How to Troubleshoot Garage Doors Before Calling a Repair Tech

6 February 2017
 Categories: , Blog


Garage door repairs can be costly, and that is before you add in the missed work or wages for being home when the garage door repair technician shows up. This means that many people who have garage door repair issues will look to a do-it-yourself or troubleshooting option first. If you have been having issues with your automatic garage door, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take before calling a repair technician.

Check the Tracks

The first step to take is to close the garage door completely, turn on the light in the garage and start the automatic door control. As this starts, begin to walk around and check the track line. You are looking for bends in the track, something stuck in the track, or a spring that is not working. You will be able to notice this fairly quickly. In some cases, you can remove items from the track or fix small bends in the track. If the bend is to deep or the item in the track is not easily removed, you will want to call a garage door repair technician, as repairing it yourself could lead to more damage or having to have the entire track replaced.

Check the Motor

If the tracks seem okay, but the door is not raising or lowering, listen to the motor. When you start the automatic switch, listen carefully. You should hear the low sound of the motor working. If you do not hear this, then the motor may be dead. If you hear the noise, but you do not see movement, there could be something blocking the motor or causing the motor to freeze. This can lead to overheating and possible fire. If your motor is running and the door is not moving, call a technician. They are certified to handle electrical issues like this. If you try to handle it on your own, you could void certain parts of your home insurance if a fire starts or if you damage the wiring badly.

Check the Fuses

Automatic garage doors operate on an electrical fuse system, like many other items in your home, such as washers and dryers. If you turn on the automatic garage door and nothing happens, and there is no sound from the motor box, the fuse may have been tripped or blown. Go to your fusebox and check the fuse. See if the switch was tripped to the off position. If it was, simply flip it back to on and try the garage door again. If it is not tripped, you may need to replace the fuse.

Once you have checked the motor, checked the track and checked the fuses, you may arrive at what the issue is and be able to fix it. If not, then contact your garage door repair technician for a consultation and assistance.


Share