Your automatic garage door is not a complicated setup, but it can cause you all kinds of grief when it stops working correctly. You can expect about 10-15 years from your garage door opener, but eventually it is going to need to be replaced. You can check the most obvious causes of a garage door opener that stops working first, before calling a garage door repair service. One of the most common issues when a garage door opener stops working is that it got unplugged or there is no power going to the unit. Once you determine the opener is plugged in and the circuit isn't tripped, you may need help figuring out what is going on.

Adjusting Your Garage Door Opener

There is a setting on your garage door opener that is the close-force setting. If your door almost closes all the way and then starts opening again, it could be an issue with the setting on your opener. If you don't know how to adjust the close-force setting, you'll have to get someone to do it for you. You can adjust the close-force setting to be less sensitive, and your door should shut all the way.

When Your Garage Door Opener Strains

The garage door opener is aided by your torsion springs when opening the garage door. The weight of the door is heavy, and torsion springs hold a good amount of the weight for the opener. If the torsion springs are loose, the opener is going to strain to hold the door open. You may see your door moving very slowly to open, and you can end up burning out your garage door opener because of the strain.

Help For Your Torsion Springs

Don't adjust your torsion springs on your own. They are tightly coiled, metal springs that can hurt you if they snap. Call a professional garage door repair service to take a look at your torsion springs and adjust them as necessary. If you see your garage door close slightly when it is in the open position, this is another sign that your torsion springs are loose and not helping with the heavy weight of the garage door.

When you can't figure out what is going on to cause the problems with your garage door, it's time to call for help. It may be an easy repair, or you could need a garage door system replacement.

For more information, contact companies like Edelen Door.