You don't have to know all the technical and mechanical aspects of your garage door to check for possible issues. Often, your garage door will let you know it's experiencing a problem in a number of ways. Here are some of the signs of garage door issues you can check for without needing tools.
Do a Visual Inspection of Your Garage Door
Just take the occasional look at your garage door and its parts. What you're looking for are any signs of wear or damage.
- Do the cables look frayed or damaged?
- Is there rust or odd bends in the springs?
- Do you see bends, cracks, or warping in the tracks?
Besides these things, you may notice roller wheels out of alignment or loose fasteners. Check the bottom of the garage door for signs of gaps or a weakening seal. Look at everything you can.
Open your garage door and close it. Did it hesitate, move sluggishly, or act in a way it shouldn't? Your garage door should open and close smoothly. If that's not happening, it likely needs servicing.
If you see any obvious signs of damage, then you should contact a garage door repair service. If you're not sure, but suspect something isn't right, then have a professional come look.
Listen to the Sounds Your Garage Door Makes
You know how your garage door sounds when it opens and closes. If that sound changes, you may have an issue. If your garage door makes a harsh grinding metal sound, then you definitely need to have it looked into. It may need lubrication, but that sound can also indicate a larger issue with the door's hardware.
Test Your Garage Door to Make Sure Everything Works
You should occasionally test your garage door to make sure it's working as it should. As noted, opening and closing it should alert you to the possibility of an issue. If you have a garage door opener, you can test a few other things on your own.
Test the balance—Unplug or disengage your automatic garage door opener. Pull down or lift your garage door about halfway. It should stay where it's at when you let it go. If it goes back up, or goes down, then it's out of balance.
Test the auto reverse—Open the garage door and lay a piece of wood or a cinder block under it. Close the door. It should reverse when it touches an object. If it doesn't, then the auto reverse feature isn't working.
This also applies to garage doors that use a photo eye feature. If you walk in front of the door while it's closing, it should start reversing.
If a feature doesn't work, then contact a professional garage door service to inspect your garage door or opening system. There's a lot of maintenance and repairs you can do yourself when it comes to garage doors. However, if you're unfamiliar with garage door mechanisms, you should first hire garage door services for any issues you come across.
Do you remember the last time you really evaluated the structural integrity and security of your home? Although many people assume that their home is plenty safe, the fact of the matter is that creating a safe environment is about more than security systems and guard dogs. Since your garage door is a main entrance point into your home, it is important to think carefully about what you can do to make things right. On my blog, I discuss all of the different aspects of garage door maintenance and replacement, so that you can explore different ways to make your home even more beautiful.