Developing some new good habits and dispensing with bad ones can help you prevent any problems connected with your garage door and the electronic opening system. Rather than avoiding repair work, have malfunctioning parts fixed or replaced by an affordable and professional garage door service if you're not the do-it-yourself type. Here are five problems you should be on the lookout to prevent or fix:

1. Safety Sensor Issues

If an object placed under a descending garage door doesn't cause it to reverse, there either is no safety sensor or a malfunctioning one. The federal government has required safety sensors on all doors manufactured since the early 1990s. Your door may be older than that, or the sensor may have quit working. The sensors are important devices for keeping children and pets safe. Have a new sensor installed promptly. 

2. Children Playing With the Door

Your kids may like to play in the garage when no vehicles are in it, especially on a rainy day. Prohibit them from using the door opener and explain the hazards of garage doors in motion. Children can be impulsive and reckless; it's not completely unthinkable that a youngster will try to ride the door. 

3. A Door Left Open

It may seem pointless to close the garage door every time you run to the store or head out to pick up the kids. However, the open door and the missing vehicle inform would-be burglars of your habits.

If anyone is regularly casing your neighborhood for clues as to who is home and who isn't, they will notice that you leave the door open when you expect to be gone for less than 15 or 20 minutes. That small amount of time could allow them to enter the house, steal something valuable and make a quick exit. 

4. Deterioration Along the Door Bottom

Prevent rotting along the bottom of a wood door by installing weatherstripping and replacing that material when it starts to deteriorate. In addition, routinely sweep away leaves and other organic debris that can accumulate against door bottoms. 

5. Squeaking and Jerking Doors

If the door does not move smoothly up and down, the system may need lubrication or adjustment. Have the work done promptly to prevent any of the parts from breaking or coming loose from the track.

As with most mechanical equipment, prevention is the best remedy for problems. Modify any of your habits that could cause trouble, and contact a garage door service like Spring King Garage Door Repair for assistance if any parts are not working properly.