your garage door malfunctioning. Here are some common reasons why your garage door gets stuck when opening or closing.
Issues with the Track
If you’re unable to open or close your garage door, it could result from a misaligned track. Garage doors use rollers to slide off tracks when they move. However, if the track is damaged in any way, it causes it to bend. Damage can take place through several means, one of which is a heavy impact. It could happen through a falling ladder or by accidentally bumping your car back into the garage door. Either way, a damaged track makes it difficult for you to move the door.
One way to tell if your tracks are misaligned is if the garage door makes loud grinding noises. The movement might also be inconsistent due to the damaged state it’s in right now. If nothing seems wrong with the track itself, it might be that the rollers fell off. Try inspecting the tracks on both sides of the garage door to see if the wheels are in place.
Lack of Lubrication
Regular maintenance is mandatory if you want your garage door to work properly. One method is lubrication. Both the garage door tracks and opening chains need lubrication to maintain smooth movements. Since these are metal objects, it needs to be applied with a liquid substance to prevent resistance. For example, machine oils can minimize friction.
Your garage parts need to be well-oiled to keep them running smoothly. However, if these parts are not regularly lubricated, it can lead to your garage door getting stuck in place due to friction. Sometimes it’s hard to see if it happens at certain angles, especially with the garage door tracks. As a result, it’s easy to miss.
Issues with the Sensors
Due to recent safety guidelines, most automated garage doors now use motion sensors. To prevent you from getting crushed by a closing door, it’s required by law for doors to be equipped with them. You can find these sensors near ground level on either side of the door. It’s a handy feature that ensures a falling garage door does not injure you. However, even though electric garage doors use modernized technology, some issues can stop your door from opening and closing properly.
While convenient, motion sensors have one major flaw – they cannot tell apart from humans and inanimate objects. As a result, the obstruction can occur from random items. If your garage door does not open, it might be due to nearby debris, such as a paint can. Since the motion sensors are ground-level, it’s likely an object is right beside it.
Another issue with sensors is faulty alignment. On both sides of your garage door are sensors that connect with infrared beams. If the sensors aren’t aligned to meet each other, the door remains unmovable. Since it requires skill and expertise to set up, professional technicians can assist you in proper alignment.
Just like your garage door track, other mechanical parts can break down and prevent your door from functioning as intended. Cables can suffer wear and tear, thus resulting in eventually snapping. Springs can fly off across the room, which removes the weight counterbalance your door needs to move at all. Roller wheels can be displaced at any time. Should any of these parts break for any reason, it can prevent your door from opening and closing properly. Broken pieces need to be replaced as soon as possible, especially with professional help.
Why You Should Get It Repaired Immediately
If your garage door is stuck and you don’t know what to do, call for a team of trained technicians. The reason you should take care of this immediately is malfunctioning garage doors can prove dangerous. Whether the door falls or parts fly across the room, you risk serious injury or even death. If you cannot get your door to work, stop using it and call for professional help. Repairing your garage door is not a simple task-it requires extensive knowledge and the right tools for the job. Now that you know what might cause your garage door’s potential issues get the assistance you need and call today.
