Garage door repair issues can range from the downright mundane to tasks that require major professional attention. You might be wondering whether it's time to call a pro so here are four signs that might be the case.

Anything Involving Springs or Cables

These components tend to be under tension, and that means there's a risk that you might be injured either taking old parts out or putting new ones in when all that tension releases. Problems with springs and cables usually show up as a sort of limpness in the door. At first, this might only be a few inches of loose play. Eventually, it will become difficult keeping the door up at all without pushing it up by hand.

A door that drops like a rock may also be a sign of the same problem acting a bit differently. This occurs because there isn't sufficient tension to keep it from dropping.

Busted or Bent Tracks

Most systems use rollers on the sides of the door, and these rollers need to move freely inside a set of tracks. Damage to the tracks is a pretty common problem because the tracks sometimes get beaten by vehicles, car doors, or objects being moved in and out of a garage.

Sometimes, you can tweak a bent piece of track a little bit with a pair of pliers and see instant success. There may be cases, though, where the track is mangled or the rollers are pinched inside the track. Also, many dings will eventually add up and make the track, at best, very unreliable.

Smoke or Fire

If you see smoke or fire coming out of the motor, that's a big problem. Especially if the motor is placed in a high ceiling, it can be challenging to remove it, install a new one, and reconnect all the components to it. Similarly, setting up the motor so it stops at the right point can be difficult in smaller garages where there isn't much clearance between the door and the wall when the door is fully in the up position.

The Little Tricks Have Failed

A lot of DIY garage door repair solutions are worth a go. For example, a door that won't activate at all may be fixed by something as simple as flipping the right breaker. Similarly, a little grease in the tracks can get things running smoothly. When those little tricks fail to make a difference, though, it's fine to call a pro.

For more information about garage door repair, contact a company like On  Track Overhead Doors Inc.