For most homeowners, a garage is a space to store lawncare equipment, holiday décor, and maybe even a vehicle. Unfortunately, the garage space can also be an unappealing and dangerous eyesore. For instance, if your garage door is rusted and unattractive, your home's curb appeal and value will suffer. Also, if your door is not opening and closing properly, it may lead to an accident involving your property or one of your family members. Thankfully, help is available. This guide will help you diagnose a few common garage door issues and how to restore the door back to a functional, appealing, and safe part of the home.

Door Is Reversing

One of the most common complaints heard about garage doors is that they are reversing and not opening or closing all the way. This reversal may actually be a safety feature depending on how old your garage door system is. In reality, the safety feature can be very beneficial.

As of 1993, garage door opener systems must include photoelectric eyes, which are basically sensors that are mounted to the interior of your garage door, near the floor. If an object, person, or animal is seen by these sensors, the door will reverse or stop completely to avoid making contact.

If you are noticing your door is reversing constantly, check the areas in front of the sensors. In some cases, even a small leaf, pine cone, or piece of trash could be preventing your door from opening and closing properly.

If the space in front of the sensors is clear, there may be an electrical issue to address. Contact the professionals to inspect the sensors and electrical wiring to ensure the door system is repaired quickly.

Door Not Closing Securely

Another common issue that affects garage doors is that they do not close completely. For example, the door closes closely to the ground, but not completely, which leaves a few inches of space between the ground and the actual door. A few inches may not seem like a big problem, but a great deal of heat, cold air, moisture, and pests can enter through this small space.

If your garage door will not close completely, there is a problem with your limit switch. If the switch is set to a higher level, the door will not close all the way. Have the switch inspected to determine if it is working properly, to start. Or adjust the switch, which is located on the opener system's motor, by turning the screw.

Door Is Wobbling and Screeching

Finally, you may experience a wobbling sensation and loud screeching if your garage door is not in proper working order.

Most garage doors are manufactured in panels, which fold over and stack up when the door is opening. When opening or closing, these panels may wobble and not stack up properly. This occurs if the door is not aligned on the track or if the springs are worn down or broken.

Your garage door will make noises when opening and closing, but you should not hear loud screeching sounds. If you do hear abnormally loud noises, such as screeches or bangs, the opener system's motor may be failing. Or the door tracks and rollers may just need to be lubricated.

Replacing worn springs and rollers will be necessary. Also, if the tracks appear bent or warped in any way, the rollers may make loud noises when opening and closing. These tracks should be replaced.

Help is available if your garage door is not opening in the most efficient and safest manner possible. If you are noticing any of the above issues, contact garage door repair professionals today.