Hello. I’m Maria Jardine. I’d love to talk to my readers about garage door maintenance and repairs. When you take the time to keep your garage doors in great condition, you can reduce your costs over the life of the doors. Well-maintained garage doors retain their easy movement and attractive appearance for years longer than ones that do not receive the proper level of care. On this site, I will teach you all the maintenance and repair techniques needed to keep your garage doors in phenomenal condition. Come by often to learn all you can about maintaining your garage doors.
When a garage is first built, the door should be in perfect condition. Over the years, however, the garage door will withstand various weather conditions and sustain damage. Eventually, parts of your door will break, and at that point, it is time to call garage door repair professionals. The following are four repairs you should know about.
1. Broken or Worn Down Springs
Garage doors open with springs. An extension system expands and contracts to open doors, while a torsion system turns springs to open the door. Both systems store energy to ensure there is enough force to open the door when the opener is activated.
Whether your door uses a torsion spring system or an extension spring system, eventually the parts will wear out. If they go too long without repair, they can snap and cause injury.
A professional garage door repair service will know which type of system your garage door uses and make the appropriate fix. Usually, the springs will need to be replaced. Sometimes, the cables need to be replaced as well.
2. Cracked or Broken Panels
All garage doors are made of individual panels. These panels are subject to damage from weather, children, pets, and vehicles. They can crack, dent, and chip. With enough damage, the door can become inoperable.
You don't have to wait until the door won't open at all. You don't even have to replace the entire door. Call a garage door repair professional to replace the individual broken panel. Once the technician knows what the make and model of your door is, they can switch the panel out and your door will open correctly once more. Plus, the unsightly cracks and chipped paint will have disappeared.
3. Bent Tracks
Your garage door runs along tracks when it opens and closes. These tracks must be completely clear of debris and perfectly angled so the door functions safely. Repeated use can cause the tracks to bend or dent.
Tracks do not always have to be replaced completely. A technician may be able to use a claw hammer to move the track back into the correct position. If the tech cannot correct the flawed track with tools, they will need to replace the track entirely.
4. Misaligned Sensors
Automatic garage doors utilize sensors to know when to stop closing. The sensors are placed on both sides of the door in small boxes a few inches from the ground. These sensors use an infrared light beam to create an invisible tripwire. When something "trips" the wire, the sensors send a signal to the opener to stop closing and reverse directions. This part is essential to repair right away. If the door does not stop, whatever is underneath will be crushed.
There are a few common issues the sensors can have. The glass covers may need to be cleaned, so try that first. If that doesn't work, the sensor boxes may be misaligned. Use a screwdriver to tighten the screws and put the boxes back into place. Finally, some wires inside the sensor box could pinch together, disrupting the electricity flow and causing inconsistent operation. In this instance, the entire system will need to be replaced. A professional garage door repair tech will be able to handle the repair safely.
Sometimes garage door repairs can be completed DIY. Most of the repairs listed here, however, should be done by a professional service. Garage doors are relatively simple systems, but they involve heavy parts and dangerous amounts of force. Reach out to a garage door repair service for an inspection if you suspect your door has any issues.
Share9 August 2022
