3 of the Most Common Garage Door Problems

by Kevin Smith Author

Are you trying to figure out what's wrong with your garage door? The issue may lie in its opening mechanism. Here are a few of its most common problems:

It Won't Close or Open All the Way

For some people, their garage door will only open or close partially. Sometimes, these problems even occur at the same time because both have similar root causes. One reason is that the sensors at the base of the hatch are dirty or misaligned. They can't detect the distance from the ground properly, causing them to stop midway.

There may also be a problem with the rollers of the opener. Damaged or rusted ones get stuck along their tracks, preventing the machinery from closing or opening all the way. Any foreign object that gets wedged in their path may also cause it to stick.

It Reverses Before or After Hitting the Floor

This problem makes it almost impossible for the automatic hatches to close on their own. They go in reverse before or after touching the floor, leaving your garage wide open.

If your door doesn't go all the way down, there's an issue with its close-force setting. This is a safety feature that measures the resistance it experiences when an object is underneath it, making it open again to prevent crushing the item. Fix this by simply tweaking the force-sensitivity screw.

When the mechanism goes in reverse after hitting the floor too hard, the problem lies with its close-limit switch. This sets how long its motor needs to keep working before it reaches the floor. If the door hits it too soon, the machine will assume that it touched something other than the ground and start opening the hatch to prevent breaking the "object." Solve this by adjusting this setting on its interface.

It's Making a Lot of Noise

This is probably one of the more irritating garage door issues. It still opens and closes like normal, but it complains incessantly when doing so. In most cases, the opener just needs a bit of lubrication. But, depending on the type of noise, it can be generated by other factors. Grinding and squeaking may indicate that your rollers are worn out, while rattling is usually caused by loose screws and bolts. Whatever sound it makes, listen carefully and find out exactly where it's coming from so you can address it.

These are just some of the most common problems. To avoid encountering them, make sure you hire a contractor that offers garage door services in Marietta to do regular maintenance.