Garage Door Repair – 4 Things To Check Before Calling A Technician

You’ve probably experienced this scenario with your garage door. You arrive home late at night, tired and ready to hit the sack. You press the remote as you turn your car into the driveway. The door opens for you to park your car inside. You press the remote again to close the door and nothing happens. It doesn’t close. You replace the batteries of your remote and try again…still nothing. You go to bed frustrated and worried your door will remain open all night.
Your garage door system is a complicated system that includes springs, pulleys, etc as well as a heavy garage door you don’t want to mess with. Here are 4 things to check before calling your technician. Most of them you can fix yourself but anything more complicated should be left to a professional.
4 Things To Check Before Calling A Technician
Door won’t open or close
Common Causes
1. Dead batteries
The batteries of your remote door opener may be dead. Replace the batteries and try again. Make sure you’ve put them in the correct way. Usually this solves the problem.
2. Electronic eyes not aligned
There are 2 electronic eyes one at each end of the door that create an invisible light between them. If these are not aligned with each other it will affect the opening and closing of the door. To correct the alignment simply move one of the eyes up or down a little on its housing, then try closing the door again. You’ll need some patience to achieve success.
Door opens but won’t close
Common Causes
3. Obstruction under door
If something is obstructing the door it will open but won’t close. This safety mechanism is to prevent a person or an object from being crushed underneath the door. Check you haven’t left a shovel, bag or something else under the door. Remove it and try again.
4. Broken springs, cables or pulleys
If you’ve checked all the above things first and still have problems closing your garage door you may have a broken spring, cable or pulley. Don’t try to keep closing the door. It will only make things worse and cost more to repair.
Since this type of repair is beyond what you can do yourself, call your repair technician. He’ll be able to easily diagnose and fix the problem. Most door repair companies offer a free quote and some even offer discount coupons. Ask about them when the technician visits your home. You’ll save some money.