What’re the Most Common Garage Door Issues (and what should you do)? 

Jul 13, 2024

If you’re on this page, you probably have some sort of issue with your garage door. There are a number of common garage door issues you could be facing and our goal is to go through the 5 most common with you to help you understand why it’s happening but more importantly, what you should do to get your garage door fixed.

Garage Door Not Closing All The Way

We have all driven past a garage that looks like the one below where it seems to be tilted or others that just won’t fully close. There are multiple reasons your garage door won’t close all the way. 

Issue with the sensors

Normally this is an easier fix than the rest but often if an issue with the sensors, it’s something you should likely get fixed because the “obvious” reasons are easy to spot pretty early. To see if the issue with the garage door sensor is the cause of your garage door not opening, check if the sensor is dirty, misaligned, or blocked

Broken or Blocked Tracks & Rollers

Your garage door tracks and rollers are what allow you garage door to easily go up and down seamlessly. Now it’s pretty rare for items to block these but it is possible, that’s the easier fix. Normally this issues is due to bent or broken tracks or rollers that are broken. To see if this is the issue with your garage door not opening, check for blockage, bent, or broken tracks and rollers

Glitchy or Broken Garage Door Motor

This issue is the harder one to “realize” but is normally our second thought (besides checking the sensors) when our garage door won’t open. There are some clear signs when you need your garage door motor replaced or repaired

  1. Motor making strange noises
  2. Garage door only works sometimes (and still doesn’t close fully) 
  3. Garage door operates slower than normal (and still doesn’t close fully)

While your garage door not closing is a common occurrence, we normally DO NOT recommend trying to fix it yourself and it can be a tough fix that can only cause more issues. 

We recommend trying to find what might be the cause if possible and then submit a request or give us a call and we can come out ASAP to help get your garage door opening and closing as it should. Appointments usually take 45 minutes – 1hr.

Broken Garage Door Springs

Broken garage door springs happen regularly as most springs have a designated lifespan, which is normally isn’t something you’re working hard to keep track of. Per our friends at Banko Overhead Doors in Florida, they normally last around 10,000 cycles or 3-5 years but there are many varying factors that can impact how long your garage door springs will last. 

When it comes to your garage door springs, we do not recommend waiting until it’s too late. To make sure you don’t run into any overnight headaches with your garage door, we highly recommend a yearly inspection if you are unsure of the age or condition of your springs. In addition, if your overhead spring looks any of the examples below, give us a call or submit a request ASAP! Our garage door spring repair/replacement usually takes ~30 mins.

Damaged Roller

bad garage door rollers that don't work

Similar to the garage door springs, each roller has its own lifespan. When purchasing rollers, we recommend purchasing the rollers in complete sets to ensure they are all on relatively the same timeline. This doesn’t mean you won’t have issues at different times but it’ll help limit this as much as possible. To determine which rollers you may have and the life expectancy, here is a quick blog that goes through the different types of rollers.

If you’re questioning the age of your rollers or think they might be the cause of your garage door issues, we can come out and complete the replacement ASAP! Just put in a request or give us a call, it normally takes us ~25 minutes to replace your garage door rollers. 

Car Drove into Your Garage Door 

The number one fear of homeowners when it comes to their garage is having someone (or themselves) drive or back into their garage. While not normally thought of as a common occurrence, it’s not as uncommon as you would think considering we get at least 5 calls a week for someone hitting their door since even the slightest bump can make your garage door stop working correctly. Multiple issues can arise after your close garage door is hit including a cracked door, scratched paint, bent frames, broken hinges, and more. 

Should your door look like any of the below, it’s likely time for a complete garage door replacement. The positive side of this inconvenience is you can expect us to be in and out within 2 hours for a complete garage door replacement and we can install a wide range of garage door sizes and styles

Unresponsive Electrical Equipment 

If everything looks spick and span and none of the above issues seem to be they reason your garage door isn’t operating correctly, it may be an issue with some of your electrical equipment. 

If you already followed the manual to reset your motor and replaced your garage door remote batteries, we suggest you submit a request and or give us a call because fixing the electrical equipment for you garage door is a tough DIY project that normally leads to more issues if you don’t have a background with these items. Our electrical equipment repairs/replacements usually only take 30 minutes or less. 

We know that having a garage door that isn’t operating correctly can be a headache and a major inconvenience if you have a car stuck in the garage. If you’re having a tough time figuring out what the issue may be, take a look at our garage door FAQs or reach out to us and we can help diagnose the problem as well as fix it if it’s something you don’t want to deal with. 

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