6 Signs You Have a Broken Garage Door (and What to Do about It!)

Whether you use your garage the old-fashioned way or convert it into an extension of your home, one thing is clear. Your garage door needs to be functional, and if it isn’t, it will hurt your property value. Fortunately, there are ways to stay on top of garage door maintenance and avoid this unexpected pitfall down the road.

If you have a broken garage door, hiring a professional garage door repair company for your garage door maintenance is always the right call.

How can you tell if your garage door is broken? What signs should you never ignore?

Read on for six signs that you have a broken garage door and get professional repair ASAP.

1. One Side of the Garage Door Appears to Sag

Stand outside of your closed garage door and examine it. Check to see that the bottom seal appears even along the ground. Then, use your garage remote opener and watch the garage door as it opens, looking for signs that one side appears higher or lower than the other.

If your garage door appears to sag on one side, whether it looks uneven when it’s closed or while it’s opening, this could be a sign that you have broken cables.

Cables may break on their own over time. They are also prone to breaking if springs have broken, which places more strain on the cables. When left unfixed, broken cables can cause the garage door to drop closed at any given time, causing a severe safety hazard.

2. The Garage Door Is Louder Than Normal

The rollers on the backside of your garage door should turn even when the garage door is opening or closing. Over time, they may start to stick or cease turning altogether, which can make your garage door much louder when opening or closing. If left unfixed, sticking rollers can cause garage doors to come off of their tracks.

If you notice an isolated but extremely loud noise, almost like a firecracker, that occurs when your garage door is opening or closing, it could mean that spring has just broken. As we mentioned earlier, broken springs can lead to further damage, such as strained or damaged cables.

3. The Garage Door Keeps Closing and Reopening Unprompted

Perhaps you’ve noticed that a few times over the past few days or weeks, you’ve closed your garage only to have it open again completely unprompted. If this issue is not accompanied by the appearance of sagging or loud noises, it may mean that the only damaged component is the sensor.

The sensor in modern garage doors tells the door if it needs to stop to avoid crushing something below. If the sensor becomes uncalibrated, it may start reacting when nothing is actually there. This prompts the door to reopen for seemingly no reason.

If your sensor needs readjustment, make sure you take care of it right away. It may not seem like a huge deal, but garage doors a crucial part of your home’s security. In fact, the fourth most common way that intruders enter a home is through the garage, which means that you want to know for sure that your garage door is closed.

4. The Garage Door Seems to Stick or Stop While Running

In some cases, you may notice that the garage door isn’t opening or closing the way it usually does. It may look like the door is sporadically sticking to the track or shuddering as it opens or closes. It may also stop altogether in a position that is not fully closed or opened.

When this occurs, it may require a simple fix involving lubrication. If your garage door is older or the air has been particularly dry, the tracks and rollers may need to be lubricated to keep things running smoothly.

However, this shuddering, sticking, or stopping could indicate that you have a few broken parts on your hands. It is best to address this situation with a garage door inspection so that you know what you’re dealing with.

5. The Garage Remote Opener Isn’t Working

A typical garage door issue is that the garage remote owner stops working. There are a few ways to troubleshoot this issue before determining that the damage is more serious.

First, try using any other garage door openers you have for that door. If all but one works, the issue is with that single opener, and you may need to replace the batteries.  Alternatively, try using the opener inside of your garage.

If nothing appears to work (or the opener inside of the garage works but none of the remotes do), the garage remote openers may need to be resynched with the garage door.

6. The Garage Door Is Riddled With Dents and Damage

A banged-up garage door doesn’t just create aesthetic problems. The impact that led to the dents and damage may have also caused issues with the track or other components inside the door. Plus, severe dents can impede the door’s ability to open and close properly.

If your garage door has sustained serious damage, it’s time to replace it with a new one.

Don’t Let a Broken Garage Door Hurt Your Property Value

It may seem like a minor inconvenience to you, but a broken garage door can hurt your property value–and severe present safety hazards. If you’re wondering how to fix a broken garage door, the answer is that you should always call in a professional. This is the safer and more effective option, and it’s the right choice every time.

Gateway Door and Contracting is here to address all of your garage door needs. If any of these six signs are ringing a bell, let’s get in touch! You can start with a free estimate to find out how much it will cost to repair your broken garage door.