You've probably never put a lot of thought into your garage door other than the fact that it goes up and down as needed and allows you to park out of the weather rather than running from your car to the front door when it's raining. The actuality of the situation is that your garage door has a bit of engineering and design behind it to assure it functions properly when you need it to.
How It Works
In the old days, garage doors were opened by hand by simply unlocking them and physically sliding it up the rail tracks on which it hangs. Modern residential garage doors nearly always have a motorized opener which opens the door for you and typically there is a remote control so you can open the door from your car as you pull up to the garage. The convenience of this system is obvious, but there are more parts and pieces which can in fact break.
Parts and Pieces
The opener itself is the main part of the system. It has to have the proper amount of power for the weight of the door, according to whether it's a single or double door made of wood, metal, or fiberglass. The rails rarely need replacement unless a car bumps them. The chain which attaches the motor to the door also rarely needs repair as long as it is kept lubricated, but the coil spring which holds some of the door's weight can and will break occasionally. One of the most common problems people experience is when the door won't close because of a safety feature. There is a laser signal at the bottom of the door so if something is in the way, a child or pet for example, the door can't close. When those pointers get out of alignment they can't read the signal, or if trash gets in the way they can won't let the door close either.
Because there is more to your garaged door than the layman often realizes, there are professional contractors who specialize in installation, maintenance, and repair of garage doors. With proper experience and understanding, garage doors can be fairly simple projects for the expert who works with them every day. Be sure to call Door Power when you need repairs conducted or a new door installed for your garage.