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Garage doors have an expected average time of opening and closing.
When it takes too much time, it can mean that there could be something wrong with your overhead door.
So why exactly is your garage door moving slowly?
There can be a lot of reasons for this but the most common one would be wear over time and lack of lubrication.
It is also possible that your door’s opener settings were incorrectly set or that you have installed an incompatible part for your garage door.
How long does it take for a garage door to open and close?
Under ideal conditions, an overhead door or the garage door should be able to open or close itself in under 15 seconds.
If your door takes longer than this to operate, there may be something wrong with your door.
Try to check your door for any problems.
It is possible that your garage door opener is incompatible with the weight of your door or maybe some components might be damaged or are no longer in working condition.
What can you do about slow-moving garage doors?
Well, the first thing you can do is try to inspect and identify what is causing your garage door to slow down.
There are a lot of reasons you can consider when it comes to this problem.
Some of these are the following:
- Lack of Lubrication
- Dirt on various parts
- No good parts or components
- Opener settings
To understand the problem further, let us discuss each of these factors in order and accordingly.
When your overhead garage door lacks lubrication, it speeds up the wearing of multiple parts and components.
But first things first, what is Lubrication? Lubrication is the process of applying an agent (may it be oil or grease) which can help reduce friction and allow smooth movement.
All moving machines need to have their moving parts lubricated and a garage door is no different.
Without lubricating your door regularly, the parts will wear it faster due to the friction caused by the contact between components and will eventually result in having to replace said parts.
When your components start to wear down, they will no longer be able to function like they used to and eventually will cause the door to open sluggishly or not open at all.
If you have been lubricating your parts regularly, it is possible the slowing down is due to broken parts.
As all things have a lifespan, something like this is eventually bound to happen. After all, we can only delay the inevitable.
Your spring, pulley, and others may have been damaged so badly that it is preventing the door to open as fast as it used to.
Accumulated dirt can also be the main cause of this dilemma.
If you haven’t been cleaning your door from time to time, then something may be preventing your garage door from moving faster.
When dirt and grime accumulate on the rollers or tracks or other parts of the door, they fill in spaces that are supposedly clearance between components.
When this happens, they slow down operation as more friction is produced than usual.
Or maybe, you just need to adjust your garage door opener’s settings.
Openers have speed controls included in them and maybe they were set too low accidentally.
If ever this is the case, you can adjust them accordingly.
Please refer to your opener’s user manual for more information on how to adjust your opener’s settings.
Now that we know and understand the different problems causing the doors to slow down, it is time to move on to the next part.
What can you do to stop your garage doors from slowing down?
Let us address the above-stated problems first.
First, the simplest way to deal with these problems is to add lubrication to your door’s moving parts.
This is one way of taking care of your garage door.
Doing this will reduce the friction on your door’s surface and will significantly improve the speed and movement of your garage door.
Also, make sure to clean your garage door.
Check for accumulated dirt or grime on your garage door’s hinges, tracks, rollers, springs, etc. If dirt is present, make sure to wipe it off clean.
Then, proceed with checking the condition of your garage door’s hardware.
Examine your door’s pulleys, springs, rollers, etc. Make sure they are still in good condition to support your door’s basic functions.
If your pulleys have worn-out belts or chains, make sure to replace them.
Check if the spring can still hold the door together.
These are important components in lifting your garage door open so these may be the parts that need tending to.
If any replacements should be made, make sure that you are more than equipped to deal with it alone.
If you aren’t, please do ask for help and assistance.
And lastly, check your garage door opener’s settings and specifications.
Check your opener’s rated power. Is the horsepower of your motor enough to raise the weight of your garage door easily?
If not this could be why your door is opening slowly.
Also, check your opener’s speed settings.
You can check the manual for further instructions on how to change your garage door opener’s settings.
Conclusion
These are only some of the possible reasons as to why your garage door is moving slow.
There are others more not mentioned in this article.
If even after following the advice above your garage door still is opening slowly, then maybe it is time to reach out and ask for professional help.
After all, there are only things you would learn to notice after mastering your craft through years of accumulated experience.
If you are in the market looking for a good company for emergency repair services, GDR Los Angeles is the best pick for you.
They are reliable and can surely solve your problem in the shortest possible time.
GDR Los Angeles has been serving residential and commercial clients for almost 12 years now.
When it comes to fixing and repair, they can surely be considered as veterans.
They also offer same day repair service 24/7.
Meaning, if you break your door in the middle of the night, then you can reach out to them and ask for assistance.
With their trained technicians on the move, your concern will certainly be addressed in no time.
What are you waiting for? Pick up that phone and call us now.
Allow us to take good care of your garage door needs.
