Murphy’s Law

Murphy’s law is not a properly researched scientific rule, although it should be. Everyone is susceptible to Murphy’s Law which basically states that when you can least afford it, and when you are hoping for a break, something goes wrong, that requires you to spend money. If you are really unlucky these things can happen all at the same time, and sometimes you need to make a decision as to which can be left until finances improve, and which need to be dealt with as a matter of priority. When it comes to Garage Doors, a lot of people struggle to make the right call. The garage door is actually a very complicated piece of equipment, which means there are a multitude of things that can go wrong. Some of these faults can be left for a few weeks or months, while others will require your immediate attention. The purpose of this article is to try and give you some direction as to when you have no choice and must call in the repairmen.

The Door Simply Won’t Open

Perhaps this is a perfect case of stating the flipping obvious, but there can actually be situations when you could ignore this problem. If you don’t use the garage for your vehicle, or if you don’t need to get into the garage at all, then you could in theory leave the broken garage door closed until funds have recovered. In reality though the majority of people will require access to their garage, and so leaving it permanently closed is not a valid option.

Before you call in the professionals try and eliminate the various reasons, as inevitably it could be something simple. If your remote control fails to open the garage door, try an alternative remote. It could be a case that the batteries simply need replacing, so by using a process of elimination you are more likely to be able to solve the problem yourself. The last thing you want to do is call out the garage door repair company, only to discover all that was required was a simple change of battery. Once you have eliminated all of the potentially obvious problems then there is little choice other than to call in the professionals to rectify the situation.

The Garage Door Begins To Drop Rapidly

This is one of the most common problems that occurs with a garage door, and is normally a good sign that the springs or cables have broken. Unfortunately, many people take it upon themselves to try and replace the cables or springs, but this has huge potential of causing further dangerous problems down the road. A garage door can weigh a great deal, and either during or after the repair can present a significant hazard to people using the door, if the repair was done incorrectly.

Secondly, if the work is not done to the required standard, the opening and closing mechanisms can be permanently damaged. This can then end up costing a lot more money to repair than the initial spring or cable replacement would have cost in the first place. Sometimes it is better to bite the bullet, rather than trying to delay the inevitable.

Sections Of The Door Begin To Warp Or Bend

If your garage door is made of wood, there may come a time when you notice the shape of the door beginning to change. Perhaps it has warped due to the heat, or the structure has weakened over the years, but if you notice this type of problem developing, it is essential that you call out the experts.

First of all, the structural strength of the door will be at risk due to this movement. Imagine a brick wall, where some of the bricks have moved or fallen out. Would you want to risk the structure of that wall? A garage door that has warped or bent presents exactly the same type of risks and needs to be looked at as a matter of urgency.

In some cases, it may even be possible to replace sections of the door, and minimize your expense, but in the majority of cases unfortunately the likelihood will be that the entire door will need to be replaced. Also consider that a warped door will never form a proper seal and will give the inclement weather conditions much easier access to your home. This in turn could lead to increased heating bills, so delaying the inevitable repair or replacement could actually be a false economy.

Having a new garage door fitted is not always a negative thing however. The garage door normally covers a wide area at the front of your home, so a newly fitted garage door, can improve the look and value of your home, especially if you are considering selling the property.

Conclusion

Obviously each individual problem will have to be judged on its merits. If you are honest with yourself, you will have a reasonable idea as to what can be left, and what needs urgent attention. One of the biggest tips I would give you is if you have an electric garage door opener, once a month at minimum get out of the car and open the door with the engine off.

This will let you listen to the garage door motor, and check that everything is running smoothly. The reasoning behind this is that most of us pull up in our nice warm cars, with the radio blasting hit the remote and drive into the garage without listening to the garage door working.

By taking simple preventative steps such as this, you will effectively have an early warning sign that problems are beginning to occur. Early intervention and repair will save you money in the long term so be intentional when it comes to performing these checks.

These simple, easy to diagnose problems account for a large number of call outs during the course of the year, but at least you now have some pointers as to when it might be prudent to call out the experts quicker. Once again it is important to reiterate that a garage door can be a very heavy piece of equipment, so never work on them alone, and if you have any doubts or concerns whatsoever, call out the experts as soon as possible.