Garage Door Repair and the Causes of Stuck or Crooked Doors
Many homeowners take their garage doors and garage door openers for granted. They're supposed to work on-demand, and they do — mostly. But sometimes, you have a stuck garage door or remote on the fritz, and it's a source of frustration. This is especially inconvenient when your garage door won't completely open, like when you must take your kids to school or get a vehicle out of the garage.
When your garage door won't fully open, there's normally a simple explanation. But if the problem lingers, you may need to call a Parker overhead door repair specialist for help.
Stuck Garage Doors: Eight Common Causes
An effortlessly functioning garage is important if you want to ensure your family's and property's safety and prevent injuries. But there are times when your garage door will experience problems.
These issues can be a big headache and make it hard to access the things you've stored in the garage or park when it's raining heavily. The best way to unravel a solution is to understand possible causes. Here are some of the reasons why your garage door won't open all the way and how to address them.
- Bad Batteries — It may sound laughably simple, but the first thing to verify is the batteries in the handheld remote. Batteries have a shelf life, and it's not uncommon for many Parker area homeowners to forget that small fact. They have an expiration date, and you can easily forget that years have come since you last replaced them.
- Faulty Power Source — Sometimes, your garage door won't open due to an issue with the power source. Is the power cord unplugged? If not, is the outlet it's plugged into working? There also could be a problem with a circuit breaker or a power outage you weren't aware of. Checking for the obvious before calling a garage door repair company for help is advisable.
- Your Garage Door is Unbalanced — One of the top reasons for a stuck garage door that won't open all the way is a lack of balance. Validate your door's balance by disconnecting it from the unit's automatic opener. First, you should be able to open or close the door by hand easily. Next, pull the door so it's about halfway open. It should dangle in balance, aided by garage door springs, or gradually go up or down. If the door slams shut, that's a strong indicator that it needs rebalancing.
Balancing a garage door is a task for an overhead door repair specialist, so call a local garage door professional today to help if you're having balance issues. - Your Garage Door is Locked — Don't feel embarrassed, but there's a possibility that you or someone else accidentally locked the garage door from the inside by turning a manual lock that looks like a handle. If this happens, you won't be able to raise the garage door.
Conversely, some garages have a lock mode built into the motor. You could activate that lock mode if you push the remote button longer than necessary. When this happens, your only alternative is to turn off the lock mode by pressing the button for at least ten seconds. - Misaligned or Dirty Sensors — All modern garage doors have a photo eye sensor at the base of the garage on either side of the door. Its only job is to detect an object or person in the way of the door when it's opening or closing. If you notice a clicking noise or see a light flashing from the overhead garage door opener, there could be an issue with the photo eye sensor. The sensor could be misaligned or dirty, preventing the door from opening properly.
If you hit the track with your car while backing out, you might not do any damage to the track itself. Still, you can knock these sensors out of alignment - resulting in a garage door that refuses to close. Suppose one of the sensors has become obstructed. In that case, you usually won't have to call for garage door repair - you can clear any visible obstructions yourself with minimal effort. - Poor Lubrication — If your door's motor has a chain drive, the chain needs to be lubricated regularly, just like the chain on a bicycle. If you skip this simple but crucial maintenance step, you'll likely experience the door seizing at some point. You can avoid this altogether by scheduling annual garage door maintenance.
- Damaged or Misaligned Track — When your automatic garage door opener starts working, attached cables physically move the door while the strings command its speed. The metal tracks on either side of the door keep it in line and help the opener function effectively. The garage door tracks must always be straight and even for the garage door to properly open and close. If your door is crooked, jerks around, or makes grinding noises, it may have fallen off the track. Over time, misalignment could prevent the Parker stuck garage door from opening.
- Force Limits — New garage doors have travel and force limits and safety features, which tell your garage door how far it needs to travel and the force required to open and close. Suppose these limits fall out of alignment. In that case, your garage door may mistakenly engage the auto-reverse feature to prevent damage or injury. Your garage door opener's instruction manual should provide directions on how to adjust the force settings and limits.
If possible, replace the batteries every two to three months. If they have expired and haven't been changed, you risk damaging the remote with leaked battery acid.
Garage Door Stuck?
Learn more about our Colorado stuck garage door repair services STUCK GARAGE DOORSCrooked Garage Doors: Four Common Causes
Most of the time, the contemporary garage door does its job without calling attention to itself. They're such reliable mechanisms that most of us take them for granted. But sometimes, even the best garage door will start to hang lower on one side than the other. If it's caught quickly, it's not a big deal. However, if the problem is not addressed, it could lead to significant issues. The following are the most common reasons a garage door will start to hang crooked.
Broken Spring
While most folks assume the "opener" is what opens and closes the door the fact is a more accurate name for the opener would be "starter" or "regulator" because that's what it does. It starts the door and then regulates the motion to ensure it's nice and smooth. The actual lifting is done by the springs, and if one of your extension springs is broken or just old and worn out, one side of the door will hang lower than the other. If you need a spring replaced, call the garage door repair company. This is not open for debate. People have died working on garage door springs. If you suspect a problem with one of your springs, call for professional garage door repair.
Debris in the Track
Sometimes the roller gets gunked up and starts dragging itself through the track causing the door to hang crooked. And sometimes the problem is with the track itself. If you leave the garage door open, a lot of wind-born dirt and debris can accumulate in the track over time until one day, it begins to interfere with the ability of the door to raise and lower itself. If the blockage is on one side, the door will hang crooked. In this case, you can clean the track yourself and will not need to call for Commerce City garage door repair. Still, if you need more time or inclination, give us a call, and we'll send someone over to rectify the problem pronto.
Broken Garage Door Cable
The cables are part of the lifting mechanism. Garage doors have a cable on each side wound around a drum with one end attached to the door itself. Energy from the spring turns the drum, which either winds or unwinds the cable, thereby lifting or lowering the door. If one of these cables is broken, spring power can't reach the door, and the door hangs crooked. While replacing the cable itself is not necessarily a complex job, tweaking the alignment once the new cable is in place takes practice and patience. Therefore, replacing a cable is best left to the pros who fix garage doors for a living.
"If the door is partially open and crooked, don’t touch it. It’s a sign your door is off balance, and it’s caused by a problematic cable."
—Kyle Schurman, Angi Solution Center
Broken or Frozen Roller
The rollers are those seldom seen components of the garage door that keep it affixed to the tracks and enable it to glide effortlessly up and down. However, rollers are not indestructible, and sometimes older rollers, in particular, will get gunked up inside, causing the roller to become frozen. A roller that's not rolling becomes a drag on one side of the door and can cause it to hang at an odd angle. Repairing or replacing the roller is a fairly simple job. But if the problem is left to fester, it can damage the track and stress the opener.
Stuck Garage Door FAQs
There are several potential causes, such as a power outage, dead remote batteries, or a broken spring. Our technicians can quickly diagnose the issue and provide an effective solution, ensuring your door operates smoothly again.
You can manually open your garage door by pulling the emergency release cord to disconnect the door from the opener. This allows you to lift the door manually, but we recommend scheduling a service to address the underlying problem.
First, check your remote's power supply and batteries. If everything seems fine, the problem might be with the opener itself. Our team can inspect and repair or replace the opener to restore functionality.
A garage door stuck halfway could be due to a broken spring or an obstruction in the track. We can promptly inspect and fix the issue, ensuring your door moves freely.
Ensure the sensors are clean and aligned, with both showing solid lights. If they're misaligned, we can professionally realign them and ensure they function correctly for safe operation.
Grinding noises often indicate issues with the rollers or tracks, which may need lubrication or replacement. Our technicians can identify the source of the noise and provide the necessary repairs to keep your door quiet and smooth.
This issue is often due to misaligned sensors or an obstruction. Our experts can adjust the sensors and check for obstructions to ensure your door closes properly.
We recommend an annual maintenance check to maintain your garage door. Our comprehensive service includes lubricating parts, inspecting for wear, and ensuring everything is aligned and functioning properly.
A broken spring is a serious issue that professionals should handle. Our team can safely replace the broken spring and get your door back in working order without risking injury.
Regular maintenance prevents future issues. Our preventive maintenance services include thorough inspections, lubrication, and adjustments to keep your garage door operating smoothly and reliably.
Call A Better Garage Door for Stuck Garage Door Repairs
When the garage door is acting up, it should not be ignored. The garage door weighs hundreds of pounds, and making sure it's always in good working order is vital to the safety of everyone in the house. When you need garage door repair in Loveland, Boulder, or Commerce City, call the company with more than four decades of local experience: A Better Garage Door.
Our locally owned and operated garage door service team has worked with hundreds of residential and business customers in Parker and other greater Denver area communities for over 25 years. If your garage door doesn't open all the way, it could be simple or something more serious, so call us today at 303.920.2267 or contact us online to request more information.