Garage door repair: what we fix and how the visit works

Almost every repair call comes down to one of six things: a spring, a cable, a roller or track, a hinge, a sensor, or the opener. The door itself is usually fine. What has failed is one of the parts that moves it or holds its weight.

What the symptom usually means

A bang from the garage followed by a door that will not lift is a spring. The door has not got heavier; the counterbalance that made it feel light has gone, and you are now trying to lift the actual weight of the door.

A door that hangs lower on one side and drags is a cable off its drum. A door that binds partway and looks crooked in the opening has a roller out of the track. A door that starts down and reverses straight back up is the photo-eye pair, not the door.

An opener that hums or grinds while nothing moves is usually a stripped gear kit inside the motor head. That is a repair. An opener that stalls, runs loud and keeps needing adjustment has reached the end of its life, and replacing it costs less than repeatedly visiting it.

What the visit involves

The door is put on manual and lifted by hand, because a balanced door should stay roughly where you leave it at waist height. That one test separates a door problem from an opener problem faster than anything else. Then the springs, cables, drums, rollers, hinges, brackets and track are inspected, the fault is explained, and the part is replaced.

The truck carries the common parts: torsion and extension springs, cables, rollers, hinges, drums and opener gear kits, so most calls are finished on the first visit rather than becoming an order and a second appointment.

If a quote turns into a contract, put the estimate in it. Ontario's rules for home repairs say that once an estimate is part of the contract, the final price cannot be more than 10% above it unless you agree to new work or a new price.

When to stop using the door

Stop using it, and do not run the opener, if you can see a gap in the spring coil above the door, if a cable is hanging loose or frayed, if the door is visibly crooked in the tracks, or if a vehicle has hit it. Running an opener against any of those turns a part failure into a door replacement.

Where we do this

Ottawa: Ottawa, Ontario (613) 845-9950
Mississauga: Mississauga, Ontario (289) 975-9045
London: London, Ontario Garage door repair in Sarnia (226) 270-9715
Brands installed and serviced: Garaga, Amarr, Stanley, LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Genie

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Garage door repair: what people ask

Short answers on what usually breaks, what a visit involves and what it costs to put right.

What is the most common garage door repair?

Springs, by a wide margin, followed by cables and rollers. A torsion spring is a wear part with a finite number of cycles in it, and every door that opens twice a day is using them up. The second most common call is the photo-eye sensors, which are usually a five-minute alignment rather than a fault with the door at all.

Can a garage door be repaired instead of replaced?

Usually. Springs, cables, rollers, hinges, tracks, sensors and opener parts are all replaceable, and a sound door on new hardware is as good as it was. Replacement is the answer when a section is bent or rusted through, when the door has been struck, or when the panels are cracked around the hinge points.

Why does my door reverse as soon as it touches the floor?

Almost always the close limit or the down force on the opener. The opener thinks it has hit something because it is still driving after the door has landed. It can also be a photo eye knocked slightly out of line. Both are adjustments rather than parts.