It can be a strange scenario: your garage door
seems to have taken on a life of its own. Your garage door may go up somewhat,
but then it slides back down again. Or maybe it goes part of the way up the
track but gets stuck there and won’t open any further. Whatever the case may be
in your particular situation, read on to find out the causes of your garage
door not being able to stay all the way open. Your garage door presents a
safety hazard if it can’t stay open by itself, due to the weight and size of
the door.
If the issue is more serious, you will probably
need to call in a garage door repair company. You’ll want to make sure you
choose an experienced company with years of professional knowledge backing
them, so they can provide you with the best solutions for your garage door
repair problems. Lawrenceville
Garage Door Repair has been servicing the Lawrenceville, GA area for many
years and we meet all the requirements for helping you solve any garage door
issue that is causing your door to refuse to stay open.
If Your Garage Door Opens, but Then Closes Again
When you hit the button on the remote or wall
switch, your garage door begins to open, but only gets a few inches off of the
ground before closing again. If this description sounds like how your garage
door is behaving, then the most likely culprit may be the close force screw on
the unit. Usually there isn’t a problem with closing the door, just opening it
fully. This adjustable screw is what sets the force for the mechanism. You can
locate this screw by consulting a diagram of your garage door opener mechanism
or by looking up your model number online.
It’s also possible that this is a symptom of an
issue with the torsion springs on your door. These springs are what provide the
tension and force to open and close your door. When they begin to wear out,
which is often the case on older garages that have seen a lot of use, they can
have trouble opening the door properly.
A final, very common problem that can cause your
door to lift itself only partway and then lower itself is caused by poor
balance of the door itself. This can also be traced back to the springs, but
usually the springs don’t need replacing, just adjusting. If the springs fall
out of proper adjustment over time, it can cause the door to weigh more, which
triggers safety mechanisms that prevent the door from going up too high. A call
to a garage door repair professional can help you assess the cause of your door
lifting and then lowering by itself.
If Your Garage Door Only Opens Part of the Way
Similar to the problem above, your garage door
lifts up somewhat, but then it freezes in the middle of the track and won’t go
up any higher. It may be stuck this way or it may be possible to close the door
again, only the same scenario repeats the next time that you open it. A garage
door that is left partially open creates both security vulnerability for your
property, and also leaves the contents of your garage vulnerable to the
elements and wild animals. It may also temporarily prevent you from being
able to get your vehicle out of your garage, until you’re able to activate
manual mode and use it to open or close the door entirely.
This problem could be caused by gears in the
mechanism that are stripped due to the door being incorrectly calibrated.
Another possible cause is a short in the wiring of the circuit board that
controls the behavior of the door. An issue with the belt or chain drive that
operates the mechanism overhead may also be at fault, especially if the door
seems particularly noisy as it is in operation.
If Your Garage Door Won’t Open at All
If your garage door refuses to open at all, first
check to make sure that it’s not just due to dead batteries in your remote. If
your garage door won’t open while attempting to use both the wall switch and
the remote, then that points to a sign with the garage door springs. As you can
tell, the springs are often the culprit in many of these cases, and while in
most situations they are built to last, like anything that sees a lot of use
over the years, they can experience problems.
It can also be caused by an issue with worn out
cables. A garage door has cables that run alongside to the top of the
mechanism, and these work in tandem with the springs to create the
counterbalance that raises and lowers the door. These can become worn and break
over time, which will cause the door to slam down and be impossible
to operate without replacing the cables. Even if the cables are just
significantly worn it will impede the door’s actions noticeably, causing
stuttering and poor performance.
If your door won’t close, either, then the
problem can probably be traced back to broken springs, broken cables, or a
power failure. If you inspect the inside of the door and notice broken springs
or cables, no not try to replace or repair them yourself, as this is a
potentially hazardous situation if not handled by a professional garage door
repair technician.
When you’ve identified an issue that needs
attention from a professional with your garage door, make sure to choose the
best option around. You want experts who know what they’re doing. A
professional garage door repair company has seen it all and has experience with
many types and models of garage doors and the full spectrum of problems that
can befall them. With the potential damage or issues that can happen from
improperly calibrated springs or other mistakes, you want to put the safety of
your Lawrenceville
garage door in the right hands.
