With regular care and occasional professional maintenance, your commercial or residential garage door will work smoothly. However, you may find yourself in a situation where you cannot properly open or close your garage door. There are a number of different reasons why your garage door may not be operating properly. Here are a few tips to help you identify the source of the problem:
Problems Closing
- Faulty Garage Door Sensors: One of the most common reasons garage doors have trouble closing is that the safety sensor’s beam is obstructed. Make sure there is nothing under the garage door and that the sensors are pointing directly at each other.
- Door Closes, then Reverses: If your door begins to close, but stops and reverses, then you may have to adjust the door’s sensitivity settings. Your garage door opener is designed with a safety feature that reverses the door if there is too much resistance under the door. Bumps in the door track may set off the sensor.
Problems Opening
- Opener Runs but Door Doesn’t Move: If the garage door opener is running, but the door does not move, then the door may not be connected to the track. Check the emergency rope to see if it has been pulled by accident.
- Seasonal Changes: If the cold weather makes your door sluggish, then the contracting track frame may be the cause. Decrease your door’s sensitivity settings so it moves more easily during cold weather.
General Tips
- Check your garage door opener remote’s batteries to ensure consistent operation.
- Never work with electrical components on your own—always call a garage door repair technician!
- Inspect your door every few months for potential problems. Preventative maintenance is much easier and cheaper than huge garage door repairs.