Your garage door is an important feature of your home as it is frequently used as a point of entrance and exit. As you are constantly using your garage door, it becomes prone to wear and tear. While they are made of durable materials, functional issues with your garage door are inevitable.
If your garage door no longer functions properly, there can be different sources of the problem that you need to address. Whether you are having difficulties with opening or closing your garage door manually, it is important that you understand the source of the problem. Calling a garage door professional is also essential as it is dangerous to deal with the problem yourself.
- The operator has no power
More often than not, the problem might have to do with a simple error such as forgetting to plug the power cord. As minor as it may seem, plugging the power cord is often overlooked. If your garage door will not open or close, find out if the cord is plugged properly.
If you have checked your physical setup and the cord has been plugged, you need to check other sources of the problem such as the circuit breaker or fuse. Serious issues with these electrical components can cause your operator to stop receiving power. This problem should be handled by a professional so you can get the right solution.
- Broken extension or torsion springs
If you cannot get your garage door to open while the motor is running, it is an indicator that the extension springs might be broken. Only a professional service person can tell you what the exact problem is. Aside from broken extension springs, you should also check the torsion spring as it might also be causing the problem.
You need to replace the springs once they have exhausted their cycles. They can snap abruptly if they are not replaced. If you continue to operate your garage door with a broken spring, personal injury and damage to property will be the possible results of neglecting the problem.
- Blocked, dirty or misaligned photo-eye
Check your photo-eye if you are unable to close your garage door all the way. It only means that the photo-eye is either misaligned or blocked. You may also need to clean the photo-eye if it has not been maintained. There is a big chance that it only needs cleaning. Most garage doors that are manufactured in the early ’90s come with safety features. The photo-eye component is one of these features. The photo-eye is placed on each side of your garage door. It measures four feet above the ground. Once the photo-eye is activated, you will also activate the laser beam which is the size of a pea.
- Expired batteries
You will need power access when activating your garage door. While your operator requires power, it is not only the component that needs power access. you also have to check your batteries as those might have already expired. The expired batteries will prevent you from activating the remote. If this happens, you need to check the transmission receiver which can be found on your garage’s inside wall.
Manually push the receiver’s button so you will know whether or not it will activate. If the door is activated, the problem is with the remote. Changing the battery solves the problem but it might be more than just expired batteries. You have to call garage door repair company Keller to find out if there are more serious problems that need to be tackled.
- Broken cables
While broken springs are already dangerous and need immediate attention, you should not also ignore snapped cables. The extension springs are responsible for providing tension so you can raise or lower your door. The cables allow you to bring your garage door up and down. If these cables snap, your door will plunge to the ground causing loud, banging noise and worse, serious damage.
Due to the weight of the garage door, anything in its path can be severely crushed or damaged. Once the springs have snapped, the cables will not last long either. Upon discovering that your extension springs have failed, you should close the door and avoid opening it. The springs need to be replaced before you can open the door.
These garage door issues need attention from a professional technician. Be sure to schedule a call to avoid costly damage and serious injury.
