What is the door doing, and who should fix it?

Chosen when: Is a person, pet or vehicle trapped by the door, or is anyone hurt: Yes, or I am not sure

If someone is hurt or trapped, call 911 first. Do not try to lift the door or pull on it. The federal rule for door openers carries this warning: "Weak or broken springs may allow the door to fall rapidly, causing injury or death." Keep people, pets and vehicles away from the opening and use the emergency path on the form. Verdict: not a job to try yourself.

What it costs: Our estimate for an emergency call is $60 to $160 per hour of labor, before any call-out fee, a model and not a quote. Emergency visits are priced by the company, so ask for the call-out fee and what it covers before the technician starts.

Emergency garage door · The bang and the broken spring: why this is not a job to try yourself

Chosen when: What is the door doing: I heard a loud bang and now the door will not lift · or · Any other answers

A loud bang followed by a door that will not lift points to a broken spring, and a door with a broken spring can be too heavy to raise by hand and unsafe to try. DASMA, the garage door trade association, calls springs "arguably the most important and most dangerous part of your door" and says spring systems "should be repaired only by trained professionals." If the door has two springs, DASMA says to replace both, even if only one broke. Leave the door where it is and keep the opener unplugged or switched off. Verdict: pro job.

What it costs: Our estimate for replacing the springs on one door is $155 to $330 per job, both springs, a model and not a quote. The spring, the door's size and the number of springs it has move the figure.

Spring replacement · The bang and the broken spring: why this is not a job to try yourself

Chosen when: What is the door doing: The door is heavy, drops, or falls when I let go

DASMA says that if a door is heavy or needs two hands to lift, it is probably out of balance, and that "the answer is not a more powerful garage door opener." A door that drops when you let go points to springs or cables that are not carrying their share, and both are on the list of work for a trained technician. Do not stand under it, and do not use the opener to push it. Verdict: pro job.

What it costs: Our estimate for replacing the springs on one door is $155 to $330 per job, both springs, a model and not a quote. A balance problem can be a spring, a cable or both, so ask the company to say which before you compare quotes.

Spring replacement · The bang and the broken spring: why this is not a job to try yourself

Chosen when: What is the door doing: One side is lower than the other, or a cable is loose

A door that sits lower on one side, or a cable that has come loose or frayed, points to a cable or a bottom bracket on that side. DASMA says frayed or worn cables can break and cause injury, that cables "should be replaced only by a trained technician" because of the spring tension behind them, and that bottom brackets are under extreme tension and should be adjusted or loosened only by a trained door systems technician. Take a photo from a distance and leave the rest alone. Verdict: pro job.

What it costs: Our estimate for a cable repair is $115 to $350 per repair, a model and not a quote. Ask whether the quote covers both cables and the brackets, and whether the springs were checked at the same visit.

Cable repair · The bang and the broken spring: why this is not a job to try yourself

Chosen when: What is the door doing: The door is off its track

A door that has jumped its track is still held by cables and springs under load, so forcing it or running the opener can bend the track or sections and can hurt you. DASMA describes the track and sections as a system that works together, and says the bottom brackets are under extreme tension. Stop using the door, keep people clear and photograph the gap. Verdict: pro job.

What it costs: Our estimate for putting a door back on its track is $160 to $380 per repair, a model and not a quote. A bent track or a damaged section changes the job from a re-seat to a repair, so ask the company what it found before it quotes.

Off-track door · Garage door reverses or will not close: check the path, then the sensors

Chosen when: What is the door doing: It reverses on the way down, or will not close

A door that reverses on the way down, or will not close, points to something in its path or to the photo eyes at the bottom of the tracks. Clear the opening, wipe both lenses and look at whether the two eyes face each other with a steady light. DASMA says photo eyes should sit no higher than six inches above the floor. The sensors are required equipment under the federal rule, so do not tape them, bypass them or unplug them. If the door will not reverse when it should, treat that as a safety fault and stop using the opener. Verdict: safe to look at yourself, then call if it persists.

What it costs: Our estimate for a sensor visit is $130 to $260 per job, a model and not a quote. Alignment and cleaning take a few minutes; a failed sensor or a sensitivity fault is a company visit.

Safety sensors · Garage door reverses or will not close: check the path, then the sensors

Chosen when: What is the door doing: The opener runs or hums but the door does not move

If the opener hums or runs and the door stays put, the opener may be working while something between it and the door is not, and a broken spring can be one of them. Do not try to lift the door by hand to test it. If you also heard a bang, read the broken spring verdict instead. Otherwise note any lights, the sound and whether the door is locked, then call. Verdict: pro job.

What it costs: Our estimate for an opener repair is $105 to $270 per job, a model and not a quote. The visit starts with finding which part failed, so ask the company to name the part before it quotes.

Opener repair · Opener or door: which one is actually the problem?

Chosen when: What is the door doing: Nothing happens at all, no light or sound

An opener with no light and no sound points to power. Look for the plug and for a tripped breaker, and test the outlet with a lamp. If the opener has no outlet at all, adding one is electrical wiring and needs a licensed individual where the law says so, and the federal opener instructions tell you to contact a licensed electrician to install a suitable receptacle if there is none. Verdict: safe to look at yourself up to the outlet, then call.

What it costs: Our estimate for an opener repair is $105 to $270 per job, a model and not a quote. A plug-in fix costs nothing; a new circuit is electrician work and priced separately from the opener.

Opener repair · Opener or door: which one is actually the problem?

Chosen when: What is the door doing: The wall button works but the remote does not

If the wall button works, the opener and the door are moving, and the fault sits with the remote, its battery or its pairing to the opener. Replace the remote battery first and follow the opener maker's pairing steps. Keep the wall button where it is: DASMA says to mount it at least five feet above the floor, out of reach of children. Verdict: safe to look at yourself.

What it costs: Our estimate for a sensor visit is $130 to $260 per job, a model and not a quote. A remote or keypad is a small part, and the sensors page shows what a service visit involves if the receiver turns out to be the fault.

Safety sensors · Garage door reverses or will not close: check the path, then the sensors

Chosen when: What is the door doing: Grinding, squealing or shaking when it moves

Noise while the door moves points to parts that are dry, loose or worn, and the cause can be in the rollers, the hinges, the springs or the opener. DASMA ties lubrication per the manufacturer's instructions to spring life and recommends monthly safety checks and an annual visit from a trained door systems technician. Look and listen without touching the springs, cables or the brackets at the bottom corners. Verdict: check yourself, then book the annual visit.

What it costs: Our estimate for an opener repair is $105 to $270 per job, a model and not a quote. A service visit is priced by the company; ask what the visit covers.

Opener repair · Garage door trouble in a Michigan winter: stuck, frozen, leaking, slow

Chosen when: What is the door doing: A panel is dented or cracked

A damaged panel points to replacing that section or the whole door. DASMA says installing a garage door can be very dangerous and is not recommended for a novice, and that a new door on the old track may not fit, because the track and sections work together as a system. Ask the company whether one section can be matched and whether the door's lift handles and joints meet DASMA's finger-pinch guidance. Verdict: pro job.

What it costs: Our estimate for one replacement panel is $260 to $895 per panel, installed, a model and not a quote. One section against a whole door is the main swing, so ask for both written prices.

Panel replacement · Opener or door: which one is actually the problem?

Chosen when: What is the door doing: Water comes in under the bottom edge

DASMA's technical sheet on the subject says rainwater commonly gets past the bottom edge of exterior-facing sectional doors, and that the fixes it describes are a slightly inclined sill (3 to 5 degrees) or a notch in the slab for the door to rest in, with a floor seal. So a new bottom seal helps only if the water is coming through the seal. Verdict: safe to look at yourself, then ask a company about the slab.

What it costs: No estimate: we found no national published range for weather seals. A seal is a small part; reshaping a slab is a different trade, so ask who does it.

Weather seal · Garage door trouble in a Michigan winter: stuck, frozen, leaking, slow