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Some Common Garage Door Problems and Repairs

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The humble garage door adds tremendous advantages to your home in the realm of privacy, security, and convenience. Garage doors function reliably to make coming and going safer and simpler, which makes them well worth their cost. With only minimal garage door service in Charleston, IL, you can trust your garage door and opener to perform its role for years without any significant breaks in service.

As well as most garage doors and openers perform in the modern era, there are some common issues that can crop up from time to time. The garage door and opener are one of the simpler systems in the average household, and there are only a few components that can fail or malfunction. However, when issues do arise, they can manifest in slowly eroding performance or surprise failures that require emergency garage door repair from a professional. Keep reading below to learn more about a few of the most common garage door problems and repairs.

Broken or Worn Springs

The torsion springs in your garage door are the true workhorses of the system. They're responsible for lifting and safely lowering the heavy garage door, which depending on its style, could weigh up to 500 pounds. Because of the load they must bear, the springs are powerful and loaded with tension that can only be safely released with the proper equipment and training. The springs are commonly placed under great stress during opening and closing, which means they can wear out, lose their strength, or completely break. DIY spring replacement is ill-advised. It's a task best left to professionals.

Broken Cables

Many openers use cables to apply the force to the door during opening and closing. Over time, these steel cables can become worn or damaged, which eventually leads to breakage. When that happens, your door may appear to hang unevenly or sag during opening or closing. Also, broken cables may manifest in a door that won't remain open, which also presents a significant safety hazard given the weight of the average door.

Bad Rollers

Many garage doors roll to the overhead position using rollers or wheels that guide them to the right track. Those rollers are prone to wear over time and can begin to stick or freeze up. When that happens, it can cause the door to jump off the tracks, which will make opening and closing jerky and uneven. Eventually, the door could fail to open or close at all, and damage could be done to the opener by the increased workload. While a handy homeowner can likely swap out the rollers, it's best to let a professional diagnose the problem and correct it.

Sensor Issues

Garage door sensor When your door begins to behave erratically, such as only closing halfway or opening and closing indiscriminately, the reason could have something to do with the optical eye sensors. The optical eyes are positioned near the door and serve as a safety device that prevents the doors from unintentionally closing on people, pets, and property. If those optical eye sensors are out of alignment or need calibration, they could be sending a false signal to the opener that indicates a blockage, so the door won't work properly. Your opener also has a limiter that can be at fault when the door opens and closes erratically. The limiter tells the door how far to move to open or close, and when it's not properly adjusted, it can trick the opener into thinking the door is actually opened or closed when it's not.

If you're experienced any of these issues, your best bet is to contact a professional provider of affordable garage door repair in Charleston, IL, to diagnose and fix the issue. Garage doors aren't complex machines, but they do require specialized knowledge and equipment to make repairs safely. Contact Midstate Overhead Doors at (800) 420-4800.