Have you noticed? Garage door closure problems always seem to happen when you are in the midst of something important! You might be leaving with your spouse to see your child in the school play. Or, you might have merrily jumped into the car, eager to have your first date with that special person you just met. It’s almost like your garage door knew that you had something of importance to do, and that’s when it decided to “act up.”
It opened just fine, but when it came time to close your garage door, it wouldn’t stay closed! What do you do now? You can’t just leave your garage door open and then leave? You have other vehicles, bicycles, storage items, garden tools, lawn equipment and lots more inside.
Keep calm!
If you are experiencing a garage door that won’t close, you are not alone! Here at Kennesaw Garage Door Repair we often get calls from worried folks that need to go somewhere but feel that they can’t, due to a non-closing garage door. It’s important that you get and remain calm; losing your wits now won’t help you one bit. Just follow our advice and you might just save yourself some money and lots of time!
Check your safety sensors!
Here in Kennesaw, GA when garage doors won’t stay closed, it is usually a safety sensor issue. Check yours to see if the beam is not being interrupted. Your safety sensors are also known as your photo electric safety eyes. One sensor sends a beam to the other which acts as a receiver. If the something gets in the way of the beam or if the sensors are not aligned, the beam will not connect properly with the other sensor and your garage door opener will reverse course, keeping your garage door from closing. These safety eyes can be bumped by accident or when something falls or leans against it. Many times, in garages full of garden tools, skateboards and hobby equipment, it is easy for an item to get too close to one of your sensors and throw it off alignment with its weight. Also, rodents and small animals can chew on the sensor wires and either pull them out or fray them to the point that they stop working.
Your set of sensors is easy to re-align. Simply adjust them gently so that the beam is on again and aimed directly at the receiver. You can also gently clean the sensor lenses. Use a soft cloth and wipe them free of debris, dust and any cobwebs, leaves or mud that might have accumulated on them. Dirty sensor lenses are much like trying to see out of dirty eyeglasses; it’s very difficult!
Also, keep an eye out for spider webs and other insect homes that might be interfering with your sensor beams. Spiders and other bugs love the dark environs of your garage and your safety sensors are perfect for building webs to catch their spider prey.
Garage door resistance
Your garage door has a built-in safety feature that sometimes can cause it to not close on demand. This safety feature sends your closing garage door back up if any resistance is encountered. This is the same safety feature that prevents your garage door from hitting your dog or child when it runs under it while it is closing. Or, if you don’t pull into the garage far enough, the closing garage door won’t hit your car and dent its roof or trunk because of this resistance feature.
Resistance is not always obvious and it is up to you to find it. Here’s one way. Reach up and pull the red knob at the end of the emergency release latch. This will disconnect the garage door from the opener system and allow you to manually operate your garage door. Now, with this disconnected, try manually lifting the garage door and at the same time check for any resistance. Does the door open smoothly or does it seem to catch on something and go up in a choppy way? If so, you may have a damaged spring, a broken wheel or a bent track. The bad news is that these are not do-it-yourself fixes and you will most likely need to call in a professional. The good news is that these are not expensive repairs and your favorite local Kennesaw, GA garage door repair shop can make the adjustments without a big expense or taking up lots of your time.
Other factors
Sometimes, other factors can contribute to your garage door not staying open. These can include dirty or clogged tracks, tension spring problems and broken cables. Your garage door tracks are important because your door is designed to roll forward onto them. If they are clogged with dirt, mud, lint, leaves, small rocks or even gum, the garage door will simply stop descending and go back up. It’s always a good idea to keep your garage door’s tracks clean and unobstructed. Doing so can save you lots of hassle and some money as you won’t have to schedule a service call.
Also, worn cables and tension springs can cause your garage door to not stay up. These are designed to allow your door to lower gently and not just drop. When worn or damaged, these springs and cables can cause your garage door to work erratically and not close or remain shut. Again, repairs for these items should only be done by experienced garage door professionals.
It’s up to you!
If you feel comfortable making these simple adjustments, do so and in the process, save yourself the added expense of a service call. On the other hand, it your time is limited, or too valuable to spend tinkering with garage door repairs, be sure to call on a trusted Kennesaw, GA garage door repair shop. Most offer 24-hour emergency service, free price quotes and on-location mobile service, so call one and get your garage door back in working and dependable shape!
Article source here: DOOR CLOSURE PROBLEMS
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