What Can Cause a Garage Door To Keep Getting Stuck?
Dealing with a garage door that keeps getting stuck is frustrating since it could trap your car inside or prevent you from getting it out. This issue can also directly impact your home security since someone could enter if your garage door doesn’t close. Here are the most common problems that can cause a garage door to get stuck and what can be done to overcome each one.
Damaged, Misaligned or Obstructed Track
When a garage door opens, the rollers should glide smoothly along the two tracks along the side of the door and continue horizontally below the ceiling. If the two tracks aren’t correctly aligned, it will often lead to the rollers binding up and the door only opening part of the way before it gets stuck and stops moving. The same thing can happen when the door closes, so it gets stuck part of the way down. The track can also get bent fairly easily and create the same issue. There is also a chance that debris has gotten inside one of the tracks, preventing the topmost roller from moving further.
These issues are the first things to check for if your garage door starts getting stuck. Many simple problems can be fixed yourself. This can be done by cleaning the track to remove debris or gently bending it so the rollers can move along it again. If you notice a gap between the rollers and the track to where the rollers aren’t sitting directly on it, it indicates that the track is misaligned. Misalignment often happens due to the door continually opening and closing and is something you should hire a professional to fix.
Roller Has Come off the Track
If one of the tracks is bent, it can also cause one or more rollers to slip off the track and come loose. When this happens, it leads to the panel that the roller is connected to sagging. This issue can then cause the door to bind and prevent it from opening as it should. Garage door sagging is easy to spot since you’ll see that the panel is sagging and the roller is off the track.
When dealing with this issue, you can sometimes just carefully bend the part of the track where the loose roller is. This should allow you to slide it back on the track. However, you need to be careful not to damage the track and to bend it back in place once you’ve got the roller back on.
Worn-Out Rollers
The rollers on a garage door typically last for around 10 to 20 years. The exception is plastic rollers, which tend to wear out more quickly. Worn-out rollers will usually just cause the garage door to open sluggishly or with a jerking motion, but there are times when this issue can prevent the door from opening all the way. The reason is that worn-out rollers won’t move smoothly or may stop moving, making it much more difficult for the opener to lift the door. Sometimes, the opener may not be powerful enough to lift the door or even lift it.
Checking the condition of the rollers is relatively easy. All you need to do is disconnect the trolley from the motor and try to lift the door by hand. If you have difficulty lifting the door, it can indicate that the rollers are worn out and should be replaced. However, it can also mean the springs are broken, or the door isn’t properly balanced. Having a professional inspect your door if you have trouble lifting it by hand is a good idea.
Track and Rollers Need To Be Lubricated
The rollers can sometimes get stuck if everything isn’t properly lubricated. That means that sometimes, all you may need to do to get your garage door working properly again is to clean the tracks and then lubricate them and the rollers. Generally speaking, garage door rollers should be lubricated every few months, and the track should be lubricated yearly.
Broken Spring
One of the more common reasons a garage door gets stuck and does not open all the way is that a tension or torsion spring is broken. The springs on a garage door do all of the heavy lifting. Torsion springs work by winding and unwinding, whereas extension springs work by expanding and contracting. In either case, the springs bear most of the door’s weight, so the opener can easily move it up and down.
If a spring breaks, the door will almost always open only part of the way and then stop once the upper panel flexes and starts curving along the upper section of the track. This happens because the broken spring is no longer lifting the door’s weight, making it too heavy for the opener to open it all the way.
Garage door springs are under extreme tension when the door is closed. This means they store lots of energy that they release to allow the door to open easily. The fact that they are under so much tension makes them extremely dangerous to work on if you don’t know what you’re doing. Far too many serious and even fatal injuries occur each year from people attempting to work on their garage door springs themselves. You must hire a professional if you suspect you’re dealing with a broken spring.
Door Isn’t Properly Balanced
The springs on a garage door often need to be readjusted to ensure the door is properly balanced and can open easily. If your door is out of balance, it can become too heavy for the opener to lift. In other situations, a door that isn’t properly balanced won’t fully close and will stop just above the ground. Balancing a garage door is done by tightening or loosening the springs, and it should also be done by a professional due to the major risk of injury.
Misaligned or Malfunctioning Safety Sensors
The photo sensors on each side of the door ensure it doesn’t continue to close if a person or object is underneath it. For the sensors to work, they need to be clean and directly in line with each other so that the beam of light shines between them. Dirty or misaligned springs won’t technically cause a garage door to get stuck, but they will prevent it from fully closing. As such, it’s a good idea to check the sensors if you notice your door won’t close or only closes part of the way before going back up.
If your garage door is stuck or you’re having other issues, you can trust the team at Garage Door Doctor for help. We specialize in garage door repairs, maintenance, and installation and serve residential and commercial customers throughout the Indianapolis area. Contact us today for more information or to schedule a garage door inspection.
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