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Technician drilling a vertical track bracket to the wall beside a sectional garage door panel
The garage door is the biggest moving part in most houses, and it tends to quit at the worst moment: a cold morning, the car inside, a school run in twenty minutes. Fix My Door Now Ottawa repairs garage doors across Ottawa, from broken springs and snapped cables to doors that have jumped their tracks and openers that hum without moving anything.
Call 613-265-3667 or send us a photo and a few lines about what the door is doing. We'll tell you what we think has failed and what the repair costs before any work starts. Same-day appointments are often available, and the price is flat-rate and approved by you first.
What we repair
- Broken torsion and extension springs (spring repair)
- Snapped, frayed or slipped lift cables (cable repair)
- Doors off the track, bent track sections, worn or broken rollers (off-track repair)
- Openers that don't respond, sensors, remotes and keypads (opener repair)
- Dented, cracked or separated panels
- Worn bottom seals and side weatherstripping
- Loose hinges, brackets and door hardware
If the door is too far gone to fix sensibly, we'll say so and quote a replacement instead.
Common garage door problems
The door won't open
If the opener runs but the door stays put, a broken spring is the usual cause. If nothing happens at all, it may be a dead remote battery, a tripped outlet or a door that has been locked from the inside. A door frozen to the floor after freezing rain also does this.
The door won't close, or reverses
Almost always the safety sensors. They sit a few inches off the floor on either side of the opening, and a bumped bracket, a dirty lens or a patch of snow can break the beam. The opener then refuses to close, or closes and goes back up.
The door stops halfway
Uneven balance, a binding roller, a worn hinge or an opener with its travel limits out of adjustment. We check the door by hand before we blame the motor.
The door is loud or grinds
Dry or worn rollers, loose hardware and tired hinges are common. A sudden change in noise after years of quiet is worth a call, because it can mean a spring or cable is on its way out.
The door opens crooked or one side sags
One cable has slipped or snapped, or a spring has weakened on one side. Stop using the door. It can jam in the tracks or drop.
The door slams down
The springs are no longer carrying the weight. That is a safety problem, not a nuisance.
Damaged panels and worn seals
A bumper tap can crease a steel panel, and a cracked bottom seal lets in snow and drafts. Some panels can be repaired or replaced; others are cheaper to fix by replacing the door. We'll show you both options.
When to stop using the door and call
Stop operating the door, and keep people and vehicles clear of it, if you notice any of the following:
- A loud bang from the garage, or a visible gap in the spring above the door
- A cable hanging loose, frayed, or off its drum
- The door is heavy, or won't stay open when lifted by hand
- One side sits lower than the other
- Rollers hanging out of the track, or a track that looks bent
- The door closes on its own weight faster than it should
Springs, cables and the brackets at the bottom corners of the door are under heavy tension. We don't recommend adjusting them yourself — leave the tensioned parts alone.
How a repair visit works
- We inspect the whole system: springs, cables, drums, tracks, rollers, hinges, panels, opener and sensors.
- We identify what has failed and what is only worn.
- We explain the repair options and give you a flat-rate price.
- Once you approve, we repair or replace the damaged parts.
- We test the balance, the travel, the reverse function and the safety sensors.
- We run the door open and closed to confirm it moves the way it should.
Repair or replace?
Most single failures, like a spring, a cable, a roller set or a sensor, are worth repairing. Replacement starts to make sense when several parts have worn out at once, panels are buckled or rotting, the door has been hit hard, or an older door can't be balanced properly anymore. If you're also unhappy with drafts or noise from an uninsulated door, that tips the decision. See garage door installation for what replacement involves.
What Ottawa winters do to garage doors
Garage doors take a beating from January to March. Cold stiffens lubricant, metal contracts, and a door that ran fine at 5 degrees can labour at minus 25. Snowmelt and road salt off the car refreeze along the bottom edge and glue the seal to the floor, and the opener pulls against it. Freeze-thaw cycles work moisture into rollers, hinges and cable ends. Rust on a cable or bottom bracket is a common reason cables fail once the thaw arrives. If the door leaks air under the bottom edge, see our weatherstripping page for seals.
Homes and businesses
Most of our garage door calls are for houses, townhomes and attached garages. We also repair doors on shops, warehouses and multi-bay buildings. See commercial garage door repair — because heavier doors and higher daily use change how we repair them.
Garage door problem? Send us a photo. Tell us what the door is doing, and call 613-265-3667 if you'd rather talk it through. You can also request a quote. If the door is stuck open or closed right now, go to emergency garage door repair.
Garage door repair questions
Why won't my garage door open?
Try the wall button as well as the remote. If the motor runs and the door doesn't move, suspect a broken spring. If there's no sound, check the power and the remote battery, and look for a manual lock on the door. If none of that helps, call us.
Can you repair a garage door the same day?
Often, yes. Call 613-265-3667 and tell us what the door is doing. If we can't get there today, we'll tell you when we can.
How do I tell whether it's the spring or the opener?
A spring failure usually comes with a loud bang and a door that feels far too heavy. An opener failure is more often a click, a hum, or nothing at all, with a door that lifts easily by hand. Don't test the balance by force if you suspect a spring.
Is it worth repairing an older garage door?
If the panels are sound and the problem is a spring, cable, roller set or opener, usually yes. If the door is rotting, buckled, or several components are failing together, replacement can cost less over time.
Why is my garage door so loud?
Worn rollers, dry hinges and loose hardware are the usual causes. A new grinding or banging noise can point to a failing spring or cable, so have it looked at.
How much does garage door repair cost?
It depends on what has failed. A sensor adjustment and a spring replacement are very different jobs. Send a photo, and we'll give you a flat-rate price you approve before we start.
Do you only do garage doors?
No. We also handle door repair for entry doors, patio doors, frames and commercial doors.
Looking for symptoms first? Read our guides on garage doors that will not open or close, broken spring signs, and garage door noises.
Related garage door services
- Garage Door Spring Repair
- Garage Door Cable Repair
- Off-Track Garage Door Repair
- Garage Door Opener Repair
- Garage Door Installation
- Emergency Garage Door Repair