Common Reasons for Garage Door Failure

February 12, 2019

Precision Door technicians have dealt with just about every issue that can occur with garage doors, openers, and their individual parts. We know how much of an inconvenience, and safety hazard, it can be when your garage door stops working, preventing you from going about your day. So we put together this quick list of the common reasons for garage door failure and what to do if it happens to you.

• Let's start with the easy fixes. It happens to everyone so don't be ashamed if the problem is simply that the transmitter needs new batteries. Whether the signal isn't being received by the transmitter in your car or on the wall of your garage, replace the batteries and try again.
• Your photo eye might be out of alignment or needs cleaning. These are the sensors on the inside your garage floor, stationed on both sides of the door. These are usually the culprit in situations where your garage door opened but won't close all the way and continues to reopen. The photo eyes are in place to tell the garage door to open back up if it senses something in its line of view near the floor; a safety feature to prevent anyone from being trapped beneath the door or, prevent damage to the door by it closing on something it shouldn't. Sometimes the eyes are bumped or moved and become misaligned or get dusty and register the dirt as an object in its vision. Use a soft cloth to clean the eyes and redirect the sensors so that they are pointed directly at each other at the same angle, using a level or measuring their height to make them match.
• Make sure the garage door isn't locked. Garage doors can have a lock system on the outside, engaged by simply turning a handle. Someone could have accidentally turned the handle, locking the garage door and preventing it from opening automatically. Also, with certain opener remotes, you can activate a lock mode by holding down the opener button. If the garage has been locked this way, the door will not move unless you deactivate the lock mode, which you do by holding down the button for several seconds once more.
• If you've checked for the sources of the problem mentioned above and still haven't found the reason, the problem might be more serious. When your garage door isn't opening or closing, your garage door track might be out of alignment or the rollers might be out of the track and this can be serious. If you inspect the track and find bends, bumps, or gaps between the rail and rollers, this is a problem that a professional needs to fix right away. Do not attempt to open or close the door again as it could be dangerous. However, make sure the problem isn't simply an object stuck in the track that is preventing the rollers from moving.
• If you hear a loud bang in the garage, this might just be a broken spring. The springs do all the heavy lifting of your garage door and if they are old or worn, they can break and you won't be able to open the garage door without a new one. If you see a gap in the spring or a piece hanging down, you should call a professional immediately to fix it, as springs are dangerous to attempt to fix or replace on your own. Also, keep in mind that when a spring breaks, a cable will often break as well and will also need replacing.

When your garage door system fails, you can rely on the expert technicians at Precision Door Service of Salt Lake City to fix the problem right away. No matter where you are located, we will solve your garage door problems the first time. We have teams based in Ogden, Salt Lake, and Provo, so we can respond to your service needs quickly. We are confident our services will fit your needs and solve your problem. We offer same-day and around-the-clock service for our Utah residents. Call us any time you have a problem with your garage door!