Emergency Garage Door Repairs: What Every Homeowner Should Know

Garage doors are an essential part of any home; they provide room for our vehicles, are convenient storage areas for our holiday decorations, and can be an impromptu workshop.

But there comes a moment when our everyday routines come to a screeching halt thanks to sudden malfunctions. It can be an increasingly heavy annoyance when our garage doors encounter issues at the worst possible moment.

A faulty door is possibly the most inconvenient thing a homeowner can have because not only can it impede your travels by refusing to let your car go, but it is also a grave security risk that thieves can take advantage of.

So, what if your garage door suddenly breaks and an emergency repair needs to be done? Do you repair it yourself? Or call repair services? Fortunately, emergency garage door repairs can be made easy if you follow these six simple steps.

Stop What You’re Doing: Once it becomes obvious that there is a problem with your garage door, it is advised to stop using it right away. Forcing it to operate despite an underlying issue will just lead to you damaging your garage door further.

Assess the problem by looking for signs such as strange noises, uneven angles, and sluggish movements. Once you think you can pinpoint the issue, do not attempt to repair it; it’s pivotal that you shut down your garage door until professionals arrive.

Diagnose the Issue: After you notice that there is indeed a problem with your garage door, then it’s best to remain calm. It might be frustrating, of course, but having a calmer attitude towards the problem will allow you to pinpoint the exact issue.

Check for the usual problems garage doors encounter, such as the springs, rollers, chains, and power supply. Once you think you have seen the issue with it, keep it in mind, but as much as possible, do not attempt to repair it on your own unless you have the skills and tools to do so.

Emergency Release: If ever your door is stuck in a hanging position, if you are familiar with its emergency release mechanism, then use that right away. It’s not good to leave your garage door hanging out like that. Too much stress on the chains can cause the entire thing to collapse, or worse, wear out the springs, which can turn them into deadly projectiles.

Activating the emergency release will allow you to manually close the door. This also comes in handy if the issue comes at a time when you really need to close it, like in near time to prevent burglary.

Secure the Door Manually: if your garage door manages to get stuck in a position where it is dangling open, ensure that you place blocks or any type of support underneath to prevent the mishap of it suddenly falling or shutting violently.

Having your garage door hanging out like that will only increase the stress on the chains and springs and can potentially pop them out and turn them into deadly projectiles, or you also risk the possibility of the entire door collapsing, making your garage door impossible to repair and needing to be replaced entirely.

Disconnect the opener; make sure to turn off the power if your garage door malfunctions. This is to prevent any sudden activation by the mechanism if there is a possible glitch.

Garage doors might seem slow and harmless when they activate, but a sudden jolt of electricity from a faulty electrical circuit can cause it to spring into action suddenly and can cause injury or add more damage to your already faulty door.

Contact professionals: emergency repairs are often dangerous; common issues with sudden malfunctions include broken springs, misaligned tracks, and faulty electrical power, issues that only professionals can handle since they have the proper tools and knowledge. Do not attempt to do any DIY repair, especially if you do not have the proper equipment to handle such problems since doing so will only put you in harm’s way. After all, a hospital trip or an insurance run for a burned house is more expensive than calling a repairman to your home.