Irvine Garage Door Company Discusses the 5 Most Common Repairs

Garages are great. They provide additional storage, protect people and vehicles from the weather, and add value to your home. But, they’re also a big investment that must be protected. According to an Irvine garage door company, the biggest factors for extending the lifecycle of your garage door are proper maintenance, regular inspections, and prompt repairs.

Many homeowners believe that they’re saving time and money by trying to take care of the repairs on their own. However, DIY garage door repair could end up costing money or result in serious injury.

By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding about the importance of garage door maintenance, the most common reasons for repair, and why arranging professional Irvine garage door repair assistance could actually save time, money, and frustration.

The Danger of Improper Maintenance

Irvine garage doors are subject to weather conditions and the wear from everyday usage. Think about every time someone exits and returns with a vehicle during the average work day. On top of that, consider how many times a day someone needs to take out and return bicycles and sporting or yard equipment.

It adds up.

According to studies, the average garage door opens and closes at least three times a day. That translates to more than 1,500 times a year, on average.

That’s a lot of moving parts that are subject to wear and tear.

When you factor in that the average lifespan of a garage door is from 15 – 30 years, but the lifecycle of a garage door torsion spring is about 9-10 years, and garage door openers in Irvine are good for 10 – 15 years, you can see the importance of maintenance in prolonging the life of the most-used entryway to your home.

Improper garage door maintenance and repair leaves your property open to a number of dangers, including:

• Intruders

• Pests and rodents

• Weather conditions

• Debris

However, DIY repairs are difficult without the right knowledge and tools. Torsion springs can snap back when pressure is released, potentially hurting anyone nearby. Garage doors can also fall and injure you or your property during a repair. The wrong parts or incorrect calibration could lead to injury as well as more costly repairs or premature replacement down the road.

5 Common Reasons for Garage Door Repair Calls

When in doubt about the need for repair, it’s always best to call a professional technician. Here are the five most common reasons you might need to contact an Irvine garage door repair specialist.

1. Inoperable/slow garage door openers. This is probably the most important component of an electronic garage door installation. Although they have a lifetime expectation of up to 15 years, inability to properly maintain other parts of the garage door system could lead to complications with the opener itself, including:

• Door not opening or closing

• Door opening but immediately reversing

• Inconsistent garage door movement

• Noisy operation

Some of these symptoms of a problem could be attributed to other garage door mechanisms, so it’s important to contact a technician to get to the bottom of the problem.

2. Broken or damaged garage door springs, cables, or rollers. These three components work in conjunction to open and close garage doors. When fully optimized and operational, the cables work with the coils, and the rollers keep everything moving smoothly along the track. A failure of one puts stress on the others, causing a chain reaction of potentially costly and dangerous issues.

Signs include:

• Inability to open, either fully or partially

• Garage doors that fall or slam shut

• Doors opening at an angle

• Inability to open the door manually

There are also physical signs, such as elongated springs, loose cables, or noise when the mechanism moves along the tracks. Any one of these would cause most homeowners to get on the phone with a repair tech fast.

3. Malfunctioning sensors. The safety sensors are designed to stop the door from closing if a person, pet, or object is in the way. When they become misaligned or need servicing, they could stop for no reason. Worse yet, they could fail to detect an obstruction and allow the door to keep closing.

Even one mishap with a malfunctioning sensor would result in a service call.

4. Bent or misaligned tracks. Sometimes, the cables, rollers, and springs are fine, but the track is the problem. In addition to broken or bent tracks, debris could build up and prevent the free motion of the cables, springs, or rollers.

A professional repair technician may be able to repair the bent or broken track, but sometimes it needs to be replaced. The matter can only be settled by an on-site inspection.

5. Missing or damaged garage door panels. Because they need flexibility, most garage doors are compromised of several sections or panels that are connected together. Since the garage door itself presents a rather large target, it’s also located in a potential collision zone from vehicles and assorted recreational items ranging from bicycles and scooters to basketballs. That means dents and other panel damage are common.

The simplicity of the repair depends upon the amount of damage. A damaged panel or two can be replaced. However, more severe problems, such as the kind of damage incurred if a car goes through the door panel, could lead to problems with other mechanisms like springs and cables.

Any damage to the panel, especially if it allows access or prohibits free operation of the door, would lead homeowners to call a repair tech right away.

Signs That You Need Repair Service ASAP

Proper maintenance and servicing can prolong the life of your garage door and prevent worse, potentially more costly, problems. On average, you should schedule a complete annual inspection and preventative maintenance from an Irvine garage door company. Garages that serve a house full of people and multiple vehicles should be inspected more often.

Try to keep an eye out for things like:

• Sagging in certain sections. This could mean a problem with balance or a loose spring.

• Slow/no response. This could be a simple as needing new batteries for your garage door remote or as complicated as a mechanical problem.

• Noisy operation, either from chains and springs or the opener itself. This could be due to several issues.

• Malfunctioning photo-eye. This is a safety feature that’s meant to prevent a garage door from closing on a person, pet, or property. Malfunctions could lead to severe injury and property damage.

Any of these issues would require prompt attention from an experienced technician.