What you are seeing
- The door sags in the middle when it is closed, or the bottom edge bows up off the floor.
- The door opens and closes noticeably slower than it used to, or pauses part way through.
- The door is heavy to lift by hand and will not stay where you let it go when it is half way up.
- The opener strains, runs hot, or trips out part way through a cycle.
- The door drags on the concrete at one corner, or the bottom seal is being chewed away.
- One side of the door starts moving before the other, and the door arrives at the top crooked.
Likely causes
What a good contractor will do
- Runs the balance test: releases the opener, lifts the door by hand, and checks how much of the weight the springs are still carrying and where the door stops on its own.
- Compares the spring tension with the weight of the door and re-tensions or replaces the springs, replacing both on a two-spring door as a matched set.
- Checks the rollers, hinges, track, bottom seal and the concrete under the door, and corrects whatever is causing the drag.
- Confirms the opener is correctly rated for this door, services or adjusts the drive, and runs a full cycle including the safety reverse test.
Before you call
- The door make and approximate age, and the make and age of the opener if you know them.
- A photo of the door closed from outside, and a photo of the springs and the track taken from inside the garage.
- How long it has been slow or sagging, and whether it has changed gradually or suddenly.
- Whether the door is hard to move by hand, and whether it stays where you leave it when it is half way up.
Safety first
- Never adjust spring tension yourself, and never wind, unwind or unhook a spring, whether it is a torsion spring above the door or an extension spring beside the track. The stored energy is enough to break bones, and it releases the moment the wrong fastener is touched.
- If the door will not stay up on its own, keep it closed and keep everyone clear of the opening until it has been repaired.
- Do not keep running an opener that is straining. The extra load is what burns out the drive, and on an already weak door it can also finish off a cable.
Ask the contractor
- Is the door out of balance, and how did you measure that?
- Are the springs going to be re-tensioned or replaced, and will both be replaced at once?
- Is the opener rated for this door, and is it part of the problem or just coping with it?
- Is the bottom seal or the concrete apron contributing to the drag?
- What condition are the rollers, hinges and cables in while you are looking at the door?
- What would you service now to get another stretch of years out of this door?
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