Are you dealing with a garage door that is opening and closing by itself? Do you find that no matter what you seem to try, your garage door refuses to cooperate? Nothing is more frustrating than when we need our garage door to open or close and it simply refuses to do what we ask of it.

Most of the time, our garage doors are quite responsive and function as they should. But as with any form of technology, garage doors and their motors are prone to mishaps and small hiccups that can put a real damper on our day. If you are rushing out your door to get to work and find your garage door won’t open or trying to leave your home and your garage door won’t close, don’t panic! There are several things you can do to troubleshoot your garage door and restore it back to the way it used to operate in no time.

Troubleshooting Your Garage Door

• Check for Any Kind of Electronic Interference

  Your garage door may be acting up because some sort of wireless device is interfering with the garage door signals. While it is uncommon, it is possible for video doorbell systems, electronic deadbolts, and other wireless technology systems to interfere with your garage. As technology advances, certain upgraded devices you install may interfere with the programming of your older model garage. Consider whether or not your household has recently been outfitted with any sort of technology upgrades. This may hint at the source of the problem and allow you to reconfigure the program to reduce the external interference. You may want to hire an expert or the initial installer of the wireless device to help you do this.

• Make Sure Nothing is Blocking the Garage Door Path

  The primary safety mechanism for your garage door sits near the bottom of the door. The photo eyes sit on either side and are connected by an invisible beam that reaches to either eye. When this beam is broken by a person, animal, or object, the garage door will automatically stop and may even reverse. This is a great feature to have, but it can misfire if there is something interfering with the photo eyes. If there is nothing blocking the path, it is possible that the photo eyes need to be cleaned. Try wiping away any debris on the photo eyes to see if this eliminates the problems you are experiencing with your garage door.

• Check to See if Any Sort of Safety Mechanism Has Been Triggered

  As was mentioned above, your garage door has certain safety mechanisms that are triggered when something is detected in the moving garage door path. It is possible that a different kind of safety feature has been triggered that you will need to identify.

• Consult Your Owner’s Manual

  You can find out more about what kinds of problems may be possible with your garage specifically by consulting your owner’s manual. You may learn of other safety features and triggers that may explain why your garage door is acting the way it is. You will also likely find instructions for how you can reset or repair your garage door on your own.

• Hire a Garage Door Expert to Assist You

  If you are unable to reach a solution easily, whether by cleaning the photo eyes, consulting the manual, or other means, then it is time to call a garage door repair service. Garage doors can malfunction for a number of reasons. To keep you and your loved ones safe, it is best to refrain from attempting any sort of in-depth repair beyond what is recommended in your owner’s manual. A trusted expert will be able to correctly identify the problem and repair the issue with precision and expertise.

Why it is Important to Trust a Garage Door Expert

While certain home appliances and electronics can be repaired by homeowners themselves, garage doors are one major exception. Due to the weight and mechanics of garage doors, they can be incredibly dangerous to repair. Even if you can temporarily fix the problem, there still may be a larger issue that is going undetected with your garage door. If this is the case, your garage door may be at risk of collapsing and injuring yourself or someone else.

Homeowners make the mistake of only half-heartedly fixing the problem with their garage, sometimes without even realizing that there is still a deeper problem occurring. This is why you should always consult a garage door expert for opening and closing issues, even if you think that your troubleshooting steps have fixed the problem. A lot of garage door services offer free consultations and diagnostics, so you shouldn’t worry too much about costs if you are merely looking to double-check whether or not a repair you made will suffice. Go ahead and call around in your area now and work with an experienced expert as soon as possible.