A garage is a wonderful addition to any home. Unfortunately, however, garages are not without their share of problems, most of which involve the garage doors. When problems occur, it's best not to attempt serious repairs on your own. It's all too easy to permanently mess up your garage if you do the wrong thing, or even worse, injure yourself. Garage door springs come with a lot of tension, and a snapping spring could cause serious injury. That's not to say that you can't try a little troubleshooting if you run into one of the more common issues, and if all else fails, you can always call on a garage repair service, such as Shank Door, for assistance.

Garage Doors That Don't Close Fully

If you try to close your garage door, and it doesn't close all the way, a lot of problems could be to blame. One of the most common reasons for a sticking garage door is an obstruction in the door's path. Look around and underneath where the door closes and in the wheel track for any obstructions. Sometimes, even small objects like a leaf or a stick are enough to set off the garage door's "don't close" function. This function, while it can be annoying, exists to protect children and pets who might otherwise find themselves trapped under a closed garage door.

There could also be a problem with the lubricant you are using. If it's not the right type of lubricant or if it's dried up over time, the garage door may not be able to close all the way. Try switching to a different, high quality lubricant or adding more lubricant to see if that fixes your problem.

Non-Working Remote and Wall Switch

When your garage door remote stops working, you probably just need to change the batteries. When both the remote and the wall switch stop working at the same time, however, something more sinister could be to blame. The worst case scenario is that your garage door opener has given out and needs to be replaced or repaired, a job that should be handled by a professional.

It could just be, however, that the garage opener's power source has somehow been disrupted. Try flipping the appropriate breakers on and off to see if that fixes your problem.

Noisy Opening and Closing

Is your garage door suddenly making screeching and groaning sounds when it opens and closes? If so, this is another problem that usually indicates a lack of lubrication. Try applying lubricant, waiting a few minutes, and then seeing if the screeching has ceased.

If it hasn't, you may need to clean out the wheel tracks since an obstruction somewhere in them could be to blame for that awful noise.

As you can see, it's perfectly okay to try "little fixes" when you run into problems, but you should leave the big ones and the more serious problems to the pros.