Common Garage Door Problems in Orlando, FL

This is the most common garage door service call in Central Florida. Orlando sits in the lightning capital of the country, and a nearby strike can send a voltage surge through your electrical system that destroys the circuit board inside your opener. The door will not respond to the remote or wall button, and you may notice a burning smell near the motor unit. First, check your breaker panel — if it tripped, reset it and test the opener. If the breaker is fine but the opener is dead, the circuit board likely needs replacement. We recommend installing a dedicated surge protector on the garage outlet to prevent this from happening again.

A noisy garage door is often an early warning that something needs attention before it becomes a bigger problem. The most common cause of grinding or squealing is worn nylon or steel rollers that have lost lubrication or developed flat spots. Metal rollers in particular get louder as they age. Dry tracks and hinges also create noise that amplifies through the door panels. In most cases, a maintenance visit with roller inspection, lubrication, and hardware tightening resolves the issue. However, grinding near the opener motor can indicate stripped gears, which requires a gear kit replacement. If you hear a loud pop followed by the door not opening, that is typically a broken spring — and that requires immediate professional repair.

A door that refuses to move can have several causes. The most common is a broken torsion spring — you may have heard a loud bang from the garage before the door stopped working. With a broken spring, the opener cannot lift the weight of the door alone. Other causes include a stripped gear inside the opener, a tripped photo-eye sensor, a disconnected manual release handle, or a power outage. Check whether the opener light turns on when you press the button — if it does, the unit has power but something mechanical is preventing movement. For any situation involving a broken spring or cable, do not attempt to force the door. Call a professional — these components are under extreme tension.

An off-track garage door is one of the most dangerous situations a homeowner can encounter. The door may be hanging at an angle, jammed partway open, or visibly leaning to one side with rollers that have popped out of the track. This can happen from a vehicle bumping the door, a broken cable allowing one side to drop, worn rollers slipping out, or forcing a stuck door. Do not try to operate or manually move an off-track door — a two-car garage door weighs 150 to 250 pounds and can drop suddenly. This is strictly a professional repair. We realign the door, replace damaged components, identify the cause, and test the full system before leaving.

Florida heat, UV exposure, and humidity break down the rubber or vinyl bottom seal on garage doors faster than anywhere else in the country. When the seal cracks, shrinks, or pulls away, you get a visible gap that lets in rain water, hot air, dust, and — most commonly in Orlando — insects and small reptiles. A worn seal also reduces energy efficiency and can let standing water seep in during heavy thunderstorms. Replacing the bottom seal is a straightforward repair that makes an immediate difference. We match the seal profile to your door type and install it flush against the garage floor.

Many Orlando homeowners are unsure whether their garage door meets Florida Building Code wind load requirements, especially if the door was installed before they purchased the home. Look for a product approval sticker on the inside of the door — typically on an upper panel or along the vertical track. It should list a Florida Product Approval number and a wind load rating. If there is no sticker, the door may not be rated. Doors installed before the current code, lightweight single-layer steel doors, and older wooden doors are commonly non-compliant. We offer free on-site assessments where we identify the model and verify its rating. Visit our Wind Code Guide for a full overview of Orlando's requirements.

If you are finding palmetto bugs, anoles, geckos, or even the occasional snake in your garage, the culprit is almost always a failed seal or gap in the door system. Florida weather deteriorates rubber and vinyl seals rapidly, and even a quarter-inch gap is an open invitation to local wildlife. The weatherstripping along the sides and top of the frame can also shrink and pull away over time. Replacing the bottom seal and the side and top weatherstripping closes these entry points and makes a noticeable difference within days. For persistent pest issues, we also check panel joints and the gap between the top panel and header for secondary entry points.

HOA violation notices for garage doors are common in Orlando-area communities, especially across Dr. Phillips, Windermere, Lake Nona, and newer Horizon West developments. The most frequent issues are faded or peeling paint, visible dents, a door that does not match the approved color palette, or a replacement installed without architectural approval. We can assess your door and advise whether repair, repaint, or full replacement is most practical. For replacements, we help select a style and color that meets HOA requirements and provide specification documents for the review process.