Garage Door Questions, Answered

Grinding usually comes from worn rollers, dry hinges or a track that has shifted out of line. Metal rollers with worn bearings are a common culprit on older doors, and a door that rubs against its stop molding can sound the same. A technician can tell which part is noisy by watching the door run through a full cycle.

A door that stops partway is often binding in its track, fighting a weak spring, or being stopped by the opener's force limit. When the opener feels more resistance than it expects, it stops or reverses to protect people underneath. Leave the door where it is if it looks crooked, and have the balance and tracks checked.

Pull the opener's release cord with the door closed, lift the door by hand to about waist height and let go. A balanced door stays roughly where you left it, while one that drops or shoots up has a spring problem. Only do this if the door moves smoothly, and stop if it feels heavy.

Once a year is a reasonable rhythm for most homes. A yearly check catches worn rollers, frayed cables and loose hardware before they fail. Doors that run many times a day, or garages near the coast where salt air reaches the hardware, can benefit from a look more often.

Usually not. A small dent rarely affects how the door works, and the door keeps running normally. A badly bent panel or a broken hinge can stop the door from rolling smoothly, so the question is whether the damage reaches the moving parts.

Torsion springs sit on a shaft above the door and twist to lift it, while extension springs run along the ceiling tracks and stretch. Many newer sectional doors use torsion springs because they give a smoother, more controlled lift. Both store a lot of tension and both need care to replace.

The broken spring itself has usually released its energy, but the door has become dead weight. Trying to lift it, or running the opener, is where people get hurt and where cables and tracks get damaged. Leave the door closed and call.

That is a classic sign of a broken spring. The opener senses that the door is far heavier than normal and stops to protect itself and anyone nearby. Look for a gap in the torsion spring above the door before pressing the button again.

Yes. A spring that has lost tension makes the opener lift more of the door's weight on every cycle. Over time that wears the opener's gears and drive, so a heavy-feeling door is worth checking even if it still opens.

Light surface rust isn't an emergency, but it shortens a spring's life. Rust pits the wire and creates weak spots where cracks start. If the coils look heavily rusted or you hear squeaking from the spring, it's worth having it checked before it breaks.

A hum with no movement usually means the motor is getting power but something isn't turning. Common causes are a broken spring making the door too heavy, a stripped drive gear, or a disengaged trolley. Check whether the release cord has been pulled before you assume the opener has failed.

If the wall button works, the opener is fine and the problem sits with the remote. A dead battery is the most common cause, followed by a remote that has lost its programming. Older remotes can also stop pairing with a newer receiver.

Many openers blink their light to report a fault code, often a problem with the safety sensors. The pattern differs by brand, so check the label on the motor unit or the manual. A blinking light paired with a door that won't close almost always points to the sensors.

Yes, by pulling the red emergency release cord with the door fully closed. That disconnects the door from the opener so it can be lifted by hand. If the door feels very heavy once it's released, don't lift it, because a spring may be broken.

Look at the two small sensors near the bottom of the track. Each usually has a light, and if one is off or blinking they aren't lined up or a lens is dirty. Wipe the lenses and make sure nothing sits between them.

Lift cables connect the springs to the bottom corners of the door and carry the lifting force. On a torsion system they wind onto drums at each end of the spring shaft. If one breaks or slips, that side of the door loses its support.

An uneven door usually has a cable problem on the low side. The cable may have frayed, stretched, or come off its drum. Stop using the door, because the uneven load can push rollers out of the track.

It shouldn't be. Frayed strands mean the cable has already lost strength and could snap under load. Because cables are under spring tension, have a frayed one replaced rather than waiting for it to break.

A cable usually jumps its drum when it loses tension, for example after a spring breaks or when the door hits something on the way down. A door that stops suddenly can also let the cable go slack. The cause is checked along with the repair so it doesn't happen again.

Usually, yes. Both cables have done the same amount of work and been through the same conditions. Replacing them as a pair keeps the tension even on both sides of the door.

Common causes are a car bumping the door, a broken cable, worn rollers, or a track that has worked loose from its brackets. Running the opener against an obstruction can also force rollers out. Whatever the cause, the door is no longer properly supported.

It's not recommended. The door is still connected to springs under tension, and moving it can make it fall or twist further. Unplug the opener, keep people and cars clear, and have it reset safely.

Yes. An off-track door can drop or swing unexpectedly because part of its weight is no longer held by the tracks. Keep children and pets away and don't drive under it.

Not always. Many off-track doors can be realigned and put back on their existing tracks. A track that is badly bent or kinked usually needs a new section, and that's decided once the door is inspected.

Keep the tracks clear, check that the safety sensors work, and have worn rollers replaced before they seize. A yearly service catches loose track bolts and frayed cables early, and backing in carefully avoids the most common cause.

Measure the width and height of the opening, then the space around it. That means the headroom between the top of the opening and the ceiling, the side room on each side for the tracks, and the depth back into the garage for the door to open fully. Low headroom or a beam in the way can change which tracks and springs will fit.

Usually, yes. Doors are made in many common sizes, and odd openings can often be fitted with a door built to size. Sometimes the framing around the opening is adjusted instead, which is decided once the opening has been measured properly.

Each one trades something. Steel is strong and widely used but needs its finish kept intact so salt air can't start rust. Aluminum won't rust the same way but dents more easily, and wood needs regular sealing in humid weather. The wind rating matters more than the material, so check the approval for the door you choose.

The whole old system comes down. That includes the panels, springs, tracks, cables and rollers, because the new door gets hardware sized to its own weight. Ask beforehand whether hauling the old door away is part of the job so nothing is left in the driveway.

Planning ahead is wise. A replacement in Broward or Miami-Dade normally waits on a building permit, and a wind-rated door may have to be ordered to size. Hurricane season starts on June 1, so starting the process in the cooler months leaves time for both.

Most residential sectional doors use rollers with a wheel about 2 inches across. The stem length varies, because it has to match the hinges on your door. Taking an old roller along, or having the hinges checked, avoids buying a set that won't seat properly.

A roller that jumps out repeatedly is usually worn, bent or riding in a track that has spread apart. A cracked wheel or a bent stem can't stay seated, and a loose track bracket lets the track drift away from the door. Stop using the door until it's checked, because the next pop-out can leave a section hanging.

Rollers with bearings should get a few drops of light garage door lubricant every few months. Put it on the bearing, not inside the track, since grease in the track only collects grit. Plain nylon rollers with no bearings gain little from oil.

Yes. A rusted bearing stops turning, so the wheel drags along the track instead of rolling. That extra friction lands on the opener every time the door moves, and over months it adds wear to the gears and motor.

Either can work if the roller is rated for the weight. Steel rollers with good bearings handle heavy loads well, while heavy-duty nylon rollers with sealed bearings give a quieter ride. Our article on nylon vs steel garage door rollers walks through the choice in more detail.

Not right away. New concrete needs time to cure and dry before it is coated, and one manufacturer's garage floor epoxy data sheet asks for at least 28 days. Coating too early traps moisture under the epoxy, which works against the bond.

It can. If the air is too humid when epoxy is applied, the coating may not cure correctly and can later peel. Moisture rising through the slab causes similar trouble, so a moisture check is part of the preparation in a damp climate.

The floor is cleaned, degreased and repaired before anything is mixed. Chips, cracks and crumbling spots are filled, and most slabs are acid washed, etched or ground so the epoxy has something to grip. The floor then has to dry before the first coat.

Most often, parking before the coating has fully hardened. Tires straight off hot pavement are soft and can press into a coating that is still curing, leaving marks or lifting the finish. Waiting out the product's full vehicle time avoids most of it.

Not once the coating has cured. Before then, closing the door onto soft epoxy can mark the finish at the threshold or leave the rubber seal stuck to it. Agree with the installer how the strip under the door will be handled while the floor cures.