You might think of the garage like any other doorway into your home; it’s easy to forget how complex this system is, until you’re having garage door problems, that is. The system pulling that massive door open and closed when you leave in the morning and return at night does a ton of work.
How much do you know about that system? Did you know that some have chain belts, while some are made of rubber…What kind is yours? Your neighbor told you that he was experiencing garage door problems and had a spring replaced…Do you know what purpose those springs serve on your door? Or just how dangerous those springs can be to a DIY-er, and why? While it may be difficult to understand the working parts of your garage when you aren’t a professional, you can always do some simple troubleshooting when you’re experiencing issues. Today, we’re going to give you a few tips on checking out minor garage door problems.
You press the button, but the garage door doesn’t open
First, let’s check the power sources to the garage and your remote. Your remote has batteries (this includes the keypad on your wall as well), and the opener itself on the ceiling of your garage, that moves the door up and down, should be plugged in. Assuming it is all plugged in and your batteries are newer…
Check the garage door opener for a lock mode
Make sure the garage door isn’t in its locked mode. If you aren’t sure how to check this on your control panel, look up your model online. This button is usually hard-to-miss, and typically held down for a few seconds to activate and deactivate. You may have accidentally turned this on. If this is the case, your garage door opener should work as expected after you turn off the lock. But let’s say you find that you are not in locked mode…
Troubleshoot your garage door sensors
We’re talking about those sensors near the ground that prevent the door from closing on anything or anyone. A beam of light is shot from one end of the sensor to the next, and when this light is cut off, your garage door won’t operate. If the sensors are working, they’ll typically show you a small indicator light. Make sure nothing is blocking the sensor and that it’s clear and clean. Additionally, the system will behave as if it were being blocked if there is damage to either end of the sensors. Verify there is no damage to either sensor or its wires. If you do find damage, give us a call. We can get that sensor, or both, in working order.
Now, say your sensor is fine, nothing is blocking it, but you’re still having trouble…
Pay attention for anything out of the ordinary with your garage door, anything that could be a more problematic symptom
We have listed any possible, small scale issues that you could test for and fix at home, but what if you haven’t found the solution here? There may be a bigger issue with your garage. Visually inspect the system, tighten any loose bolts. Does anything seem out of place or misaligned? Do you hear any strange noises? Is your chain less taut now? Does the door pause while opening or closing? Or fall closed when you try to leave it half open? Does it reopen while you’re trying to close it?
If you are experiencing any of these garage door problems, or you simply cannot find a single cause to the issue you’re experiencing, feel free to give us a call. We service homes all around the Valley, Queen Creek, Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Phoenix and beyond! We would love to get your garage door up (and down!) and running once again.