You get to know the systems throughout your home, and this includes your garage door. You know the sounds it makes and the movements it makes as it opens and closes. However, when something is going wrong with it, the garage door may look or sound different, but these things can be so subtle they aren't obvious enough to capture your attention. It's up to you to make an effort to watch for these things so you can have the garage door repaired right away to avoid worsening of problems that can get more expensive for you to have repaired. Here are some of the things that may be happening when your garage door is telling you it's starting to experience problems:
The door goes down a few inches and goes back up
If you go to close the garage door and it acts as if it is going to shut, moving a few inches, but then it goes back up, then the issue is with the sensors. There are little sensors near the ground on each side of the garage door. The sensors are there to make sure the garage door doesn't come all the way down if a person, an animal, or anything else is in the way. If the door didn't have this function, then it could be very dangerous and even fatal, especially to small children and pets. If the sensor is having issues, you want to clean them off, make sure nothing is on the ground between them, and make sure they are pointing directly at one another. If you still have issues, then someone should come out to see if there are electrical or mechanical issues going on with them.
The door shakes or moves as it opens or closes
If you notice that the garage door shakes or moves in any other way as it is going either up or down, then there might be an issue with the pulleys. Pulleys use ball bearings, and the design of the system leaves them open to getting things like dust and other debris in their housing. When this happens, it can cause issues in the way they perform. Eventually, the pieces can split apart. If you notice anything like a vibration, shaking, jolting, or other new movements in the garage door, then you should have it looked at and the issue repaired as soon as possible.
Contact a garage door company in your area to learn more.