beautify your old garage door

An automatic door opener can be an addition that greatly enhances the convenience of parking your car in the garage. However, it is a reality that these openers will be under tremendous stress and strain. These forces can cause these devices to encounter some potentially serious problems that you will need to know how to address. If this is the case for you, learning about the following couple of routine garage door opener problems will help you keep your garage door opener working as smoothly as possible.

Squeaking Or Grinding Sounds

One of the more common problems that your garage door opener may encounter is when it makes squeaking or grinding sounds when it is opening or closing. This may not seem like a particularly serious problem, but it can often indicate that the opener needs either to be cleaned or additional lubricant applied. If you fail to have these issues corrected in a timely manner, they can lead to the door opener suffering extensive damage. For example, it may be possible for the internal components to become warped or otherwise damaged. Once this has occurred, it will be necessary to replace these components in order to restore the functionality of the door.

To clean the garage door opener, you should use a simple microfiber cloth to gently wipe away any of the dust that may have accumulated on the unit. If it is necessary to add more lubricant to the components, it is critical to only use lubricants that are specially designed for use with garage door openers. Using the wrong lubricant can result in the moving components becoming clogged.

The Door Slamming To The Ground When It Closes

In order to open and close, the garage door opener will rely on a large and powerful spring. As time progresses, this spring can start to weaken, which can inhibit its ability to raise and lower the door. This can cause your door to close with too much force, which can be a problem when it slams against the ground.

Unfortunately, repairing a damaged garage door opener spring can be extremely dangerous if you do not have the right tools or training for this task. These springs are under tremendous stress, which can make it possible for them to snap. To avoid suffering injury, you will want to leave these repairs to a trained garage door opener repair technician, such as those found at Howard's Overhead Doors Inc.