Nothing is more frustrating than (seemingly) broken garage doors. One of the biggest frustrations associated with garage doors that are malfunctioning is that many of us do not know how to fix the problem on our own.
Calling an expert could mean long waits for service and dipping into your emergency fund to cover the costs. Although this is sometimes completely unavoidable, the truth is, the average person can easily troubleshoot the majority of issues that may plague your garage doors.
Before you call professional contractors for Calgary garage doors replacement or repairs, you can use our guide to troubleshoot on your own. In many circumstances, the solutions to your problems are a lot easier than you might imagine.
Please note that any repairs could be dangerous, and you should always assess your safety before attempting at-home repairs for your garage doors.
Dead Transmitter Batteries
When things are not working properly, we tend to panic and imagine the worst.
But the reality is, there are lots of garage doors parts that could be to blame for what seems like a “broken” garage. This is a good thing– it means that you may need to do some easy repairs on just a couple of small parts, rather than a full (and pricey) replacement.
One common issue is dead transmitter batteries. Unfortunately, this means that you will need to replace them. The good news is, however, this is a lot more straightforward and budget-friendly than a full garage doors panel replacement.
Misaligned Track
Your garage doors run along a track, which ensures that your doors stay straight with every use. If your track is damaged and ends up being misaligned, you will notice your garage door does not lift and lower straight.
Over time, this can leave your garage door vulnerable to further damages.
An early sign of a misaligned track is a loud rubbing noise on a certain spot in the track. You may even notice your garage door slowing as it opens and closes when it hits a certain spot on the track.
Although you might end up needing a professional to come in and remedy the problem, there are a few steps you can take first to solve the problem on your own.
Firstly, try your best to loosen the screws that hold your track in place. When loosened, you may be able to push the track back into the proper position. To ensure it’s perfectly straight and you are not making the problem worse, you should always use a level.
Once the alignment has been corrected, tighten the screws securely.
If this solution does not work, contacting a professional for repairs is the safest idea.
Damaged Rollers
Calgary garage doors parts might face a bit more wear and tear than other places in the world. After all, Calgary is blessed with relatively hot summers, cold winters and lots of rain and hail in between.
The end result is that rust is a common issue. Keeping your rollers well-lubricated can prevent any issues before they begin, but sometimes life gets busy and we forget to maintain our garage doors properly.
If damaged rollers are making it harder to get in and out of the garage in the mornings and evenings, they might need to be replaced.
The Remote Control or Keypad Needs To Be Reset
If you have ever been frustrated by your tablet or laptop, you may have received the advice “try turning it off and then turning it back on again”. This advice feels infuriatingly simple but in many cases, it actually works.
The truth is, many electronic devices will lose their programming over time, and a simple reset is exactly what is needed to “remind” your devices to work properly. If you have an electric garage door opener, it’s important to remember it functions in the same way as your electric appliances and smartphones do.
Sometimes, a reset is all that’s needed. However, Calgary garage doors are often made by different companies and come in different models. For this reason, there’s no one set way to do a reset.
If you still have a manual for your garage door opener, it will almost certainly have easy-to-follow instructions for resetting your device. If you can’t find your manual or still have questions, you can call your manufacturer, who should be able to help you over the phone.
Items Are Blocking Your Way
Sometimes the solution to your problem will feel comically easy to solve in retrospect. If your garage door is making a strange noise or not opening or shutting despite everything looking fine, the first step is to do a quick sweep of your garage.
You might be surprised by the items that could be blocking your garage from opening properly. Even items that seem small (or well out of your garage’s path) could be keeping your garage doors closed.
Fortunately, this problem takes just seconds to solve, and no hard labour is required. Sometimes, it really is that easy– and that’s a good thing.
The Close-Limit Switch Needs An Adjustment
If you have an electric garage door opener, you have a close-limit switch that you have likely been unaware of up until now.
This switch essentially tells your garage door motor when to stop running as your garage opens and closes. If this switch is not properly set, your door might be unable to close. When you attempt to close it, your door may even reverse and pull back up.
Ultimately, the close-limit switch is an important safety measure. It keeps people from being hit by garage doors and protects your property from being damaged as well. It is a necessary device required for every garage door opener.
However, your limit switch might need a bit of an adjustment to keep your garage doors free from erratic and frustrating behaviour.
Your garage door manual should have clear instructions on how to adjust this limit. If not, you can once again get in touch with your garage door manufacturer, who can help you adjust this limit manually.
Broken Springs for Garage doors
If your garage doors springs aren’t working properly, this could be a huge safety concern. Torsion springs can ultimately be dangerous devices, so it is best to contact professionals should you feel unsafe at any point in your troubleshooting.
Calgary garage doors springs are a little more vulnerable to rust given the city’s erratic weather conditions, so if your garage door is not working, this is one of the first things you can check for damages.
Ultimately, you can replace a garage door spring by yourself– which would require removing old springs, ordering new ones that are right for your garage, and installing them independently– or you can hire a professional contractor to handle this job for you.
Although replacing broken springs may be unavoidable, the good news is that you can often avoid a full panel replacement– if just the springs are damaged, it is unlikely that you will need to replace anything else.
A Manually Locked Garage Door
Sometimes, you will inspect your garage and immediately contact professionals who can help you replace multiple Calgary garage doors parts, because the repairs are too much to handle all on your own.
In other cases, however, the solution is laughably easy.
Even with electronic door openers, many garage doors can be locked manually. You would be surprised at how many people are confident their garage door is broken beyond repairs, only to realize the solution was to manually unlock the doors.
You might not get away this lucky every time you notice garage door issues, but it’s definitely worth a shot.
The Disconnect Switch Was Enabled
There’s a good reason why your garage door came with a disconnect switch. 
In power outages (which unfortunately happen all too often in poor weather), a disconnect switch, which is fastened to a rope, allows for you to manually open and close your door.
However, if your power is working just fine, you might find yourself unable to figure out why your electric opener is not working as it typically does.
There are plenty of reasons why the disconnect switch could have been accidentally enabled, including the most logical reason, which is being bumped by accident as cars and people enter and exit the garage.
To get your garage door working automatically again, start by carefully opening the door manually. Reattach the hook from the disconnect switch to the automatic system, and test to see if the system works as normal again.
Calling The Experts B&W Garage Door Specialists
As hard as we may try to solve problems on our own, sometimes we need to call the professionals.
Ultimately, you should call a professional contractor for Calgary garage doors repair or replacement services if any of the above troubleshooting advice does not work, or if you ever feel that your safety is at risk.
At B&W Garage Doors, we can help you with Calgary garage doors panel services as well as a full range of repairs and replacement services. No matter what your garage door issues are, we can help you find the best solution.