A garage door is one of the most frequently used features in any home. It’s likely you open and close your garage many times a day without giving it much thought. However, you should be paying close attention to signs of trouble. Just like any other mechanical device, garage door openers will eventually begin to show evidence of wearing out. This is something you will want to catch early on, so you can replace it before you’re faced with the inconvenience of a non-functional garage. Here are some of the top indications it’s time to invest in a new opener.
How to Know When You Need to Replace Your Garage Door Opener
1. Slow Movement
While you shouldn’t expect your garage door to move too swiftly, you should take note if it starts taking much longer to open and close than it has in the past. This may be a signal your opener is having a difficult time lifting the weight of the door, which means it will need to be replaced.
2. Failure to Open or Close
If your garage door isn’t budging at all when you try to open or close it, there’s a good chance there is a problem with the opener. This is especially true if you can hear the whir of the motor or you push the remote and nothing happens. If you’ve tried reconnecting the power to your opener and changing the remote batteries to no avail, you should have a technician come out for an inspection.
3. Excessive Noise
You should be familiar with all the sounds your garage door and opener normally make, so if you start to hear anything out of the ordinary, this is a clue the opener may be damaged. Garage door openers tend to get louder as they age, but when there’s an issue beyond that, they will frequently make a creaking, squeaking, grinding, or slapping sound, as well.
If your garage door opener is no longer performing like it once did, contact Howe Overhead Doors. With more than five decades of industry experience, they can be trusted to help you identify whether your opener needs to be repaired or replaced. In either case, they will provide you with quick and efficient service to restore your garage’s functionality in no time. Call the Knoxville, IL-based company at (309) 289-2211 to schedule an inspection of your opener, and visit them online for more information on the services they offer.