An automatic garage door should close at a safe speed determined by the door's motor—not too fast, not too slow. It's slightly concerning when the door seems to be in a hurry, practically slamming shut. This can be unsafe and indicates that there has been an oversight with the maintenance of your garage door.
Incorrect Lubrication
An automatic garage door that slams shut might have been the recipient of excessive maintenance. In an effort to ensure the smooth motion of the door's rollers in their tracks, you may have applied lubricant. In your enthusiasm, you could have used too much of the wrong type of lubrication. Water-displacing penetrating oil sprays are seen as being interchangeable with lubricants. In some scenarios, this may be the case. Your garage door's moving parts are not such a scenario.
Water Displacement
The chemical composition of these sprays is intended to displace water, leaving residual oil, which can aid in lubrication. These offer the wrong type of lubrication for automatic garage door rollers and tracks, which may be made of nylon and other durable resins. A water-displacing penetrating oil spray may soften nylon components, speeding up their motion within the door rollers.
Clean the Tracks
It will be a time-consuming job, but using a damp cloth, move along the entire length of each roller, rubbing away as much of the water-displacing oil spray as possible. Pull the emergency cord to disconnect the door from its opener before you start. An accidental opening while you work can result in serious injury. You'll need to apply a reasonable amount of force (and subsequent friction) to the tracks while you clean them. Rubber gloves are also wise. Once you've cleaned the entirety of each track, reconnect the door chain to the opener by reconnecting the emergency cord. Cycle the door and check its closing speed.
Tension Spring
If the door is still slamming shut, there may be an error with your garage door springs. There will be an indoor torsion tube that runs along the length of the garage door. It will be mounted to the wall and ceiling directly above the door. There's a tension spring (called a torsion spring) attached to this tube. The spring helps the opening and closing speed of the door. If the door is slamming shut, this spring may have lost its tension. It must be replaced, but given the tension of the spring and the possibility of serious injury while disconnecting it, a professional garage door service is recommended so that the spring can be safely replaced.
If removing excess lubricant doesn't stop your garage door from slamming shut, a malfunctioning torsion spring may be the guilty party.
For more information about garage door services, contact a local company.
Share26 June 2023
I thought the most difficult part of teaching my son how to drive would be out on the roads, but I didn't think about what he could do to my garage door before he even left the driveway. It took one small tap with the car to damage the garage door. Even though the garage door itself looked to be fine, the impact had caused some damage to the mechanical components, and we couldn't use the garage for a while. My blog explains what we had to do to make the repairs and will give you some tips for avoiding this type of accident around your home.
