How to Fix a Garage Door that Sticks?

How often do you use your car? Every day? That means you also open and close your garage door several times a day. So there’s no denying the important role of something as simple as a garage door in our daily lives. As a rule, it’s a simple enough mechanism that problems don’t arise very often.

Nevertheless, you shouldn’t take existing malfunctions too lightly. For example, a door that suddenly won’t open or stops halfway can disrupt all your plans for the day. Let’s find out why this happens and how you can repair sticking garage doors in Alexandria, VA, or any other area you live in.

What Makes a Garage Door Stick?

If your garage door is sticking when opening or closing, don’t get too upset or panicked. Sometimes the cause is minor, and it won’t take you long to fix the concrete situation. In any case, you need to diagnose the problem correctly and then begin to act accordingly. We have described some of the most common causes of a sticking door and ways to fix them.

Automatic Opening System issue

This is one of the most common causes of a sticky garage door. For example, the issue may be caused by faulty sensors. First, you should check the closing and opening mechanism of the door. After all, in addition to sticking, there may be other malfunctions that can make your door unusable.

Insufficient lubrication

If you are going to drive to work in the morning and have trouble opening your garage door, check to see if all the parts are well lubricated. Over-drying garage door components can cause your garage door to stick. The problem is relatively common, plus it’s almost effortless to solve.

So the most important thing for you is to detect it. Then choose a suitable good quality lubricant and grease the wheels and rails.

Damage

Another common problem why garage door sticks going up or down is track damage. The more often you use your garage, the more frequently you need to check all parts for wear and tear. Over time, even high-quality equipment wears out and needs to be repaired or replaced. A door can get sticky even from a small warp. If the problem is ignored, the door can become very damaged and unusable, or even dangerous. To straighten out the track, don’t hit it with a hammer. Protect the track with a wooden block.

Contamination

Various small debris, twigs, leaves, dust, or dirt that has gotten on the track can prevent the door from moving up or down. Thus, the door gets stuck, and your garage is locked at the most inopportune moment. Besides, dirt negatively affects the lifespan of your garage door. Wipe down the wheels, and the track, removing coarse dirt and small debris particles.

Bending of the door

One of the most common causes of a garage door sticking is a warped garage door. Perhaps because not all of the springs have different tension or the track is warped, the garage door isn’t attached evenly. If this happens, the garage door shakes and can get stuck when raised or lowered.

Check the springs responsible for opening and closing the garage door as well as the track; it may also be tilted. Tighten any necessary bolts. You can use a special measuring device to check the level of the door. By the way, there are also handy laser instruments.

Weather

Weather conditions can be completely different, and they can affect your garage door in many ways. For example, a garage door can stick because of extreme temperature fluctuations. A reason for a garage door sticking in cold weather can be freezing in the winter, or a heat wave can cause the grease to dry out.

Depending on what material your door is made of, weather conditions can affect it in different ways. Aluminum or wood doors are the most vulnerable. They can warp in lousy weather, and sometimes replacing the door is the only right thing to do.

Improper installation

Sometimes a garage door isn’t installed correctly and can cause various difficulties in opening and closing, up to sticking. Such a problem isn’t common. Still, it’s better to trust the installation of a garage door to a reputable professional. After all, the garage door is quite a large and heavy object. If it’s not installed correctly, it can suddenly fall and cause damage to members of your family.

Problem with the garage door opener

If you’ve thoroughly checked the garage door fastening, all of its components, found no breakage or dirt, and there’s nothing wrong with the weather, but the garage door still gets sticky, try checking the garage door opener. Sometimes the cause may be a dead battery in the opener, or it’s just not working, and it’s time to replace it. To ensure that there are no issues in the future, we recommend hiring professionals for garage door opener installation service instead of performing any DIY replacements.

 

How to Fix a Garage Door that Sticks

Garage door sticking when closing or opening can ruin your day quite badly. Imagine wasting precious morning time when you can’t get access to your car when you’re getting ready to go to work. Sometimes you really don’t want to be late for an important meeting, or, for example, the train. Therefore, the best option is to have your door regularly inspected to prevent it from breaking down.

If you are faced with such a problem, you can solve it quite quickly. We offer you a simple algorithm of actions that will help you eliminate the door’s sticking. Using these basic instructions, you will be able to detect and remove most of the factors that negatively affect your garage door’s operation.

Check the automatic opening system

The first thing you need to do is examine the automatic door opener. Check to see if you can open the garage door manually. Find the cord; most often it will have a red handle, pull it. You can use this cord to open or close the doors. If there is no sticking, then the problem is in the automatic mechanism. You can fix it yourself by following the instructions, or you can call a professional to conduct the garage door sticks repair in Clarksburg, MD.

Check the sensors

Check the sensors of the automatic mechanism responsible for opening and closing the garage door. Change and test different settings. The door may stick if the sensitivity is set too high. Adjust settings if necessary.

Inspect the tracks

To check the track, open the garage door and place a ladder next to it. Check for dents in the track. If you find dents and bends that aren’t needed, use wood blocks. Use a hammer and wooden blocks to straighten out the track. Under no circumstances should you knock with a hammer directly on it. That way, you can bend it even more. Using a wooden block will help protect the track and level it.

Check the alignment

Check how evenly the garage door is attached. If it’s tilted, align the frame. To do this, you will need to loosen the bolts and screws. Use a wrench or screwdriver. Use a hammer to level the gauge. After that, tighten the bolts again.

Clean the door

Check for leaves, twigs, and other debris. Remove any contaminants. Wipe dust off the garage door, tracks, and wheels.

Lubricate the Rollers, Tracks, and Chain

Lubricate all wheels and tracks on the garage door. Keep the garage door open while doing so. Standing on the ladder, spray the lubricant on all necessary parts. Then come down the ladder and spray all parts of the tracks at the bottom, staying on the floor.

Now open the garage door with the garage door opener. You need to lubricate the chain. Target the lubricant sprayer at the chain, spread it, and grease the chain. Don’t do this right away after painting.

Seal the door

Sealing all the corners of your garage and your garage door may help you prevent a range of issues. For example, it can help to maintain the right temperature needed for your car.

If none of the above steps helped solve the problem, and your door keeps sticking, or if you can’t figure out the cause of the sticking door, call a professional for help. Remember, a malfunctioning garage door can be not only an inconvenience to you and your family members but also a danger to everyone around it.

 

Prevent Your Garage Door From Sticking

It’s hard to imagine today’s life without a car. And the garage is a place where your car should be reliably protected from thieves, bad weather conditions. At the same time, it’s essential to have easy and quick access to your vehicle at any time, as well as put your car in the garage when you need it.

You can waste a lot of time and energy because of problems with your garage door, and sometimes you can even hurt your health and the health of your loved ones or damage your car. You can diagnose issues and fix them yourself. But sometimes, it’s better to spend this time with your family and leave such routine technical work to the true professionals.

At STI Garage Door work true professionals who love their job and do it thoroughly. We have been installing, replacing, and repairing garage doors for six years. This is our only field of work. That’s why we have a very in-depth understanding of such issues. We can quickly diagnose any problem and help fixing a sticking garage door in Arlington, VA.

We discuss all possible solutions with our clients. Furthermore, we can answer frequent questions such as ‘Why is the garage door sticking in hot weather?’ or ‘How to check stripping?’ and many others. Our team can help you fix the existing problems or install a completely new residential garage door. Also, if you have a business or an industrial facility, do not hesitate and contact us to find out the cost of a commercial garage door installation or repair work.

On our website 24/7, you can submit your request, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.