Many houses, especially in suburban areas, have garages attached to them. This provides a place to store your vehicle out of the rain, wind, snow or any other bad weather. Every garage has a door and every door has working parts. There are springs and tracks, and in some cases, panels. As with anything involving moving parts, the various pieces can become damaged which can prevent the door from functioning correctly. When your garage door stops working, it can cause a myriad of problems. If your vehicle is inside the garage and the door will not open, your car is stuck which means you will need to get it out as quickly as possible. If the door is stuck open, it lets water and dirt get in. Also, if you store anything besides your vehicle in the garage, it can quickly become ruined. All this means that you will want to fix the problem as quickly as you can, but if you are not mechanically inclined, this may seem like a huge problem. Thankfully, most garage door repairs are actually quite simple and do not require a great deal of mechanical knowledge. Of course, some problems are worse than others. For these problems, you will need to hire a professional to make the repairs. Here, you will find helpful information about the different types of garage door repairs, how to handle the simple ones yourself, and when to call in a professional.
If your door is having trouble going up or down, it may be because there is dirt somewhere in the track. The first thing that you should check when your garage door first starts having trouble is dirt in the track. There will be a track on both sides running from the floor all of the way up the walls, and onto part of the ceiling. Dirt, grime, or oil build up can occur at any point along these tracks. Take a flashlight and carefully examine the tracks from top to bottom to see if there is any dirt, debris, or build up. If there is, it should be removed with basic household cleaners, a rag or sponge, and warm water. If the problem is up high enough that you need a ladder, practice all safety measures including having a second person present to hold the ladder in place while you work. Depending on how high you have to climb, you may also need security ropes and safety harnesses. After cleaning the affected area and thoroughly rinsing it, be sure to completely dry any part of the track that got wet. You do not want to create rust or another build up from leaving the area wet. This can cause more problems than you had to start with.
If dirt or build up is not your problem, one of the tracks may have a dent or abnormality that is preventing the door from moving properly. After examining the tracks for dirt, take another look and see if you can spot any areas that have become flattened, dented, crimped, or in any way changed from their normal shape. If this has happened, it will not allow the door to move correctly if at all. Most dents and crimps are incredibly easy to fix. All you will need is a rubber mallet or a hammer and block of wood. If you are using the rubber mallet, you will not need the block of wood. That is only if you are using a regular hammer. The purpose of the wood is to keep from denting the track worse with the head of the hammer. The wood keeps the strikes from being too focused on one small area and spreads it out over the entire area of the block. If the abnormality of the track is too bad to simply hammer out, you will have to replace the track altogether.
If you still have not found your problem, look to the gears and springs. If the gears that go along the tracks are jamming, some lubrication will solve your problem, WD40 or something similar sprayed directly onto the gear and let sit for a few minutes should clear the problem right up. If the problem is in the springs, you will likely need to call a professional. If the system works off of many springs, you may be able to replace or fix it yourself; however, there are many systems that rely on only one spring. If this is the type of system you have, it is too dangerous to change yourself due to the mass amount of pressure the spring is under.
The problem may also be in your key or “clicker”. This is the small device that you use to remotely open and close your garage door. If this is the problem, the only course of action is to have it replaced.
At this point, if you have decided that you need the help of a professional, you will now need a few tips to make the process a bit easier. First, you will need to decide on a few requirements. First, how far away can the professional be from your location? Depending on where you are located, your choices may be slim. Therefore, you will need to be willing to broaden your parameters. If you live in an area with lots of choices, you can be pickier as to distance. You also need to determine what your budget will be. This will help you make determinations when choosing a professional to hire.
Once you know exactly what you are looking for in a professional, you will need to find all of the options available to you. The best way to do this is with a basic internet search. A great company to look up is Garage Doors Repair Wizard. If this is not an option, use basic search phrases such as “garage door repair near me” or “local garage door repair”. Once you have a list, you will need to start comparing each choice to your list of requirements. Narrow down your list, until you find the best garage door repairman available in your area.
