Troubleshooting A Garage Door That Won't Open
When your garage door stops working with the car in the garage, things can get hectic pretty quickly. It is easy to stare at the unmoving panel at the end of your garage and think that you have no choice but to call in professionals. On the other hand, you can save yourself a little bit of money by trying to do some troubleshooting on your own before you call in reinforcements.
The Remote
If something goes wrong with the electricity in your home, your garage door won't work. The first thing to check when your door won't open is your remote. If you push the button on your remote and nothing happens, push the button on the wall, and see if the door opens. If it does, you should try changing the battery on your remote. If you change the batteries, and it still won't work, then you need a new remote.
The Rails
Your garage door will have wheels that run up and down the rails on either side of your garage door. If these rails get bent, the wheels can get jammed in the bend and your door will refuse to open. You can correct the rails on your own in this way: Take a block of wood and set it against the rails where the bend is then hammer against the piece of wood. The block of wood will distribute the force from the hammer over a greater area so that you don't damage the rail. With a few well-placed hammer strikes, you should be able to straighten out your rails and fix your problem.
The Opener
If everything seems to be working with your remote and rails, then you need to take time to listen. Push the button on your door, then listen. If it sounds like your garage door motor is running, but your garage door will not open, then you likely have a problem with the gears inside the motor. To confirm that the gears are your problem, take off the screws that hold the motor cover in place. Most garage doors will have a metal chain and plastic gears. The metal chain can shave plastic off of the gears. Thus, when you open the cover, if you have damaged gears, you will see plastic shavings along the inside of your garage door motor. You can buy replacement gears, but if you don't feel comfortable performing your own small engine repair, then you should leave replacing gears to the professionals.
By taking a few minutes to check out your garage door on your own, you may just be able to get your garage door working the way it should. In the worst case scenario, you will simply be able to confirm what the problem is so that you can pass that along to the professionals, such as KBI Door Services Ltd. Knowing, for example, that you have warn out gears will let the repair technicians know to stock their truck with the right gears for your garage.
Share
