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Garage Door Troubleshooting Advice

Garage Doors, particularly those with modern automation systems, are fairly complex, so maintenance and repairs should generally be left to professional technicians. However, apparent breakdowns or defects are often temporary glitches which can be quickly corrected. Here is some troubleshooting advice to save you time and the potential expense of calling a repair team.

Transmitter failure
If pressing your garage door remote has no effect, check if the LED lights up when you press the transmitter button. Try repeatedly pressing and rapidly releasing the button. If the LED still fails to illuminate, change the battery in the clicker to see if the problem persists. If it does, you should contact your supplier.

Alternatively, your garage door system may be set not to respond to the transmitter's signal. Many automated garage doors have a 'Vacation Lock' mode to prevent access from outside the house. Check that this has not been inadvertently switched on.

On an Access Garage Doors system, this is set by the top button on your wall panel (marked with a lock symbol). Consult the supplied instructions or contact your supplier if your system's controls are different.

If the transmitter is functioning and the garage door system is not locked, contact a professional repair team to correct the problem.

Poor reception
If your garage door remote only works in close proximity to the door, the solution might simply be to pull the motor antennae out so that it hangs at the back of the motor. If the problem persists, then a technician should be able to correct the fault.

Problems opening the door
If the motor operates runs but the door remains stationary, the door is probably in manual mode. All you have to do is return the door to automated mode, according to the manufacturer's directions.

Preventing real problems

The best way to prevent serious malfunctions is to choose a garage door supplier who uses provides quality parts, a fully qualified installation team and good after-sales service.

As Derek Searancke of Access Garage Door Repair points out, "You use your garage door everyday, often several times a day. This is the gateway to your home, so you obviously need something safe and reliable for your own convenience and for your family's safety."

As a further, indispensible, reassurance ensure that your garage door and related components are covered by a full warranty.

"There's no reason why customers should be responsible for defects in manufacture or installation," says Searancke. "That's why we provide a warranty for our garage doors. And any parts we use to make repairs are fully covered too."

When following the troubleshooting tips above, be mindful of not interfering with the mechanical system in any way that might compromise your warranty. Also remember that attempting garage door repairs yourself can be dangerous. Never remove springs, which are under a high degree of stress, and never attempt to open the motor - this should only be performed by trained technicians.

About the Author:
Access Garage Door Repair are the garage door repair and maintenance experts in San Diego County. AGDR technicians are trained to repair all makes garage door automation systems.

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