Common Garage Door Faults

When your garage door breaks, you don’t always need a complete replacement. Sometimes repairing or replacing certain components can resolve the issue. Professional garage door engineers should be honest with you about what the issue is but some will convince you to pay for more repairs or replacements than necessary.

We’ve put together some of the most common garage door problems and what it is that is likely to need repairs.

The Garage Door Won’t Stay Open – Damaged Springs

If your garage door doesn’t stay up when opened, the cause is likely to be damaged springs. These springs are absolutely vital to the doors opening mechanism as they hold door’s weight. If your garage door has torsion springs, they are located along the top of the door frame. If your garage door has extension springs, they are located either side of the frame. If either your torsion or extension springs lose tension or fail completely, they won’t be able to support the door properly and you will often find that your garage door has become a lot heavier and won’t stay in position.

Handling these springs incorrectly can pose a great risk to whoever is dealing with them. Therefore, it is recommended that a garage door repair specialist adjusts or replaces your springs.

Garage Door Slamming Shut – Broken Cables

For your garage door to open and close in a controlled manner, your cables need to be in good working condition. Your cables move every time the garage door opens or closes and are under a lot of tension. If your cables are damaged you will find that your garage door will slam shut when open.

Broken cables create similar issues to damaged springs and the two are often confused. If your springs don’t appear to be working correctly, but you can’t see any damage, you should turn your attention to the cables.

Lift cables are found in garage doors with torsion springs and are attached from the bottom corners of the door and routed to the torsion springs above the door. Retaining cables are used in garage doors that have extension springs. These cables are located inside the springs which run vertically along the sides of the garage door.

Dealing with damaged cables carries risks of injury so you should never attempt to fix this yourself.

Stiff Tracks and Rollers – Track Misalignment

Stiff tracks and rollers could simply be caused by debris or poor lubrication. Take a cloth and clean the tracks so that the rollers can move in a smoother fashion and add lubrication if necessary.

If this hasn’t helped then track misalignment could be the cause of the issue. Telltale signs of track problems are gaps between the rollers and the rail, a loud rubbing noise and your garage door not opening smoothly – or in some cases, not opening at all.

Fixing this issue all depends on the severity of the damage and having a professional take a look is your best option.

Get in Touch

To find out more information, or for garage door repairs, replacements and installations, get in touch with The Garage Door Repairman. We work throughout Luton, Dunstable, Buckingham and further afield. Contact us on 01582 380 075 or through our online contact form.

 

Common Garage Door Faults