Common Problems
Since garage doors have many moving parts, you may experience a number of issues that lead to a jam, derailing, loud noises, or problems lowering or raising the door. Regardless of the issue at hand, K & S Door Systems would be happy to take a look and provide you with the right solution to get your garage door back on track. Let’s delve into some common problems that we encounter, so you can better understand the parts that may need to be replaced, and how we’ll perform a repair.
Loud Noises: Garage doors don’t have to be noisy, and, in fact, a well-maintained garage door will be rather quiet, especially with a silent door operator model. However, if things get off track, the door may squeak, and your motor may be louder, since it will struggle to lift the door. Be wary of screeching, grinding, squealing and other noises. If you’re experiencing noise, it’s likely that you have a misalignment, the moving parts of your door require lubrication, or you have rusted components. You may also need to replace the chain or gear in your operator, or replace various components that hold the door on the rail system (like the hinges or wheels). We can assess the noises that your garage door is making, and we’ll tackle the issue at hand.
Faulty Operator: Your garage door operator (or the component that controls and moves your garage door) can eventually fail over time. Your operator may struggle or fail to lift your door entirely. Or, you may have an electrical issue that is keeping your remote or button from operating the door. You may also have a chain or gear that requires replacing or lubrication. In some cases, the motor itself may require repairs, or you may need to replace it, if it’s outdated. It’s a good idea to fix operator issues before they get worse, since inefficiencies and unnecessary friction or tension can strain the operator and cause it to fail more quickly.
Sensor Issues: Your garage door sensors are in place as a safety feature to prevent your garage door from closing on people, objects, or pets. However, your sensors can fail, which can keep your door from being operable. If your garage door automatically opens as you try to close it, you may have misaligned sensors (since they rely on lasers to indicate if something is in the way of the door). A misaligned sensor will trigger the door to reverse and raise as you attempt to close it. In many cases, you can adjust the sensors by hand — simply try to aim them at one another to ensure that they are lined up. You may also have sensors with an electrical problem or sensors that have failed altogether. When your sensors don’t work, your operator light may flash, and your door may refuse to close when you use a button or remote.
Damaged Panels: High winds, a stray golf ball, and the occasional accident can leave your door with damaged panels (trust us, we’ve seen it all!). If you have panels that are dinged, dented, or bent, then you may have to replace them in order to keep your door operable. You may also want to replace or repair minor damage simply for aesthetic purposes. Regardless of what happened and how much damage your panels have, we can fix them.
Panel Misalignment: If you have gaps between your panels, it’s an indication that your door hardware is faulty. You may have bad hinges along your panels, or you may have issues with the rollers at the ends of your garage door. We can remove, repair, and replace each panel, so that they are perfectly aligned once again.
Track Misalignment: Your door tracks should be perfectly parallel to one another, and the rollers of your garage door should glide along the tracks smoothly. If you have tracks that are misaligned or bent out of shape, then your garage door may struggle to operate, or it may fail altogether. Be sure to fix misalignments right away to keep from straining the motor of your door and other components. You may notice a misalignment if your door is shaking or shuddering, if your door is making loud noises, if your door struggles to raise or lower, or if your door has clearly derailed.
Rusted Components: Your operator, chain, rails, and hardware are liable to rust over time. If you have an older garage door, you may notice that it seems less efficient or it may produce awful noises every time you open and close the door. Oftentimes, these issues are caused by rusted hinges, rollers, and chains. We recommend replacing any hardware that is rusted, since it will hinder the efficiency of the door, and it may strain the operator and other components.
Remote Issues: Your garage door remote has a simple job: It should transmit a signal to your door operator when you push the open/close button. If your remote (or remotes) no longer works, then you may need to replace the battery — that’s the first thing that we’d recommend trying. If that doesn’t solve the problem, then you may have a faulty remote, or your remote may no longer be calibrated to transmit a signal to the operator. In some cases, your remote may not have a strong enough signal to reach the operator, which means that you may have to invest in a signal booster.
Gap at the Bottom: The bottom of your garage door should be flush against the slabs of your garage. If you can see a gap underneath your door, then your home’s efficiency may be poor. Gaps can crop up if you have a misaligned door, or if the slabs of your garage have shifted. In some cases, the best solution is to install an insulating bumper at the bottom of the door. You may also need a garage door realignment.
