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With normal use, you can expect your garage door’s opener remote to last about 10-15 years. By using the following symptoms to troubleshoot any problems with your garage door mechanism, you can determine whether a repair or replacement is needed. When your garage door refuses to open, especially if you’re in a hurry and your car is inside, it can be an aggravating situation. By troubleshooting the problem, yourself, you may avoid having to make a service call, and even if you do have to call a professional repair company, you’ll be able to report specifics of the problem.
Four major types of garage door openers operate the vast majority of residential garage doors. Every type consists of a part that is connected to the door and is operated by a motor to move up and down. When the opener is engaged, this part acts as a driver to lift and lower the garage door. What differentiates each garage door opener is the type of driver that it uses. The four types are:
First, ensure that your opener remote has fresh batteries. Sometimes your garage door not functioning can simply be an issue of dead batteries. Once you’ve done that, test both your garage door remote and the opener’s wall switch to determine if either of these opens the door. If your wall switch operates the door but the remote doesn’t work, then that points to a damaged component in the remote. If it’s the opposite situation, there may be a mechanical problem with your garage door opener’s motor or other parts. If neither of them works, move on to the next steps.
If signs point to the problem being with the remote, there are a sign you can check for. When you hit the button on your garage door opener remote, it transmits an electronic signal to your opener, commanding it to open or close. This signal is usually receiving by an antenna that hangs from the motor. Check this antenna to insure there’s no obstruction or other issues.
Your transmitter may also need to be reprogrammed. While it’s not common, occasionally a garage door opener remote can lose its programming and no longer match up with the door it is intended for. You may be able to reprogram the garage door remote yourself by locating the reset button and following the manufacturer’s directions for your garage door’s make and model. If you’re having trouble figuring out how to do this, contact a garage door repair technician for advice.
Your garage door springs have a big job, as the tension they produce is vital to lifting and lowering your door. Over time, springs can begin to wear down, especially after 15 or so years. When this happens, it’s possible for your garage door springs to suddenly break, which may cause the door either to slam shut or to cease to operate. If your garage door opener appears to be attempting to work, but your garage door won’t budge, it may not be a problem with the opener but of broken springs.
You can visually inspect the springs, which should either be located above the door either on the sides or in the center, to determine if they appear to be broken. Garage door springs should always be replaced by a professional, due to the risk of damage or personal injury they present if installed improperly.
All garage doors are equipped with sensors and a reversal feature that stop them from closing when something is blocking their way. This makes it so that you don’t accidentally incur damage to your vehicle if you hit the button too soon after driving into your garage. A symptom of this might be if your garage door will lower partway but then go back up. Inspect the two tracks that your garage door runs on to see if there’s any build-up of dirt or debris, or any obstructions such as sticks or leaves. Remove any that you find there.
Since all garage doors have the option to switch the door to manual, every door opener is enabled with a disconnect switch. If something in your garage accidentally hit it, the disconnect switch may accidentally be enabled. This is another scenario in which your garage door opener may appear to be running, but nothing is happening. This switch is on a pulley that’s attached to the opener mechanism, so try tugging on that and attempting to open the door again.
When you’re in need of garage door opener repairs, replacement, or any other garage door services, turn to a professional company, such as Garage Door Repair Sicklerville of Sicklerville, NJ. Professional garage door technicians have seen it all when it comes to garage door opener problems, and will be able to pinpoint the exact problem and take the appropriate measures to fix it.
