Finding Great New Garage Doors

Garage Door Repair 101: How To Troubleshoot Your Garage Door

15 September 2017

Gertrude Collins

As a homeowner, you know how nice it is to save money where ever you can on home repairs. So when you have a broken garage door, you should try to troubleshoot it yourself instead of calling for a contractor who will charge you for both the repair and their time. However, if you end up troubleshooting it and the problem is bigger than you can handle, you may have to go that route. The contractor can determine if the issue is fixable or whether you need a new garage door installed. First, let's take a look at the common reasons that residential doors need repairing and try to troubleshoot it yourself:

Structural Damage

Whether you have a metal garage or a wooden one, it's usually pretty obvious to spot structural damage. This can include cracks, holes, or large dents. Sometimes the issues are small enough you can repair them with a small patch job.

• For small cracks in wood: Remove any screws from the wood board with a hammer or screw. Measure a new board the same size as the old one and cut it down to size. Replace the wood board using a drill or a hammer. This should fix the problem. Repeat for any other cracked boards.

• Holes: If the hole is small enough, you can simply screw a piece of metal or other sturdy material over the hole. When the hole is too big, the entire section might need to be replaced by a professional.

Mechanical Issues

Do you have an electronic garage door? They are highly convenient – until they fail. Proper maintenance goes a long way towards keeping the garage doors running smoothly. If your garage door isn't opening anymore, try this:

• Check the switches on the wall that are used to power the door. Test the door by touching two wires together. The voltage is low enough that it won't shock you. If it makes the door open, then it is a sign the switch needs to be repaired. If it doesn't open, one of the wires may be bad.

• When the wall switch does work but the remotes don't, it can be as easy as replacing the batteries in the remote. Still nothing? Replace the remote with a new one. You can even get a universal remote if you can't find one to go with your original package.

Considerations

These are a few simple fixes you can try to repair your garage door. Obviously, if you have a lot of damage, like from a storm or a vehicle hitting the door, you will need to replace the entire door. That is a job for a professional unless you feel savvy enough to do it. Always turn the power off before working on electronic doors. Always work with the door in the shut position if possible. If you can't, make sure you aren't underneath the door when you are fixing it. You never know when it can come crashing down.

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