5 Tips to repair a garage door
Garage doors are essential to any home as they provide security and protect your vehicle and other belongings. However, like any other mechanical device, garage doors can break down, malfunction, or develop faults over time.
A malfunctioning garage door can cause a lot of frustration and inconvenience. But luckily, there are ways to repair your garage door and get it back to working condition.
Tips to repair any garage door
I will provide you with five actionable tips for repairing your garage door in this article. It would help if you were mechanically inclined to finish your job, though. If you aren’t, leave it to the professionals to do it for you.
Let’s jump right in!
1. Check the power supply
If your garage door suddenly stops working, check the power supply first. The cause of most garage door malfunctions is the power supply, especially if it has stopped working altogether.
Ensure the opener is plugged in and the circuit breaker hasn’t tripped. If there’s a power outage, wait until the power is restored before attempting to operate the garage door.
Also, remember to detach the power supply while repairing your garage. You won’t get those nasty electric shocks, then.
2. Inspect the Tracks and Rollers
Over time, the garage door’s tracks and rollers can become dirty or misaligned, causing the door to stick or become difficult to operate. So, if you find that your garage door has stopped functioning correctly, inspect the tracks and rollers for dirt, debris, or damage.
Use household cleaners to remove dirt and hardened grease. Once you’ve finished cleaning, don’t forget to wipe the tracks and rollers dry.
If cleaning doesn’t solve the problem, check if the track is aligned correctly with the help of a level. While aligning, the horizontal tracks should slant slightly toward the back of the garage. The vertical track, on the other hand, should fit precisely. Also, both should be at the same height on the garage walls.
See if it solves the issue. In case it doesn’t, try the next step.
3. Lubricate the moving parts
The moving parts of a garage door, such as the hinges, rollers, and tracks, require regular lubrication to work smoothly. If your garage door makes a loud grinding, rattling, or squealing noise when opening or closing the garage door, lack of lubrication could be the reason.
Apply a silicone-based lubricant to the moving parts. It would help prevent rust and corrosion and keep them working smoothly.
4. Check for any loose hardware
If, after trying all of the options above, you find that your garage door still isn’t working smoothly, then the next thing you need to do is check for any loose hardware.
Check if the plates where the spring is mounted on swing-up doors are tight. Tighten them if you find them to be loose. Next, check the roll-up doors to see if the hinges that hold the sections of the door together are tight. Tighten the screws and replace the hinges if damaged.
If you find that the screw hole has grown in size, replace the screw with a new one of the same diameter but longer. Apply a hollow fiber plug dipped in the carpenter’s glue when putting the new screw into the hole.
If you find the wood has cracked at the hinge, remove the hinge and use wood filler to patch the cracks and the screw holes.
5. Replace worn-out parts
If the above four tips haven’t worked, the most likely reason could be that the parts have worn out.
As with any mechanical parts, constant wear and tear can cause the components of a garage door to wear out and break. It would help if you replaced the springs, cables, rollers, or anything else you find worn out with new ones. It will ensure your garage door is back to working smoothly again.
To summarise
The tips mentioned in this article can help you repair your garage door and avoid costly repairs. However, if you’re unsure how to perform any of the repairs or uncertain if your garage door will return to working smoothly again, consult a professional garage door repair service to ensure the job is done safely and correctly.
SD Garage Doors is one of the best in the business when it comes to professional garage door repair services. They have supplied and installed quality garage doors for the last 25 years. They have over 60 years of combined experience in the garage door industry. So you can rest assured that they will do a perfect job of repairing your garage door.
