Your garage door system can start to show signs that it isn't working properly before it fails completely. If you catch problems with your garage doors quickly, you may be able to avoid damaging your system further. Your opener can last for years, but it will become strained if it is trying to open and close your garage doors with loose tension springs. The springs hold the weight of the door and help reduce wear and tear on your opener. If you notice your door reversing direction, you find brackets on the ground, or your door makes loud noises when in motion, it's time to call for garage door services to see what is happening.
Loose Brackets and Your Garage Door Tracks
Brackets can become loose over time because of the vibration of the door when it opens and closes. If a bracket falls off, your two tracks will no longer be parallel to each other. This causes problems with how your door opens and closes. If a bracket is gone, you might notice that your garage door reverses direction when it hits a particular point. If you find brackets on the ground, get the help you need to keep your tracks secure.
If Tension Springs are Loose
There are a number of signs that show that your tension springs are loose. If your garage door opens slowly, or your door won't stay fully open, the issue is likely your tension springs. Open your door fully, and see if the door closes at all. If your door closes more than six inches, it's time to have your tension springs inspected. Don't touch the springs yourself, as they can snap and hurt you while they are being adjusted.
Pay Attention to Strange Sounds
If you hear a squealing noise, you may need to have the wheels on your garage door lubricated. There could be debris somewhere in your tracks causing the noise. Anytime there are changes to how your garage door system sounds when in operation, it's important to uncover the cause of the sounds. It's possible that you find the debris yourself, and fix it without calling for help.
Your garage door system doesn't take a lot of work to keep it in good shape. Call garage door services when you have problems with the door reversing direction, if it won't shut completely, or if you hear strange noises when it is running.
Reach out to a local garage door company to learn more.