Troubleshooting Garage Door Openers
When you are having trouble with your garage door, you must consider your problem could be due to your garage door springs. Routine maintenance usually reveals the exact cause of your problem and it also helps to keep your garage door performing effectively. If you are having trouble with your garage door opening or closing, it could be because of your springs. Consider if the springs are worn. Even if just one of your springs is broke, it can cause your door to struggle to open up because the springs may be too weak to hold the door. The other springs may have been compensating for the spring that is worn and it also can no longer hold the weight of the door. Both are dangerous and should be avoided if possible.
Deciding If Your Problem Is Because of Your Springs
You can determine if you have springs by relying on the services of a reputable garage door service. You should definitely know if you have springs that are worn to the point of breaking so that you can avoid damaging your car or harming yourself. Let’s start with the torsion spring. If you have these types of springs and you’re hearing a strange noise or it is not working to hold your door when you try to open up your garage door, this is one of the signs that you may have worn springs. Garage doors are heavy and if one of your springs is broken, your garage door opener will not be able to lift the door. In fact, if you continue to try to use the door with broken springs, it will eventually lead to a burnt-out motor. This means that you’ll likely have to have a new garage door opener installed. If you have extension springs, like so many of our customers do, and you are experiencing a problem with the doors opening up awkwardly, this could be due to weak and worn springs. In fact, if you notice that the door is opening at an angle and not straight up, this is another sign of trouble with your garage door springs.
If your garage door cables are on the ground or broken off, this is a clear indication that the spring is broken. That is because this is exactly what will occur when the cable become disconnected. If there is two of the same type of springs, one will assist in keeping the cable contained and on the drums. You will have to physically take notice of this in order to make this determination.
When the garage door will not open up, this is due to the garage door opener force being activated. When this feature is activated it will automatically prevent the opener from allowing the door to open. This is a safety feature designed to help keep you safe when it detects that there is a broken spring, not being able to use your door forces you to figure out what is causing this problem. However, be aware that not every garage door opener has this feature or the feature may not be set up. It is still best to have routine maintenance to detect when you have worn springs so that you can address the problem before it gets to the point of your springs breaking.
Homeowners have reported hearing a loud noise from their garage. This is exactly what will occur when a garage door spring breaks. If you have a torsion spring, it is mounted over your garage door. When a torsion spring breaks, the spring will quickly unwind and this is usually the loud noise that you are hearing; the coils are spinning. If you have heard something in your garage and go out to investigate it but you do not notice anything, you can assume that the sound you heard was due to your spring breaking. Go ahead and contact a garage door professional to assess the situation and determine if you are in need of new garage door springs.
Stop and pay attention to how your door closes. If the door quickly falls down when you close it behind you, it is a possibility that you may have a broken spring. Your automatic opener is not able to carry the weight of your door if it is unbalanced and this is likely why your garage door fell faster than it usually does.
Why Get Immediate Repairs
You will have to get this taken care of as quickly as possible to avoid the garage door from falling down on top of you or your vehicle. If you are a household with multiple drivers, it may be necessary for you to rely on a garage door service to that you and the other motorists in the family can continue using your garage without interruption. Another thing to consider is the amount of use that your garage door receives when there are more than one or two drivers in the household. This is sure to affect the condition of the springs. If you are not familiar with the features of your garage door and their life-cycle, why not consult with a garage door technician. They are happy to explain how garage doors and all the components work together to keep your garage door functional.
Don’t take chances with the safety and security of your family. Instead, take notice of these signs and get in contact with a professional garage door service to advise you of the situation and what you should do, immediately!