GARAGE DOOR REPAIR: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND TYPES OF BREAKDOWNS

You get home at night after a hard day’s work and find that your garage door is not working. Is the motor broken? Is it the remote control that is not working? Or is it something more serious? Don’t worry, let’s take a look at the most frequently asked questions about garage door repair and the most common types of breakdowns. Shall we get started?

In this article, we will explore the most common questions about garage door repair and the most common types of breakdowns, and also as a bonus track, a series of tips to prolong the life of the garage door of your villa.

Garage doors are exposed to unintentional knocks and can therefore deteriorate, especially at the bottom. In fact, one of the most frequent incidents, especially when the garage entrance is on a slope, is a collision with the garage door.

In the case of sectional doors, made up of hinged panels, the repair is very simple. Just disassemble the leaf and replace the damaged section with another exactly the same in size and finish.

In the case of other types of doors, such as sliding or swing doors, it is more likely that the entire door leaf will have to be replaced, as the repair costs could be higher than replacing the part.

It may seem obvious, but it is one of the first things to check before calling a specialist for garage door repair. Sometimes the problem is not mechanical, i.e. the motor, but the control.

The most basic thing, and where we should start, is to check that the battery is not dead. After that, inspect the signal receiver, which may be dirty. Another possibility is that there is a frequency jammer nearby that is blocking the remote.

If we have a second remote, it will give us the clue as to whether the problem is the transmitter or the problem is in the receiver (board) that picks up the signal. If this second unit works, the problem is in the controller.

The most important thing is not to manipulate the door, if we do not know well what we are doing, we can aggravate the failure or hurt ourselves, something that we should never do.

If it cannot be opened, the vast majority of systems have a manual mechanism that allows them to unblock them. After that, it will be necessary to notify a technical service or the maintenance service if you have a contract.

Once the extent of the breakdown is known, if it is very serious and the repair budget is high, it will be necessary to decide whether to repair the door or replace it.

In general, a repair will always be cheaper than replacing the entire garage door, as long as it is carried out by a qualified professional who will guarantee the repair. Automatic door repair should almost always be our first choice.

However, sometimes it may be more convenient to replace the old door, especially if it is very expensive to update it compared to a new kit. When the breakdown is serious and the door is old, replacing it with a more advanced model can always be a good investment for our home and a security improvement.

When it comes to automated doors, this problem can manifest itself in several ways: garage door that does not close or does not close at all, runs jerky or stops and restarts. It may be that the tracks are dirty or clogged, so they need to be cleaned thoroughly.

More commonly, however, it may be some kind of electrical fault (a broken control board component) or a loose connection, so the motor components will need to be checked.

Another possibility is the failure of the automatism (pulleys, chains, gears, transmission, etc…), in this case, it may be necessary to replace some parts.

This is a very common problem, especially in sliding doors that have guides on the floor. Dirt, grease, small stones or even leaves or any kind of debris can end up clogging the door guide.

The best way to clean them is to use a vacuum cleaner. If the dirt is very stuck, then a cotton swab or a small brush with soapy water can be used. Only if the dirt is in hard-to-reach areas, it will be necessary to disassemble the door, which should only be done by a professional.

Because of time, use or lack of maintenance, motors can eventually break down. Common problems are chain breakage or deterioration of the parts that connect the motor to the tiller or the tiller to the door panel and shaft.

The motor is also likely to become misconfigured. In the case of doors that are outdoors, although the motors are protected, the control plates suffer more from the effect of high and low temperatures or humidity and can break down more easily.

When repairing a garage door motor, it will be necessary to locate the exact point of the breakdown and replace the broken part. The cost of the repair can be very variable: reconfiguring the motor is the cheapest, and changing the chain can cost a little more, but if you have to change parts of the bearings or the electronic board, the budget can be higher, depending on the model of the motor.

All these are elements that suffer especially the passage of time and the wear caused by the continuous use of the door.

Changing the steel cable of the garage door is not complicated, but it must be done by a professional to ensure that it is correctly installed. The same goes for replacing the garage door spring, which requires specific tools. It can be more complex to change the guides.

As for the price, it will depend on the part to be replaced and the model. But, in any case, these are not usually expensive repairs.

In Hackademy we repair all types of automatic doors, residential, industrial or commercial in Greater Vancouver, our team of technicians deals with any type of door and project, both to give access to vehicles and pedestrian access.

Let yourself be advised by our expert technicians approved in automation and mechanical opening systems, locks and doors of all kinds. Call us at (604) 771-2911 or click on the following button.