| By :
Nick Messe
You've come home after being away for the weekend, and discover your garage door is wide open. Why, you ask? What am I doing wrong? Well, you're probably not doing anything wrong. There are quite a few things that can go wrong with the mechanism that controls your garage door. Since you rely on this security convenience to control access to your home and the precious things that it contains, there are a few things you should be aware of. Realize that things wear out, some in about five years, others in about ten. They do not have unlimited life. Your tracks get dry and need to be lubricated on a regular maintenance basis. If your door is making strange noises, git-er-done. You know the old saying, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. In this case, it's the channels the door rides up and down on. If you fail to do this, you can count on the door eventually failing in some respect. It may be that your tracks may be out of plumb because something has bumped them hard, or maybe they've just come loose from their moorings. Perhaps the sensors inside the opener have become misaligned. These are the little doohickeys that stop the door from closing if someone or something is in the way. And when those sensors get out of alignment, they also keeps the door from closing. Your door can moan and groan or hesitate or not move or even reverse direction when you don't want it to. Another aggravation could be that your door might not close or open all the way. Or you might be hitting the buttons on the access pad and nothing happens. It may not respond to the remote control either. Those are just a few of the things that can go wrong, and most of them are easily corrected by a do-it-yourselfer. For instance, if your tracks are out of kilter, use a level to find out where they need to be adjusted, and use a pry-bar or other whatever tool works best for you to realign them. If your door is not responding to your remote, check the batteries and replace if necessary. You will know if the remote is your problem if you are able to open the door with the wall button, but not with the remote. If your door won't open with either control, then you need to check the tracks to see if there is any debris that could be blocking the movement of the door. If the motor tries to move the door and fails, and you've cleared the tracks of any debris, it could be a lack of lubricant. Always be sure to test your electrical connections. Sometimes it can be as simple as a plug that has come loose. If the opener operates by itself, the remote may have a button that's stuck. Or, it could be you have a faulty circuit board, in which case you should call a professional to fix it. Just be sure to keep children and pets clear of the door while you are working on it. If it seems that there is a problem with the springs, do not attempt repairs and call in a professional garage door company.
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