3 Solutions To Common Garage Door Problems

Do you own a home with a garage? Have you been getting frustrated lately when your garage door refuses to open properly? It can be extremely frustrating when your garage door refuses to open or close, especially if this has been making you late for work. In some instances, there are things that you can do to help remedy the problem. In other cases, you're going to need to call in a professional to take care of the issue. Here are some things for you to try that may solve your garage door issue:

Clean the sensors: Nearly all automatic residential garage doors have sensors in them to prevent them from injuring a child, a pet, or from damaging your vehicle. In some cases, this is simply a pressure sensor that stops the door from descending if the door encounters any resistance while closing. For these types of sensors, you will need to have a professional troubleshoot the issue and fix whatever is wrong. However, sometimes the pressure sensor will be accompanied by one or more optical sensors. These work similar to the automatic door sensors that you might find at a supermarket and will stop the garage door before it touches anything. But when an optical sensor gets dirty, it may sense things in the way when there is nothing there. Cleaning the sensor of dust or cobwebs may get it working again.

Oil the tracks: The oiling of residential garage doors is an extremely critical part of making sure that they function properly. Without lubrication, the door may start to stick as it slides up and down. This can trigger the pressure sensor in the garage door mechanism, making it think that something is in the way of the door. Properly oiling the track will enable the door to slide more smoothly, eliminating any sticking. If you've lost the manual or don't feel comfortable attempting this on your own, a garage door professional can either perform the task for you or show you how to do it.

Switch frequencies: There are only so many frequencies that the makers of residential garage doors can use for their remotes. In most instances, this isn't going to be a problem. But if a nearby neighbor has a similar opener, the neighbor's remote may trigger your garage door and your remote may trigger theirs. This can result in your garage door opening and closing seemingly at random. Switching your remote and the garage door opener to a different frequency should solve this issue. If you're still having issues after doing that, a local garage door professional should have more suggestions for you.