Garage Door Repair

Torsion springs mount on a shaft above the opening and wind up as the door lowers. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on either side and stretch as the door closes. Torsion is the more common modern arrangement, is more stable through travel, and generally lasts longer. Extension springs must have containment cables running through them so that a broken spring cannot become a projectile.

Springs fail more often than anything else on a door because they are the part doing the work. They are rated in cycles, and a standard spring rated around 10,000 cycles reaches the end of its design life in roughly seven years at four cycles a day, faster on a busy household. High-cycle springs cost more and last proportionally longer, which is usually the right call on a door that gets heavy use.

Lift cables run from the bottom bracket to grooved drums on the torsion shaft. When a spring breaks, cables often slip off the drums or shred; when a cable frays or snaps first, the door drops on one side and jams in the track. Bottom brackets are under cable tension for the same reason springs are dangerous, and they get the same respect.

Rollers and their bearings are the quiet-versus-loud part of the equation. Worn steel rollers with sloppy bearings grind, chatter, and eventually let the roller stem work sideways out of the track. Nylon rollers on sealed bearings are quieter and a common upgrade during any repair that already has the door apart. Center bearings and end bearing plates on the torsion shaft also wear, and a squealing shaft under load is usually a bearing, not the spring.

A door comes off track after an impact, after a cable failure, or after being closed onto an obstruction. Once a roller is out, the door is unsupported on that side and the panel is taking load it was never meant to carry. Do not run the opener to “work it back in” — that bends track, tears hinges out of sections, and turns a repair into a replacement. Disconnect the opener and leave the door alone until it can be serviced.

The single most common “my door will not close” call is a misaligned or obstructed photo-eye. The safety system is doing exactly what it is designed to do: if the beam between the two sensors is broken, the opener refuses to close. A bumped bracket, a cobweb, a stored bin, direct sunlight into the receiver, or a nicked sensor wire will all produce the same symptom, usually with the opener light flashing a fault code.

The other frequent opener failure is a stripped drive gear. The motor runs and hums, the door does not move, and there is often a small pile of plastic shavings under the unit. On many openers a gear kit is a repair rather than a replacement — but if the door was out of balance, the gear will strip again unless the springs are corrected too.

Other electrical faults worth ruling out before replacing anything: a tripped GFCI or breaker, force and travel limits knocked out of adjustment, a stuck wall button, remotes that need reprogramming after a power event, and a lock mode accidentally engaged on the wall console.

Individual sections can often be replaced rather than the whole door, provided the model is still available — one more reason manufacturer choice matters years after installation. Bottom weather seal, or astragal, is a wear item that hardens and cracks over time and is the usual culprit behind water and debris under a closed door. Perimeter stop molding seals the sides and head.

Free, no-obligation inspections are available across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia. Call 1-888-389-CMAC.