If you have tried to used your remote or a button on your garage door keypad and your door is making lots of noise, not opening, or otherwise acting odd you’re likely in need of garage door opener repair.
Your best course of action is to call a garage door repair company and have them take a look. They will be able to quickly identify the issue and repair it completely and professionally. Waiting for your garage door to fully give up and break could actually be very dangerous and puts everyone who uses the garage in danger.
So, here’s five signs your garage door opener is breaking down or has already bit the dust.
Hear grinding? You need garage door opener repair.
If your garage door opener is making a grinding noise, you likely have a gear that is going bad. If the garage door opener gear has already stripped all the way out, you’ll hear your motor running but the chain will not turn.
In most cases, if your opener has reached this point it likely was past its expected life span. However, sometimes your door may be unbalanced. In either case, it’s a good idea to give us a call.
Your garage door is opening noticeably slower than usual
This isn’t always a sign you need garage door opener repair specifically, but it’s a sign something in the system is worn out.
It could be your garage door springs but it could be the opener wearing down.
Your opener loses power intermittently
If your garage door opener is intermittently losing power this could be sign of a capacitor beginning to fail. When it finally does fail, it will make a loud pop and you’ll see smoke coming out of the opener. If fragments of the capacitor spill onto the logic board during the failure, it could damage the board as well. If both things happen, you’ll likely have to buy an entirely new opener as garage door opener repair will end up being more expensive than outright buying a new one.
You need garage door opener repair if you have to keep reprogramming it
If you constantly have to reprogram your garage door opener’s travel limits, you could have a failing travel module, encoder or RPM sensor.
There are ways to troubleshoot this on your own. However, some steps may require two sets of hands and some know-how. So, calling a garage door repair tech is often the best course of action.
Your opener has a “mind of its own”
You need garage door opener repair if your door opens and closes on its own, reverses on its own even if something isn’t tripping the safety reverse sensors, or otherwise operates in an unusual way.
Even if your opener is fairly new, there are things that could cause this failure. Electrical surges or water could damage the unit.
Why to take a failing garage door opener seriously
A functional garage door is an often overlooked convenience. However, when it starts to malfunction that’s when you realize its importance.
A good garage door opener is:
- A convenient entrance and exit from your garage
- An important cog in your home security
- Safe in its operation
How much does it cost for a new garage door opener?
If garage door opener repair is out of the question and you need a replacement, it can range between $250 to $600 depending on a number of factors including:
- Brand and model of the opener
- The type of opener
- Horsepower rating of the opener
- Type and number of remotes and keypads included
- Number of extra features you choose such as sensors, electrical wiring or a backup battery
