Common Problems That May Cause Your Garage Door Not To Close
Whenever your garage door not closing the way it was earlier, the cause might be simple and easy to understand, and the solution might be easier than the cause itself. Here are some of the main reasons that are causing your garage door to not work properly.
Bent Panel
Although this cause of door blockage might seem obvious, it shouldn’t be overlooked at all. If the garage door panel is crooked, it might be impossible for it to get closed properly. That is why you should be extra careful and check the floor and surrounding area for any debris or other objects which are causing the hindrance. Additionally, look out for the tracks and the garage door itself.
Safety sensors fault
The most common cause of garage doors not closing is that your safety sensors installed on garage doors are at fault. Both the sensors are installed at the bottom of garage doors whilst facing each other; these sensors tend to send a signal across the doorway. This signal determines whether there is something in the way of the garage door.
If any of these sensors stop working as they should or stop getting adequate power to operate, these sensors will stop sending the signals to each other, causing the garage door to stop working properly. Although safety sensors are installed as a measure to provide safety but can be really annoying if they stop working properly. You need to replace both of the sensors, even if one stops working.
Misaligned safety sensors
There are certain cases when the photo eyes of the garage door, due to misalignment, start sending a perpetual signal. The basic cause behind it is that something is causing the blockage, or these sensors are moved out of the place. As a convenience, most of the garage door sensors have a light installed, which indicates that if the garage doors are installed properly or not.
When the lights are solid, and on, it means that these sensors are in alignment and are working properly. If you notice that the light is blinking, then chances are that they are misaligned, or something is in their way. In that case, you should return the sensors to their original position for them to start working properly.
Broken springs
For easier operation, garage doors basically rely on various kinds of springs to open and close properly. In some cases, these springs become damaged or broken, causing the garage door to stop working properly. These broken springs are another major cause of improper operation of garage doors.
Fortunately, upon close examination, you can check whether these springs are damaged or broken. All you have to do is a brief visual inspection, and you will immediately see where the problem is. You shouldn’t at all cost try to repair these springs yourself and leave it to the professional.
Cable damage
Almost all of the garage doors work on the basic principle of using cables to lower the door properly. If the cables of garage doors are worn out or damaged, it will cause the door to stop working properly. A detailed inspection and close examination are necessary to find out the problems related to cable damage.
Damaged cables are a serious issue, which is why you shouldn’t take out your tools and start working on repairs. On the contrary, you should call a professional garage door repairing agency and leave the repairs to the experts.
Travel limits of garage door
In some cases, it has been noticed that the real problem is with the travel limit setting on the garage doors. Most of the garage door openers come with a default setting of the travel limit. Meaning that there is a limit on how far will they go till closing. The travel limit issue arises when the settings are set improperly during installation or if the settings drift away from their original limits over time.
If these settings are set too high, chances are that the garage door will not close all the way and will close high. But if these settings are set lower, the door will “think” that it has hit an object, even if it has hit the actual ground. To overcome this issue, you have to adjust the settings manually. You can use the knobs on the machine to adjust the settings related to the travel limits of the door.
Damaged tracks
If the tracks, which are used for carrying the garage doors, are not inline or are bent, chances are that your garage door not closing properly. If these tracks are blocked, you can try to unblock their path. This can easily restore the garage door to its original order. If the tracks are bent, you need to call a professional garage door agency for the proper replacement.
Auto-reverse features
Garage doors work on the basic principle of auto-reverse and lift themselves if they encounter any foreign object on their way down to the floor. That is why if your garage door is not working properly and isn’t closing all the way down.
You should immediately call a professional to do the necessary repairs. If the auto-reverse feature itself has stopped working properly, you need to get it checked before it becomes a major issue. Keep in mind that the faulty auto-reverse itself poses a major safety risk and could damage your car or house.
Fixing garage door related problems yourself
As it is clearly mentioned above, some problems related to garage doors can be easily fixed. You could try to close the door of your garage manually. However, some issues shouldn’t be addressed by you. And you should get the help of a professional if you need to overcome those problems. If these problems are dealt with poorly, they can cause your house some serious damage. That is why it is recommended that you should call a professional garage repairing company before you do anything yourself.
