Selecting Better Garage Doors

Most people overlook the important role their garage door serves until it stops working properly. Remember that your garage door is a key safety feature because it keeps your garage and your car secure from intruders. However, despite its importance, many homeowners overlook the signs that their garage door needs repair. If you've been fighting with a garage door that isn't closing properly, you need to call a garage door repair technician right away. Here's a look at some of the most common causes of trouble with closing a garage door.

Sensor-Driven Issues

If you have a garage door opener installed, these units come with sensors that are placed at the base of the garage door. The goal of these sensors is to detect any potential obstruction in the way of the door and stop it from closing to prevent injuries. While these sensors usually serve their purpose well, they aren't infallible. 

Sometimes, your garage door won't close properly because there's something blocking the sensor. Check your sensors for any potential obstruction, including grass and weeds, dirt or dust on the eye, and more. Clean the sensors and remove any weed growth around the garage doors to ensure that nothing is blocking the sensor beam.

In order for those sensors to work properly, they must also be properly aligned. Most modern garage door sensors are equipped with an indicator light on the top of each sensor. These lights will usually illuminate solidly when the sensors are properly aligned and will flash if there's an alignment problem. If you're not comfortable with realigning the sensors yourself, a garage door repair technician can do it for you.

Finally, you may have a sensor that has failed completely. Wiring issues, fried circuit boards, and other types of damage can cause a sensor to stop working. This will disrupt your garage door operation.

Track Alignment Problems

In order for your garage door to open and close smoothly, it needs to be centered in the track and properly balanced. If the door is out of balance, it may not be able to close properly. Watch the door as it closes to see if it wobbles, shakes, or gets stuck. These are all signs that the door isn't sitting correctly in the track. Check the garage door track for any signs of damage. If the track is bent or otherwise damaged, you'll need a garage door repair technician to address it.

Additionally, you should check to be sure that your garage door is adequately balanced. Disconnect the door from the opener and try to open the door by hand. Stop partway and let go of the door. It should stay where you leave it if it's balanced correctly and your springs are functioning as they should. If the door slips, especially if it only slips on one side, you'll want to reach out to a garage door repair technician to have the door balanced in the track.

In the event that your garage door does appear out of balance, you can also inspect the springs to determine if they are the source of the problem. If your springs appear worn, corroded, cracked, or stretched, you can restore the garage door's operation by having those springs replaced.

Travel Limit Struggles

Another important factor when your garage door isn't closing properly is the travel limit. Your garage door opener has a travel limit that is typically set when the opener is installed. Over time, due to wear and vibration, that travel limit setting can shift. If it has shifted, it may result in the garage door believing it's reached its travel limit before it fully closes. In other cases, it could believe it has further to travel, recognizing the ground as an obstruction and re-opening the door. If you're seeing an issue like this, your garage door repair technician can reset the travel limit on your garage door opener for you.

Recognizing when your garage door needs repair is important. Addressing problems right away will keep you from having an unusable garage door or one that leaves your garage vulnerable to intrusion. Talk with a garage door repair technician near you today for more help.