You probably don’t give the mechanical system of your garage door a lot of thought day to day until your door no longer opens or closes at the touch of a button. When you consider how many times a week the technical parts of an opener operates, it will inevitably break down at some point. Avoid sudden and surprising system failures all together and watch out for these three signs which point to potential trouble.

  1. Incomplete Closing

If your garage door fails to shut completely, there are several possible causes. The simplest of reasons is that the sensors aren’t fully functional. Small things such as dust, grime, or cobwebs can block these sensors enough where they fail to respond. If cleaning the sensors doesn’t make any difference, it could be that the mechanism’s springs or cabling have stretched or weakened. Fixing these parts will probably need expert attention.

  • Slow Opening or Closing

If your door opens or closes a lot more slowly than it used to, then the springs could be losing their tension. Tightening them back up is a job for a professional, as even slackened springs contain a lot of pent-up energy and can be extremely dangerous. And while the engineer is checking the tension, they can see if replacement springs might be a better long-term solution.

  • Sudden Increase in Noise

Yes, older mechanisms are noticeably noisy, sending out clunking and whirring sounds whenever activated. Modern designs, however, should be almost silent, so if your garage door suddenly jumps in volume as it opens and closes, something is probably amiss. Maybe the system is overdue for oiling. An inspection will reveal if that is indeed the solution or if any parts are becoming so worn that they need replacing.

Faulty mechanical parts aren’t the only reason it may be wise to replace your garage door mechanism. If your installation is more than 10 years old, upgrading to a more modern design will yield many new benefits.

If you are experiencing any of the red flags above, contact Smokey’s Garage Door. We will evaluate your garage door system and discuss what course of action works best for you and your home.

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