5 Reasons Why Your Garage Door Won’t Close

Why won’t my garage door close? 

We’ve all asked ourselves this question at one stage or another. That’s because, if you have a garage, you likely use it every day of the week. The constant wear and tear over the years can take its toll on a door and the components that make it work, but it’s hard to know exactly what the problem is unless you’re a trained professional.

And that’s where we come in. At Garage Door People, we’ve spent years helping customers by diagnosing why a garage won’t close and then putting it right. This month, we’re looking at the most common reasons a garage door won’t close and how to fix it.

Are you having trouble with any of the following?

Broken Springs

If you have springs in your garage door mechanism, you’ve probably already worked out that they’re the part doing all the heavy lifting for you. There are multiple variations of how springs are used in garage doors, but regardless, any damage or wear to the spring will make it harder to close. Eventually, you’ll need to replace the spring if you want to keep your door working, since they’re too heavy to lift or lower safely on your own.

Where garage door springs are involved, it can be dangerous to start taking things apart due to the tension that may be in them. For this reason, we recommend getting a professional to take a look if you think you have a spring-related issue with your garage.

Damaged Tracks

Many garage doors rely on tracks to keep a smooth action when opening and closing. These tracks usually contain rollers, but if the track becomes damaged in some way then it will block their path. This is usually due to bending or warping of the metal tracks and you’ll find opening and closing the door gets stiffer and bumpier until it one day gets stuck.

When you notice stiffness or a lack of smooth running, take a look at your tracks for damage. If they need replacing, you might want to seek professional help if you’re unsure of how to take such mechanisms apart safely.

Blocked Door

Clearly, if you’ve got boxes or heavy items inside your garage right up to the door, they could block it from closing fully. Aside from that obvious point, however, there are other ways it can become blocked. This is usually something small blocking the path of the rollers in the track or something unassuming catching the door on its way down that shouldn’t be, such as the frame.

Check for blockages and, if you can easily remove the offending item or material, then do so. If it’s unclear what the blockage is and if you can’t remove or fix it easily, call in the professionals.

Faulty Sensor or Sensor Misalignment

If you have an electric garage door and it isn’t automatically opening and closing as it should, then you may have an issue with the safety sensors. The sensors need power first and foremost, but they also need to be aligned properly, otherwise, the motor will think something is blocking the garage and won’t close as a precaution.

Most sensors will allow you to check if they have power and whether they’re aligned. However, if you can’t correctly realign them, or if you think you have but the door is still not closing, get a professional in to take a look as they will have the knowledge and tools to deal with such a setup.

Damaged Cables

Most garage doors will use a cable of some sort to help lower your door. In much the same way that springs can impair the functionality of your door when damaged, the same goes for cables. Over time, cables take a lot of the strain and may begin to wear naturally, too, so it’s often easy to spot when they’re at fault for a door not closing as it should.

Again, similar to springs, cables will probably need a professional if you’re unsure of how to dismantle and reassemble such a mechanism safely.

Garage Door Repair Company

While there is plenty you can do to keep your garage door in top working condition, there will no doubt come a time when something more serious – or mysterious! – is at fault. For your safety and the safety of those around you, we recommend calling your local garage door repair company.

At Garage Door People, we’re a leading garage door repair company, which means we have the expertise and the tools to perform garage door repairs in Spalding, Horncastle and Boston. So no matter what style of garage door you have, if your garage door stops when closing, give our professional team a call today and we’ll be happy to help get it working again.