Troubleshooting Sticking Garage Door Issues, Part 1

Has your garage door suddenly become stuck and unwilling to open normally? There could be several culprits behind this issue taking place, from machinery issues all the way to simple weather concerns, and the solution could range from an extremely simple task to one that involves garage door repair professionals.

At Crawford Door Sales, we’re here to help. We offer both commercial and residential garage door repair services in addition to our wide stock of new garage door materials and installation solutions, and we’ve assisted numerous home or building owners with issues of stuck garage doors. In this two-part blog series, we’ll go over why garage doors sometimes become stuck, plus some basic troubleshooting methods – both those you can perform on your own and a few where our team of garage door professionals might be needed.

Causes of Stuck Garage Doors

There are several potential causes of sticking garage doors, including:

• Weather: Perhaps the most common cause of a stuck garage door is freezing weather that has frozen the bottom of the door to the ground. In most cases, this issue can be identified visually and removed quickly. However, repeated such cases will damage door springs and wear them down quickly.
• Obstructions: If your garage door rollers are obstructed, the entire door’s operation will be halted.
• Pulley issues: Garage doors use a pulley and spring system to move the door up and down, but these may become jammed or wear down over time.
• Remote concerns: Electronic garage door openers may break down or run out of battery, requiring replacement.
• Improper installation: Finally, improper garage door installation may lead to faulty mechanisms or other issues that lead to sticking.

Safety Precautions

As we noted above, some of the troubleshooting areas we’ll go over here are those you can perform on a DIY basis. If attempting such methods, the first and most important factor to consider is safety. Do not put yourself in any hazardous situation or risk during this process, especially one that involves the risk of a garage door falling on you. Make sure the garage door opener is turned off and everything is in a safe position before you start any work.

From here, we’ll go over a few specific troubleshooting areas to consider for corresponding garage door issues.

Obstructions or Jams

In many cases, getting the garage door to open again is as simple as removing basic blockages or obstructions on your track or rollers. If rollers run into an obstruction while operating, they will generally stop their movement and cause the garage door to stick – simply removing these will remedy this concern in most situations.

For more on how to troubleshoot a stuck garage door, or to learn about any of our residential or commercial garage door services, speak to the staff at Crawford Door Sales today.