Top 10 Most Common Garage Door Problems and How to Fix Them

A reliable garage door is vital for safety and convenience. Over time, even the most reliable and durable doors will experience problems based on normal wear and tear or heavy-duty use. This guide will identify the 10 most common types of residential garage door problems, including a description of the issue in layman's terms and what you can do to fix it. If applicable, we will also mention when to call in the pros. Most importantly, remember that you must keep safety in mind. If you think a repair is complicated or requires some level of risk, it is always a good rule of thumb to call a professional garage door service such as OC Garage Door Guys.

1. Will Not Open or Close

Problem: Your garage door is either not moving at all or it is only moving a little bit. There could be a couple of simple reasons for this. The opener may be unplugged, or the circuit breaker tripped which would cut its power source. Check if the wall switch is dead, or if the circuit breaker is tripped or if the door is accidentally locked in place. It is often worth trying to change the batteries in your remote or keypad (if applicable) to see if you can get the opener to work again.

• Quick Fixes: If the opener is plugged in and the breaker is on, check to see if the door is locked. Change the batteries in your remote/keypad and try again.

• Safety Tip: If the door is stuck in the open position, DO NOT pull the emergency release cord and let it drop. It could crash to the ground. Call a trained professional who is able to take care of the garage door safely.

2.Door Reverses or Stops Mid-Cycle

Problem: The door appears to be closing but suddenly stops and goes back up, or opens by itself. Because this involves the safety sensors or the controls, the two sensors (the little boxes at the bottom of the door) have to be facing each other and kept clean - a little dirt, or being slightly out of alignment can cause the door to reverse.

• Sensor Check: Examine the light on each sensor. If one of the lights is off or blinking, clean the lens gently and realign the sensor until the light stays on. Make sure there is nothing blocking the sensor beams, such as objects or wires.

• Wire/remote: Faulty wires or a wonky remote can cause the door to act on its own as well. Try replacing the remote batteries and reprogramming the remote. If the problem persists, contact OC Garage Door Guys for help with sensors or wiring.

3. Loud or Unusual Noises

Problem: Your garage door or opener is loud - it might be grinding, squeaking, rattling, or there might have been a loud bang. While some sounds are normal (like motors humming), very loud clanks or squeals indicate regime action is required. Common causes are dry rollers or hinges, loose hardware, or a chain from the opener is misaligned. Worn parts may also require lubrication over time.

• Lubricate Moving Parts: Even if you have seen no noticeable noise , spray a silicon-based garage door lubricant on rollers or hinges and springs. Regular lubrication will help keep moving parts moving, and minimizing noise.

• Tighten Hardware: Check every bolt and nut on the door, tracks and opener, and tighten everything that is loose, as this can take out any rattling.

• Pro Tune-Up: If the rattling continues, a technician can turn down the tension on the opener's chain, and/or replace worn parts. Do not ignore the banging - the faster you handle it, the less likely you'll have a bigger problem.

4. Broken Garage Door Springs

Problem: The door feels very heavy or feels like it wouldn't move at all after you hear the loud snap. Your door relies on torsion (or extension) springs to counterbalance its weight. When a spring breaks, the door can fall or stop moving entirely. Springs are tightly wound under extremely high tension, so it is very dangerous to deal with a broken spring.

• Call a Professional: Garage door springs can only be replaced by a trained technician. Unless you have the proper tools and trained how to repair springs, a spring repair could cause injury.

• Safety First: When a technician replaces your springs, they will reset the balance of the door upon installation. You can't set the spring tension correctly yourself - leave it to the pros.

5. Off Track or Misaligned Door

Problem: The door may appear crooked as it travels or you can see the gaps between the rollers and the track. Generally, this would be a sign of the door going off track or the tracks bending. Tracks go out or alignment usually from a hard hit on the door or the roller jumping out. If you notice this, immediately stop using the opener and do not continue to engage the track or actuator.

• Do Not Force It: Never run the opener again if you have an off-track door. Pushing it could twist the tracks more or damage the opener.

• Inspect Tracks: Look at the track mounting screws and brackets. If screws are loose the track can shift. If doors are only slightly out of alignment, you may be able to loosen the screws, tap the track into position and re-tighten the screws.

• Enlist Help: If there is major bending in the track or enough that the door jumped off track, call OC Garage Door Guys. They are able to safely align or replace tracks and get the door back on track.

6. Worn Rollers or Hinges

Problem: Door moves uneven or jerks, typically with some sort of squeak or grind. The small rollers attached to each door panel and the hinges between panels can wear out, rust away, or loosen with use. When this happens, the door will not travel smoothly on the track. access to garage door repair- it usually takes at lest two people.

• Lubricate and Tighten: Lubricate all of the rollers and hinges with garage door lubricant and tighten any screws that are loose. This usually gets rid of minor jerks, and the lubricant helps quiet squeaks.

• Replace any Bad Parts: Check your rollers - if the bearings are seized or a roller is cracked - replace it. Nylon rollers are quieter than metal. If just a few rollers need to be replaces you can do this on your own; if too many wear are evident call OC Garage.

7.Broken or Frayed Cables

Problem: The cables that lift the door (the coiled wires on the drums) look frayed or one side of the door is lower than the other side and rely on the springs on the door to lift the door. The entire load will be taken up by the cables if the spring fails first, it can snap. A broken cable is very dangerous and do not mess with a broken cable.

• Turn Off the Power: You need to unplug the opener and be away from the door first.

• Call a professional: Call OC Garage Door Guys right now. Our technicians can unwind and install the cables, safely and restore the correct spring tension.

8. Remote or Keypad Doesn't Work

Problem: Your remote control / or door keypad suddenly stopped working or sometimes works / sometimes does not work. Typically this is from weak battery, or a signal issue.

• Replace Batteries: Change the batteries in both the remote and key pad. Many of the time the remote just has dead batteries.

• Reprogram: 1. Typically most systems can be just synced back together. 2. Typically most systems have a reset button as explained in your owners manual.

• Other fixes: Make sure you are in range, aimed at the door, and that you are using the correct button on the remote. If your remote still does not work, OC Garage Door Guys can check it or replace it.

9. Opener or Motor Malfunction

Problem: When you press the wall switch, or remote, and the door does not do anything, or the opener motor hums but does not move the door. Most of the time the opener unit will be in the ceiling, and will have an electrical (circuit board) or mechanical failure.

• Check for Power: Make sure, the opener is plugged in to electrical, the garage door circuit breaker is ON, and unplug the opener for 30 seconds and plug it back in to reset it.

• Check the Trolley: Look for a emergency release cord (red cord), and check to make sure it is not engaged. Please reconnect if it was engaged.

• Call a Technician: If everything has been reset, the trolley is connected to the trolley, the gears or a circuit board in the motor unit may have failed. Our technician can safely determine if you need to diagnose or replace the opener.

10. Weather Seals , Damaged Panels , or Door Weathering (sun, rain & age)

Problem: You have seen some dents or cracks on the door panels or the rubber weather seal at the bottom of the door is cracked. Garage doors can really deteriorate bad, over the years for many reasons (sun, rain and age). These problems most of the time create air drafts, noises, or run down looking door, etc.

• Weather Seal: If the rubber seal at the bottom is torn or loose fit, you can buy a new seal strip and just snap it back in the bottom track's retaining clip. The new rubber will keep drafts out, and mice, ants, dirt, etc. A job like this could take as little as 30 minutes from start to finish.

• Repair or replace the Panels: Sometimes small dents can be filled in, or hammered out, but usually severe rust or cracks is replacement. Remember garage doors are typically last 20-25 years. OC Garage Door Guys can help decide if it's time to consider a new door.

OC Garage Door Guys is a local family owned business, right here in Orange County. We know these problems intimate, professional jack of all trades and proud to provide honest advice and quality workmanship. It does not matter if it is a noisy opener, snapped spring, or just routine maintenance, you can depend on OC Garage Door Guys to fix your garage door system properly, and safely. Call us anytime day or night, we live here too and are neighbours, we will treat you like family and provide friendly service, and dependability results.