Beige double-width garage door with a row of windows on a two-storey suburban home

Garage door won't open, won't close, hangs crooked, or making a noise it didn't make last month? We repair the common failures across Ottawa — springs, cables, tracks, rollers and openers.

Call 613-265-3667, or send us a photo and a few lines on what the door is doing. We give you a flat-rate price before any work starts, and same-day appointments are often available.

Garage door extension spring, pulley and lift cable mounted along the ceiling

Garage door services

Garage door repair: for doors that won't open or close, jam, sag, run loudly or have damaged hardware.
Spring repair: broken torsion and extension springs.
Opener repair and replacement: motors, sensors, remotes, keypads and wiring.
Cable repair: snapped, frayed or slipped lift cables.
Off-track repair: doors out of their tracks, bent track, broken rollers and crooked doors.
Garage door installation: replacing an old door with a new one, including tracks, springs and openers.
Commercial garage door repair: overhead and industrial doors on warehouses, shops and other buildings.
Emergency garage door repair: doors stuck open or shut, hanging off track, or unsafe.

Which service do you need?

You don't have to diagnose the door yourself. This list covers the usual pairings:

A loud bang, then a heavy door that won't lift: spring.
The opener runs but the door stays put: usually the spring, and sometimes the opener.
One side hangs lower or a cable is loose: cable.
A roller is out of the track, or the door is crooked: off-track repair.
The remote won't work, the sensors blink, or the door reverses: opener.
Old panels, dents, drafts or repeated repair calls: installation.
The door is stuck open or closed right now: emergency.
A warehouse, loading bay or shop door: commercial.

If you can't tell, that's fine. Send a photo and we'll say what we think it is.

Close-up of a garage door curved track, roller, hinge bracket and lift cable

How a garage door works

Most people blame the opener when the door stops, but the opener is one of the simpler parts. A sectional garage door is a set of hinged panels riding on rollers in steel tracks. The weight is carried by springs, either torsion springs mounted on a shaft above the door or extension springs along the side tracks. Steel cables connect the bottom corners of the door to the spring system and lift it evenly. The opener moves a door that is already balanced by the springs.

That balance is why a broken spring can make the opener hum without moving the door, and why forcing the door with the opener can strip gears. When a door misbehaves, we look at the balance first and the motor second.

How we work

We inspect the whole system, not only the part you point to.
We find the failed or worn components.
We explain the options, including repair versus replacement.
You get a flat-rate price and approve it before we start.
We repair or replace the parts.
We test balance, movement, safety sensors and the reverse function, and confirm the door opens and closes properly.

We don't offer instructions for adjusting springs, cables or bottom brackets. They store a lot of energy, and it's a job for a technician.

Garage doors and Ottawa winters

January and February are hard on garage doors. Cold thickens lubricant and makes metal contract, so a door that was slightly out of balance in October starts to labour. Slush drips off the car, refreezes at the bottom edge and glues the seal to the floor. Freezing rain coats tracks and sensors. Road salt corrodes cable ends, brackets and hinges over the years. Freeze-thaw cycles in March work moisture into every joint. Remote batteries lose strength in the cold, and power outages after ice storms leave people with a heavy door and a manual release cord.

A draft under the door often means a worn bottom seal, which is a smaller job than a repair. See weatherstripping for seals for doors generally.

Habits that help

Listen to the door. A new grinding, banging or scraping is worth a call.
Look at the springs, cables and rollers from the floor, without touching them.
Keep the bottom edge, the floor and the lower tracks clear of snow and ice.
Wipe the sensor lenses, and check that the sensors haven't been knocked out of line.
If a door has a manual lock, unlock it before you use the opener.
Watch that the door reverses when something is in the way. If it doesn't, stop using the opener and call us.

Residential and commercial doors

The parts are the same on a house and on a warehouse, but use and weight are not. A house door may cycle a few times a day. A loading door can cycle dozens of times. Springs and operators on commercial doors need to match. See commercial garage door repair for those doors. Entrance doors, patio doors and storefronts are separate, and see door repair and services.

Garage door repair by area

Each of these pages covers the housing, weather and door problems we see in that community:

Where we work

We take garage door calls across the same area as our door repair work, from Ottawa itself and its suburbs to towns in the Ottawa Valley and Lanark County. See service areas for the full list.

Garage door problem? Send us a photo. Call 613-265-3667 or request a quote. If the door is stuck open or shut right now, go straight to emergency garage door repair.

Garage door questions

What garage door services do you offer in Ottawa?

Repair of springs, cables, tracks, rollers, openers, sensors and panels, installation and replacement of residential garage doors, commercial overhead door repair, and emergency calls. Each one is linked in the service list.

What should I send for a quote?

A photo of the whole door from inside, a close-up of the problem area, and the label on the opener if you can reach it. A few lines on what the door does and when it started help.

Should I repair my garage door or replace it?

If a single part has failed and the rest of the door is sound, repair usually makes sense. If the panels are damaged, several parts are worn, or the door is drafty and old, replacement can cost less over the years. We'll give you both prices.

Do you only work on garage doors?

No. We also repair entry doors, patio doors, frames, locks and commercial doors.

How do I get a price?

Call or send photos, and we'll give you a flat-rate price you approve before we begin. Where something can't be judged from a photo, we'll say so and inspect it first.

Can I keep using my garage door while I wait for a repair?

If it is crooked, very heavy, out of its track, or has slack or broken cables or springs, no. Leave it closed, keep people and vehicles away, and call. If the fault is a remote or sensor, we'll tell you what's safe.

For common troubleshooting before you call, see our garage door guides: won't open or close, broken spring signs, and unusual noises.

Related garage door services

Trusted by Ottawa homeowners and businesses

Bruce P. Hartill

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★★★★★

Alex was great to work with. Communication wise I didn't have to wait for answers to my questions, he worked with my time line and the quality of the work was great!

Stacey Foster

Superb service, quick, reliable and friendly!

Masha Krupp

Alex was here within an hour of my call. In the Ottawa Valley. Absolutely amazing service and he had backup equipment as well to deal with what I needed. 10 out 10. Honest, knowledgeable and excellent work. Thank you Alex.

Garage Doors in Ottawa