Have you ever had a day where your door fails to do its job? For seemingly no reason at all. A day where you continue to activate it to no avail? Because it happens! At one point or another, all garage doors will fail, which can lead to frustration – and a potentially dangerous situation.

Contrary to popular belief, however, is that a garage door always has a reason for failing. It just requires some research and know how to find out where the initial problem originated from as any number of mechanisms could cause the door to malfunction.

Why Do Garage Doors Fail?

Like most garage door owners, you rely on your door to open smoothly and close securely each time you operate it, which if you’re anything life the average owner is four times daily. Yet, chances are that you seldom pay much attention to the mechanisms at play, let alone maintain them.

Failure to maintain the garage door is the number one reason for a door’s demise. Why is routine maintenance so important? Because the same door you operate four times per day is extremely heavy! The average door weighs more than 150 pounds.

Listed below are some of the most common garage door dilemmas facing garage door owners today. Luckily, each of the problems listed can be easily fixed by a professional, thus allowing you to feel at peace knowing that your house and cars are secure.

Four Common Garage Door Dilemmas

1. Garage Door Sticks

This problem can be caused by a few issues such as dead remote batteries, drying lubricant, obstructions in the tracks, and unbalanced safety sensors. If after checking these issues out, the door still sticks, then you’ll want to contact a pro as a more in-depth problem may exist.

2. The Door Shimmies Side to Side

Check for any obstructions, or debris in the tracks. If an obstruction exists, you can carefully clear it, in order to see if that remedies the problem. If the problem persists, it could be caused by loosening springs/cables, or a faulty garage door opener motor. A replacement may be in order.

3. Screeching Noises During Operation

An obnoxious-sounding door makes it impossible to quietly slip out of your home in the wee hours of the morning. Any noise that originates from your door typically signifies a problem with dirty tracks or lack of lubrication. But that’s not to say there isn’t a more dangerous problem lurking.

4. Garage Door Rapidly Falls When Closing It

A falling garage door poses a significant risk of injury. This problem is often the result of broken garage door springs or cables. Do not attempt to replace either of these mechanisms as they are under an immense amount of tension! Always contact a professional.