Emergency Garage Door Repair, Day or Night

Is it really an emergency?

Some garage door problems can wait for a weekday appointment. Others should not. Treat these as urgent:

• The door will not close and the garage connects to the house
• The door is off track, crooked, or hanging from one cable
• A spring or cable snapped and the door is partly open
• A vehicle is trapped and you need it for work, school or a medical appointment
• Wind has pushed the door in or damaged the frame

A noisy door, a slow opener or a remote that has stopped working is usually not an emergency, and you may pay less by booking a regular visit.

Stuck open? Secure the house first

1. Lock the door into the house

   The door between the garage and the house is your real security line tonight. Lock it and, if possible, put something heavy in front of it.

2. Do not force the garage door down

   If a spring or cable is broken, the door can come down far faster than you expect.

3. Move valuables out of sight

   Bikes, tools and anything visible from the street.

4. Call and describe what you see

   Is there a gap in the spring, a loose cable, a crooked door? The technician can tell you on the phone whether it is safe to leave as is until they arrive.

Car trapped inside

If the opener will not lift the door, check for a power outage first. Most openers have a red emergency release cord. Pulling it disconnects the door from the opener so the door can be lifted by hand, but only if the springs are intact. If the door is very heavy, stop: a spring is broken and lifting it can hurt you. A technician can usually open the door safely and replace the spring in the same visit.

If your opener has a battery backup, it may still run during a power outage. Many newer models do. If you lose power often, ask about one at your next service.

Storm damage

Nor'easters and the remnants of tropical storms regularly bring strong winds to Long Island, and wind can push a garage door inward or pull it out of its tracks. If the door has been pushed in, do not open it: the damaged sections and tracks can bind and fall. Take photos for insurance, keep everyone out of the garage, and call.

What to expect from an after-hours call

Night and weekend calls often cost more than weekday appointments. The company you are connected with will tell you its service call fee before sending anyone. Sometimes the right first step is to make the door safe and secure tonight and complete the repair the next day, when parts are easier to get. That is normal and often cheaper.

What to tell the person who answers

A clear description helps the company decide who to send and what parts to bring. Have this ready:

• Your full address and ZIP code, and the best phone number to call you back
• Whether the door is stuck open, stuck closed or hanging partly open
• What you heard or saw: a bang, a snapped cable, a crooked door, a car impact
• Whether anyone or anything is under or near the door
• The width of the door (single or double) and whether it is steel, wood or glass
• The brand on the opener motor, if you can read it safely

Make it safe tonight, fix it properly tomorrow

Watch out for pressure tactics

Emergencies are when people are most likely to agree to things they would question on a normal day. A trustworthy technician tells you the service fee before arriving, explains what is broken, and gives you a price before starting work. Be cautious if someone insists you need a whole new door for a single broken spring, refuses to show you the damaged part, or asks for full payment in cash before any work is done. On Long Island, you can also ask for the county home improvement license number.

If a car has just hit the door

1. Check people first

   Make sure nobody is hurt, and move the car only if the door is not resting on it.

2. Do not run the opener

   A door that has been hit is often bent or partly off track. Running it can pull it down.

3. Take photos

   Inside and outside, the tracks, the sections and the car. Insurers ask for them.

4. Unplug the opener

   So nobody presses a remote or the wall button by mistake.

5. Call and describe the damage

   Say whether the door is open, closed or hanging, and whether the tracks look bent.

A technician can usually secure the door the same day. Bent sections and tracks may need parts, so the full repair may follow a few days later. See off-track door repair and panel replacement.

Where calls are connected

Calls about emergency repair are taken across Long Island and upstate New York. On Long Island: Nassau County and Suffolk County. Upstate: Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, Washington, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Montgomery, Fulton, Otsego, Delaware counties.