Mornings are tough, especially if you are a parent who has to prepare your children first before heading to work. A stuck garage door might happen unexpectedly, leading to more stress and anxiety in the morning, which translates to a stressful day. Garage doors use complex mechanisms to open and close and can malfunction for any given reason. A garage door could malfunction due to its age or outdated technology; however, it could still malfunction due to minor issues that someone can fix immediately. This is what to do when your garage door is stuck.
What to Do When the Garage Door Gets Stuck When You Are in The Garage
If the garage door does not open, you might have to open it manually by unlocking ay locks and latches, ensuring that the door opens manually. You will then unplug the motor, which disconnects the door from a power source, then find the emergency release cords and pull it down; most garage doors have a red-colored handle located in the middle of the door track. First, ensure that the garage door is fully down before pulling the door closed. Then start lifting the garage door until it stops moving; if it does not stop on its own, it can rapidly close, leading to a fatal accident.
Check The Remote Batteries
The garage door remote opener could be the problem due to expired batteries. When the batteries in the garage opener remote device die, the remote will not open the door. However, you are least likely to think about the batteries as an issue for a stuck garage door, but it could help if you checked the batteries first. You can fix the batteries in minutes by following the manufacturer’s information on how to change the remote batteries. New batteries are easily found in your local stores and are cheap to replace.
Check The Garage Door Track
The garage door track could be another issue as they can get dirt, debris, and chunks of old lubricant accumulating on it. The obstructions can make the garage door malfunction as it prevents the rollers from traveling smoothly along the tracks. Sometimes the tracks could have bumps, warping, and dents which make the door get stuck. If the track has dents and bumps, you can place a wooden block against the track and use a hammer to knock the marks out of the garage door track. If there are bents, a piece of pliers will push and pull the warping leading to little distraction. However, if the track is too damaged, you can opt for professional maintenance from a door specialist or buy a new one.
Check The Door Springs
If the garage door springs break, it might make the garage door stuck. You should first check these springs by looking for door springs above and on top of the garage door; when you notice sagging springs on the torso bar or notice a safety cable with a gap in the middle of the spring, it indicates that the door springs are the real cause of stuck garage door. However, you will not replace the springs by yourself as it requires professional care.
Check The Lock Switch Button On the Wall
The lock switch button on your garage door disables the remotes’ use to open the garage, and people rarely lock their garages using this lock switch. The lock is handy when people are away from home for an extended time, and it prevents intruders from breaking into the house through the garage. Once the lock switch is activated, one can only open the garage door using the wall control unit, and if the garage door is stuck, it could result from a locked door.
Check The Garage Door Sensors
Garage door sensors are safety precautions placed to prevent the doors from closing on a car or a person. If the sensors malfunction, the garage doors are likely to get stuck, and it could be wise to check them to ensure that they are working correctly. The first indication would be blinking lights that indicate that the garage doors are not working correctly, which helps troubleshoot any possible problem.
Inspect The Garage Door Opener Engine
If the garage opener does not work correctly, the garage will likely get stuck. If the garage is stuck and you hear a grinding sound, it could indicate problems with the engine, which could show that the drive gear needs replacement as it is the most common component of the machine that is likely to fail. However, replacing the garage door engine parts might require professional skills, which you could lack.
Some Final Thoughts
You might be frustrated if your garage door fails to budge; however, you should find ways of resolving the problems. First, you should ensure that the garage door lock switch is deactivated and the remote batteries are working. If there is no problem with the remote or lock control, you can inspect the rail tracks to ensure there are no obstructions that prevent the door from opening fully. If the problem relates to the springs and the remote engine opener, it is wise to have it checked by a professional.