3 Common Garage Door Problems You can Test

Garage doors are the most heavily used entries to your home or business. So much so, that they have been called "The Other Front Door", so it’s understandable that they require repair or maintenance every once in a while. While some common issues can be fixed by yourself, others require the expertise of a garage door professional. Here are three of the most common garage door issues you’ll run into, and how to solve them.


1) Door will not close and Automatically Reverses.

Perhaps more than any other issue with garage doors occurs when the door starts to close and almost immediately reverses itself. 95% of the time this is caused by damage or misalignment of the photo electric sensors. These "safety eyes" are mounted on both sides of the door frame toward the bottom. The sensors are designed to reverse the closing door if there is something or somone in the doorway. To function properly; the sensors must be aligned with each other. When the sensors are not aligned properly or there is something in the way, the lights will be flashing. Slowly adjust the sensors until they are aligned and the lights are no longer flashing.  If this does not solve the problem contact your garage door professional.

2)  Difficulty Opening or Closing the Door

A common problem with residential garage doors is difficulty operating the garage door properly. This is sometimes caused by a poorly lubricated door. Use a silicone based lubricant never WE40 etc. Then, try unhinging the door from your garage door opener by pulling the emergency release cord. If the door moves more freely with the opener disengaged, then the problem is related to the opener and will require professional repair.

3) Noisy or Jammed Door Springs

Garage doors are opened by high-tension door springs that help the door open or close easily. However, these springs need to be properly maintained to ensure proper tension. If the spring is jamming or makes excessive noise, then call a garage door repair professional to service it. Never work on garage door springs yourself—they are extremely dangerous and can cause serious injury.