The Most Common Types of Residential Garage Door Repairs
Are you guilty of ignoring your garage door? If so, you could be putting your home and family at risk. After all, around 9% of burglars enter through the garage.
That means that if you have a broken garage door, it stands out to would-be thieves like a beacon in the night. Protect your home by attending to residential garage door repairs as soon as you notice them.
But what if you’re not sure what’s wrong with your door? We’re here to help. Keep reading to learn about some of the most common garage problems so you can begin to diagnose the issue and decide whether you want to fix it yourself or hire a professional.
Broken Cables
Your garage door is pulled up by thick cables, designed to hold the full weight of the door. However, over time, the cables will start to weaken, thanks to natural wear and tear.
Eventually, one or more of the cables will break, but you might not realize it at first. If you notice that your door is slow to come up, it could be a sign that your cables are starting to break down. If the door gets stuck halfway up or it starts to hang incorrectly outside the tracks, then it’s a good sign that you have a broken cable.
Attempting to replace a broken cable yourself can be extremely dangerous and could lead to serious injury. Instead of attempting a DIY repair, hire a professional repair company like our team here at Budget Garage Doors & Services LLC.
Broken Springs
Along with the cable system, your garage door also operates using a set of springs. The springs make it easier for the heavy door to be lifted and lowered, without putting as much strain on the operating system.
Similar to the cables, the springs will eventually wear down after excess use. Fortunately, you can usually tell if you have a broken spring easily.
If your door starts to make more noise than usual when it’s raised or lowered, it’s a good indication of a spring issue. However, if the spring breaks when it’s loaded down or fully stretched, then the spring will make a very loud popping sound, almost like a gunshot.
In most cases, you’ll be able to hear the pop from anywhere inside your home. While it’s frightening at the moment, it’s a relatively small fix. However, much like cable repairs, it’s not a project you should try on your own. When replacing the broken spring, you could risk having the heavy garage door fall on you, leading to injuries. Once again, leave this repair to a professional.
Damage to the Door Panels
We’ve all been there. Your teenager accidentally pulls forward too far in the driveway or a fun game of catch ends with the ball leaving a dent in the garage door. Damage to the garage door itself is easy to put off, especially since it doesn’t usually impact the operation of the door.
However, it does have a negative impact on your home’s curb appeal. If your planning to sell your home in the near future, you can expect to get around 7% more if your home has good curb appeal, so your damaged door could cost you money.
Even if you have no intention to sell, though, it still acts as an eyesore and could lead to the perception of a lower property value.
Fortunately, in many cases, you won’t have to replace your whole door. Instead, you can work with a professional garage door repair company to secure replacement panels or hardware to get your door back to looking good as new.
Safety Sensor Issues
As we mentioned above, garage doors are heavy, so it’s critical that they only close when there’s plenty of clearance beneath them. A built-in safety sensor helps prevent the door from closing if there’s a person or object beneath the door, so you don’t usually have to worry.
But, if the sensor breaks or becomes misaligned, then your garage door can become a safety hazard. Once again, this is a repair that you should leave in the hands of a professional, so there’s no question that the sensor is back to working as it should.
Track Issues
If you notice that your garage door seems to be struggling to move either up or down the track, it could mean that the track itself is either bent or broken. In the case of a minor issue, a professional garage repair company can fix the issue with your existing track so that the door can continue working properly.
In more serious cases, however, the whole track may need to be replaced. Since that repair requires the door to be taken off, we again recommend that you don’t attempt it yourself.
Broken Weather Seal
Your garage door comes equipped with weatherstripping to help maintain a more even temperature regardless of outside weather. It also helps to keep bugs and pests from infesting your home.
If you notice that the weatherstripping is starting to wear down, it’s time to replace it. This is a fairly simple fix, requiring you to remove the old seal and install the new one. If you’re handy, you should have no problem attempting it yourself. However, if you’d prefer you can always hire a professional to take care of it for you instead.
Here for Your Residential Garage Door Repairs
Now that you know more about the most common types of residential garage door repairs, look no further than the Budget Garage Doors & Services LLC team for help.
We offer free estimates and are happy to give you a quote on garage door installation and repairs. Wondering if we’re the right choice for the job? Read our tips on how to hire garage door professionals today! We hope you’ll agree that our team is the best fit for your needs.