A sectional overhead garage door that operates normally without the aid of a door opener should have the following characteristics:

• Open smoothly with little effort and no jamming
• The door should not be so light as to spring or snap open
• The door should be able to open half way up and maintain that height without falling or snapping open
• Close without slamming down

Regular maintenance and periodic inspection of an overhead garage door can significantly extend the life of the door. Good door maintained practices include:

• Apply a light oil to all rollers and hinges at least once a year.
• Tighten any loose screws, nuts or bolts that you find.
• If the door is made of wood, refinish the door as needed to prevent rotting, warping or sagging.
• Opening the garage door without the aid of the door opener to see if it has the characteristics of normal operation listed above.

The most common problem with an overhead garage door is that it is difficult to lift, does not lift completely or will not lift at all. The cause can be with the door opener (if equipped) or the door itself. The easiest way to check if the door opener is the problem would be to disengage the garage door from the opener by pulling the release handle located just above the center of the door. If the released door operates normally as described above, then the issue is with the opener. See our page on door openers for more information.

Common problems with the garage door itself include:

• Broken or poorly adjusted spring – a broken or poorly adjusted spring can cause the garage door to be very heavy or to slam down when closing. Most garage door openers will not have enough power to open a door with a broken spring. There are two type of spring designs:
  • Torsion springs located above the door on a shaft, spring and drum assembly distribute a garage door's weight evenly. When this type of spring breaks it may not be very apparent as the spring will still be on the shaft. Examine carefully to see if there are any crakes in the spring and if the spring has tension on it. DO NOT TRY TO LOOSEN ANY PARTS ON THE ASSEMBLY AS IT CAN SNAP BACK AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY.
  • Extension springs are located above the door tracks on both sides of the door. They can be easily identified when broken. Additionally when an extension spring breaks, it can fly off causing injury or damage if not equipped with safety cables.
  Spring replacement and adjustment is economical. We recommend that a trained garage door professional for both safety and quality reasons perform the servicing of springs.
• Missing or broken rollers – A sectional overhead garage door runs on two tracks on either side of the door. Rollers that run on the inside of the track connect the track and the door. If the track is out of alignment or the rollers are worn, the rollers can break or fall off causing the door to jam. Often a door will still operate with a missing or broken roller. However, if left unattended, a bad roller or poorly aligned track can cause additional damage to both the door and door opener.
• Poor Alignment – Loose screws, nuts or bolts, or damage to the tracks can cause a garage door to go out of alignment resulting in a jammed or heavy door.
• Warped or sagging door – A warped or sagging door can also cause problems with the track and roller alignment making the garage door jam. In some cases, the door panel can be reinforced or replaced. However, it is often more economical to replace the entire door.

Note that if the garage door does not open properly, it can cause damage to the garage door opener. Garage door openers are designed to handle the weight of a properly operating garage door.