You come home after a long day at work ready to relax. The only problem: Your garage door refuses to welcome you home.
You try your garage door remote from the car. No dice.
You get out of the car, and punch in your security code into the garage door opener switch box. Crickets. Your cat gives you a warmer welcome home.
A broken garage door is one of the most annoying things to come home to. Unfortunately, it’s one of the usual mandatory repairs that eventually comes with home ownership.
“Fixing a garage door that isn’t functioning properly is often part of normal home maintenance when its parts break,” The Spruce’s Jeff Beneke writes.
Thankfully, it’s one of the easier home repair jobs to perform and most often does not require a $250 call to your garage door company.
“Many of the issues are DIY repairs so you don’t always have to call in the pros,” Beneke notes. “Sometimes all it takes is simple troubleshooting, like unblocking debris from the photo eye or tightening a few brackets.”
No Garage Door Opens Forever
The average American garage door opens and closes 1,500 times a year in spring, summer, fall and winter. And it’s not lifting pillows. A double garage door weighs about 200 pounds on average. Garage doors do a lot of hard churning to keep opening and closing at our every call.
“That’s a lot of heavy lifting over and over again,” Forbes.com’s Geraldine Orentos and Samantha Allen write. “With all that use, it’s no surprise that garage door problems are a common headache for most homeowners.”
Why Isn’t My Garage Door Opening?
Asking yourself that question out loud can actually help you investigate the issue and solve the problem. Trouble is, there may be a number of reasons behind why your garage door has gone on your home’s injured list.
Here are Forbes’ Top 8 Reasons for Why Your Garage Door Might Not Be Working:
Opener Switch Not Working
- Likely Reasons: Door is locked, lock switch is turned on, motor is unplugged or photo sensor is damaged.
Keypad Doesn’t Work
- Likely Reasons: Batteries are dead and need to be changed or keypad needs to be reprogrammed.
Remote Control Doesn’t Work
- Likely Reasons: Batteries need changing or photo sensor is faulty.
The Garage Won’t Open Or Close
- Likely Reasons: Remote and keypad batteries need changing, motor is disconnected.
Motor Runs Without Door Opening
- Likely Reasons: Limits are off, garage door is disconnected from the belt due to someone accidentally pulling the emergency release cord.
Noisy Garage Door
- Likely Reasons: Rollers need lubrication and are worn out, loose nuts, bolts and screws.
Garage Door Opening Unevenly
- Likely Reasons: Limits are off or something is blocking the tracks, spring system is off.
Garage Door Opening & Closing Too Slow
- Likely Reasons: Dried out rollers or dirty tracks.
How to Keep Your Garage Door Working
The best way to keep your garage door working and off the injured list is to give it the regular maintenance TLC it needs to perform its job.
- Brush and lubricate the rollers and tracks at least every change of season to slow down wear and tear and prevent oil buildup.
- Tighten the hardware to prevent loose pieces from causing noises and other problems.
- Check the springs and pulleys to make sure they’re in shape. They should be replaced every few years by professionals.
When It’s A Pro’s Job
If these garage door troubleshooting measures don’t work, it’s time to call in the professionals. A door installer or repair technician can solve the problem. Angi’s reports garage door repairs are running $254 on average nationally this year.
Because you and your family don’t need the annoyance of a tired and injured garage door that won’t welcome you home. Knowing why your garage door is on the fritz can save you both headaches and money.
“A garage door can keep a home safe and boost its curb appeal,” Bob Vila’s Katie Flannery and Evelyn Aur stress. “But when the track system, springs or cables wear out and break, it’s time for a garage door fix.”
