If your home has a garage door, it is unlikely the thought of maintenance ever comes to mind. Most of us just go about our day - press the button, door opens, we drive in, press the other button, and the door goes down. Simple, effortless, thoughtless. What happens the day you press the button and your door doesn't open? Panic time! How do you get into your house? Where do you park the car? Many of you are so used to entering and exiting your house through your garage that you forget you even have a front door. Or if you do remember you have a front door you have no idea where you house key is. You say, "my house key is my garage door opener"! Well, don't panic. I thought I would share with you some tips to consider before you have issues or if you are currently experiencing problems with your door. You can trust that what you read is accurate, as I have extensive knowledge of garage door repair.
There are a few common things that are the cause of garage doors malfunctioning. In the next few paragraphs I will discuss them and what you should do.
If you ever experience the panic-inducing scenario I mentioned before where you press the remote and nothing happens, there are a few likely causes. The first thing to check is if your door functions properly by pressing the wall-mounted keypad or button inside your garage. If your door opens with this button you probably need to reprogram your remote. Sometimes they just stop working for no apparent reason, but this is rare. If you find that the button inside your garage also does not make your door open or close, first check and make sure the power to your house is not out. If you have power, there is possibly a problem with your motor. In this case, you should contact your local garage door repair expert to come inspect your motor and determine what the issue is. They should be able to get you fixed up quickly.
If your door is sticking or catching when it goes up or down, this is likely due to your metal rollers and hinges needing a re-application of lubricant. Like any other moving object with hinges, your garage door needs to be lubed in order to keep the moving metal parts operating smoothly. Dirt or grime build-up in the tracks can also cause your door to stick or catch. While this is a task you could try yourself, you will be much better off if you contact a local garage door repair expert to perform the correct procedures in the right order to ensure you get the longest lasting benefits.
Some houses have manual (non-motorized) garage doors, and will find that over time they become harder to keep up in a raised position without holding on to the door. This is certainly not an ideal situation! This is likely due to worn out extension springs, which have lost their tension and can no longer support the weight of the door. Warning: Do not try to replace these yourself! This procedure is very dangerous as these springs are very powerful and can cause some serious damage to you or your stuff in the garage. Call a local garage door repair specialist that knows what they are doing to come perform this work for you.
As you can see, with most instances I suggest you contact a professional. There are several components to a garage door and unless you are trained in working on them it will usually cost your more to have someone undo what you have attempted to fix yourself than to call a professional in the first place.
Most importantly, make sure to properly research local companies in your area.
Finally, be sure to:
Pick a company that has been in business for a long time as they will likely understand the industry best and have some little tricks up their sleeves that can save you money. Work with someone that will send their own insured and trained technicians to your home, not subcontractors that they have little or no control over. Choose your company carefully by seeing what other customers have said about them.
I hope you found this information helpful, and remember - most of you do have a front door too!
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