Unless something goes wrong, most homeowners don't give their garage doors a second thought. It's only when the door stops functioning that it becomes a priority.

If you learn more about your garage door and the subtle "language" it uses, you may be able to give the door proper care and maintenance and ward off a frustrating situation where it fails to open. Even more important, you can prevent injuries like the kinds that send between 20,000 and 30,000 to the hospital each year.

How Can You Tell if Your Garage Door Needs Attention?

It's Making Noise

From squeaks to groans, garage doors can make a lot of noise when opening or closing. These sounds can tell you that your door needs some maintenance. Here's what you can do:

1. Check and tighten door and track hardware. A deep socket and ratchet can tighten up nuts, but be careful not to overtighten. You could strip the screw holes.
2. Look for damage to rollers. Over time, the bearings in your door's steel rollers can become worn; watch for the rollers to jiggle as you open the door. Track rollers can be replaced with new steel rollers or quieter nylon rollers, but it's a job for a professional. Doors that use torsion springs can put tension on the brackets that hold the rollers and you could cause injury or further door issues if you unbolt them improperly.
3. Evaluate hinges. Hinges can become worn and that can cause the door to bind and make noise. Look for metal filings, gray dust or an enlarged or oval hole where the hinge pin goes into the bracket. Those are all signs that hinges need to be replaced.
4. Investigate the opener chain. If the chain is loose, it can prevent the door from operating smoothly, force the rollers to push against the track and make noise. Your garage door opener user's manual should have directions for tightening and lubricating the chain. Not sure how to proceed? Call the pros to take care of the issue.
5. Lubricate moving parts. If you can't find any obvious issues, try spraying the springs, roller bearings and hinges with a special garage door lubricant. Doing this every six months can keep your door quiet. (Don't use a product that's not made for garage doors as other lubricants can attract dirt and make things worse.)

East Tennessee residents can quickly schedule residential garage door service with Knoxville-based Overhead Door Company. Our pros can evaluate your needs and give you an estimate for service and any needed repairs. 

It's Not Communicating with the Opener

Most garage doors are connected to electronic door openers that work with a remote. While electronic openers are convenient -- and most of us can't imagine manually opening and closing the door in this day and age -- they can malfunction. 

If your remote is no longer opening the garage door, test the batteries. If they're functioning correctly, you may need to reprogram your remote by following the directions in your owner's manual. 

A mounted opener might have a wiring issue. You can remove the switch and test the two wires by carefully touching them together. If that works to open the door, you'll need a new switch. If nothing happens, you have a wiring issue that can be fixed by your garage door repair company.

It's Opening or Closing Erratically

Garage doors have sensors that ensure the door won't close if something is blocking its path. If your door is starting to close and then reopening, the sensors may be blocked or need to be adjusted so they are aimed correctly at each other and aren't reflecting sunlight.

What if the door isn't closing entirely but isn't reversing? You may need to adjust the limit switch. This switch tells the opener how far to lower the door to close, and if it's malfunctioning or positioned incorrectly, you may see that the door won't close all the way. The main opener is likely to have a setting that can be adjusted to fix this problem. 

Can Your Garage Door Hurt You?

Garage doors are some of the heaviest objects in your home and they utilize springs to maintain tension and open or close the door. Today's doors typically use torsion springs that create torque to counterbalance the weight of the door. In other words, they wind or unwind as the door opens or closes. If this tension is released suddenly, such as when the spring breaks, it turns the spring into a mini-missile that can cause a serious injury (or even a fatality). That's why it's crucial to have a professional evaluate, repair or replace your garage door springs.

Schedule Professional Garage Door Maintenance and Repairs

Maintaining your garage door is an important part of keeping your home safe and running smoothly. At Overhead Door Company, we've been installing, replacing and repairing garage doors in the Knoxville area since 1936. We can answer questions and schedule service through our easy-to-use online contact form or you can call us at 865-573-1950 to schedule a trusted professional inspection and repair.