For the most part, garage doors that installed correctly and being well maintained may run perfectly for years without ever needing to be repaired. Nevertheless, garage doors are a mechanical device with multiple moving parts that constantly working under stress. Overtime, the garage door parts will start to wear out due to deformation process and other reasons, such as rust. While the deformation process is a non-reversible change in response to the forces in effect (plastic deformation), the garage door parts will need to be repaired or replaced. Here are some of the more common garage door problems you are likely to experience:

Garage Door Won’t Close Automatically

If your garage door starts to close and then springs back open or won’t close at all, the problem is most likely going to be the garage door safety eyes, which are mounted to the bottom of the garage doors’ vertical tracks or bottom of the side jambs. The electric eyes transmit an invisible infra-red beam that is used to prevent the garage door from closing if blocked. If your garage door won’t close or starts to close and then opens back up, the problem is most likely caused by one (or more) of the following malfunctions:

An object or debris blocking the safety eyes’ beam.

Electric eyes are misaligned.

Defective wiring.

Electric eye’s lens may be damaged from the sun.

Defective RPM sensor.

Defective travel module.

Defective logic board.

Some problems with your openers’ safety eyes may be an easy fix, while others may be better left to experienced garage door service technicians. If your safety eyes are dirty, you can simply fix the issue on your own by cleaning the eye with a soft cloth, removing debris and dust. If your safety eyes are out of alignment, try realigning them, making sure that both eyes’ LED lights are on and steady (not flashing). Keep in mind that according to industry’s standards, the eyes should be mounted no more than 8 inches from the ground. If aligning and cleaning the eyes didn’t solve the problem, you may have an issue with the electric wiring, foggy photo eye’s lens, malfunctioning operator’s RPM sensor, malfunctioning travel module or malfunctioning operator’s logic board. In some cases, where advanced troubleshooting and testing required; a professional garage repairman may save you valuable time by quickly diagnosing and fixing the problem, ensuring that the garage door and automatic opener are working like they should and in compliance with applicable industry standards.

Garage Door is Binding

To keep sectional garage doors on the tracks, doors are equipped with rollers on both ends. The garage door rollers facilitate smooth operation when the garage door is being opened or closed, and are mounted to the garage door by their stem, set inside the hinge’s shaft, while the roller’s wheel set inside the tracks. However, should the garage door rollers wear down, an increase in friction will cause the garage door to bind while traveling on its trajectory.

The garage doors’ hinges designed to guide the door away from the jambs/wall while it’s going up or down. That’s exactly the reason why the doors’ hinges have a numbering system and are different in size. The numbering system purpose is to indicate the hinge’s pivot point location and its distance from the door. Garage Door hinges or tracks that installed improperly or in the wrong order, may cause the garage door to bind against the jambs/wall.

Biding garage door problems may damage the door’s sections and cause an increase in friction. The friction leads to preliminary wear, inefficient system operation, decreased performance, damage to the garage doors’ and operators’ components and may cause the garage door to come off the tracks. That said, addressing the problem quickly and effectively is the best way to keep the garage door in good working order, to avoid sudden breakdowns and unexpected emergency repairs.

Garage Door Cable is Off the Pulley or Broken

A sectional garage door that its cable has jumped off the pulley (or broken) is a major problem and the garage door should not be used in such situation. Operating a garage door with a faulty cable may cause it to come off the tracks, damage to the doors’ sections and the tracks. The following reasons and malfunctions are the most common amongst residential garage door systems where the cable came off the pulley:

An object caught in the door’s way.

Poorly maintained garage door.

Imbalanced garage door.

Wrong size spring.

Broken spring.

Broken cable.

Worn or broken rollers.

Worn or broken bearings.

Worn or broken hinges.

Broken pulley.

In an off-track scenario where the cable came off the pulley on one side of the door, the force generated by the garage door springs is applied to only one side of the garage door. This will cause a massive shift of the door’s mass and uneven distribution of the force in effect. Since the garage door is most likely stuck halfway or in open position, an off-track scenario requires an emergency garage door service and immediate professional attention to repair the breakdown. Garage doors can weigh up to 800 lbs. or more and have been known to fall when inexperienced personal have attempted to repair a garage door off its tracks on their own, or cut the cables in attempt to close down the garage door.

Broken Garage Door Spring

Whether it’s a torsion spring or extension spring, all garage doors utilize springs to support their weight. These springs are constantly under a great deal of stress and will eventually fracture and break due to deformation process. If you’re nearby the garage door when a spring breaks, you are likely to hear a sound that is much like a fire cracker going off or a gun shot. The reason for the loud sound is that the spring’s coil exerts the energy it preserves once it breaks. The springs purpose is to generate counter force to gravity. The force makes the door light enough to operate, therefore, broken garage door springs means that there is no energy to support the garage door’s weight and the garage door now has its full mass in effect. Consequently, it becomes heavy and dangerous to operate.

If a given garage door system is a multiple springs system, all other springs has been equally deformed over time, therefore, could break at any moment, leaving your garage door to come crashing down where it may cause serious damage to your doors’ sections, vehicles or anything else that is in the door’s way. When it comes to single spring garage door assemblies, then obviously there’s only one spring that needs replacement. That said, there are disadvantages for using a single garage door spring, safety-wise and mechanically-wise.

Garage door springs designed to support weights of up to 800 lbs. or more, thus, they generate a high level of energy which is sufficient to cause severe body injuries or worse. Therefore, carrying out a DIY garage door spring repair can be a challenging task, especially when it comes to torsion springs, where the system assemblage can be fairly complicated for an inexperience homeowner or repairman.

No Power to The Garage Door Opener

In cases where neither your remote or wall console works, this usually means that the power sources has been interrupted in some way. The problem may be something as simple as your motor unit has become unplugged. Others problems may be a burnt-out fuse or circuit, faulty outlet or a faulty opener’s mother board.

Repairing your garage door opener when your power source is disrupted may be as easy and simple as checking to see if the power source is unplugged. If that is the problem, then you can certainly plug the unit back in yourself without the help of a professional. The same is true if a fuse is burned out or if the circuit is broken. Most of us can change a fuse, throw the circuit or test the outlet by plugging in a working electrical device. That said, if after throwing the circuit fuses repeatedly keep blowing or the circuit continues to be thrown, or there’s still no power to the garage door opener while circuit, outlet and fuses are ok, then you may need to call your local garage door repair company to troubleshoot and perform necessary repairs.

Garage Door Remote Not Working

Garage door remote that is not working can be fairly frustrating, especially if the problem is intermittent. The problem may have a simple solution and can be easily fixed by replacing the remote batteries. In some cases, where the automatic opener features rolling code technology, dead batteries in your remote control may cause the remote’s transmitter to reset its transmission code. Therefore, once the batteries have been replaced and your remote still not working, try to reprogram it to the garage door opener. You can do this by locating and pressing the opener’s smart (or learn) button. Once the LED indicator light is on, if your remote has more than one button, press and release the button you wish to program few times, and until the opener responds. Keep in mind that some remotes may have different programming procedure (mainly universal remotes).

Nevertheless, if replacing the remote batteries hasn’t fixed the issue, one (or more) of the following problems may cause the remote to malfunction:

Vacation mode is on.

Defective remote.

Defective garage door opener receiver.

Frequency interference (RFI).

Common Garage Door Problems – When You Know Better You Do Better

While many garage door components are under constants stress, carrying out a DIY garage door repair without a proper, basic understanding of the garage door mechanics and the forces in effect, may end in further damage to the garage door, body injuries and medical expenses. Therefore, and in order to carry out a successful garage door repair, it’s highly recommended to first perform a research and acquire a fundamental knowledge of how the garage door components work and interact. On the other hand, if one isn’t mechanically inclined, a better alternative may be to hire a certified garage door repair company with the required knowledge, experience and tools to bring the garage door back on its tracks and to repair or replace any faulty components.

Garage Door Repair and Installation Services in Orange County and Los Angeles

Here, at Champion Garage Door Repair, we are Orange County’s and LA County’s preferred garage door service, repair and installation company. We have the knowledge, expertise and deep understanding of garage doors and their components. Our certified technicians dedicated to providing customers with the expert garage door services and solutions. We specialize in:

Garage Door Spring Repair and Replacement

Garage Door Track Repair and Replacement

Garage Door Cable Repair and Replacement

Safety Eyes Repair and Alignment

Garage door Opener Repair and Replacement

Garage Door Installation and Replacement

Custom Design and Production

Damaged Sections Replacement

Troubleshooting and Repair

Garage Door Maintenance Services

We can supply and deliver garage door parts, garage door openers, repairs and services in a timely manner. We can supply and deliver affordable, standard garage doors, and also create a customized design for custom homes and bring it to production. From garage door service, repair and installation, to garage door parts, products and personalized solutions, at Champion Garage Door Repair, we have you covered!