To avoid expensive repairs it is recommended to inspect and troubleshoot your garage door on a regular basis to save on expensive repair cost. A little preventative maintenance can save you money, time and headaches in a long run.
Remember, allowing a failured component to worsen can greatly increase repair cost. Routine maintaining on your garage door is something most homeowners can do, but first you need to know what to look for.
Some troubleshooting suggestions:
Worn or weak springs
Springs are found above the opening of the door or along the track side. A visual inspection of spring is helpful but signs of wear are difficult to detect.
Squeaking springs, age of springs, and checking for weak springs are better indicators of a prblem. A light lubricant will help with squeaking springs, hinges, rollers (a good rule-of-thumb is to lube every season change). To check for weak springs, disconnecting door from opener or trolley and manually lift door to your knee level. The door should hold or slowly move downward when you let go of door. If door crashes to the floor. the spring or springs are weak, call a professional service to determine if spring replacement is needed, since weak or worn springs will wear out your garage door opener prematurely.
Loose Brackets
All brackets and cable that are associated with springs are under high tension. Visually inspect each bracket to make sure they are firmly attached to the door or wall and screws are tight. If it isn’t, call a garage door professional for troubleshooting advice. Do not try to loosen or adjust these brackets yourself since they are under tension.
Worn Cables
If your cables look frayed or worn, you should have a garage door professional take a look at them as soon as possible. Frayed or worn cable can break causing serious damage or injury.
Unusual sounds are early indications of problems
Listen for strange sounds that are out of the ordinary, like catching, popping or grinding noises as the door cycles (opens and closes) these sounds can alert you to an early indication of a problem that could save you time and money if caught early. For example, popping sounds are early signs of a cracked panel. There are many garage door sytles that are discontinued, you may have one, if so, a small crack in a can be repaired, but it the crack gets to large to repair you would have to replace the entire garage door which is very costly. It is a good idea to call a professional to identify wheather your door is current or discontinued. if discontinued take additional care with panels since unrepairable panel means a garage door replacement, not just a panel replacement.