Garage doors are taken for granted-until they stop moving when we rush to work. This rarely happens suddenly, and there are many common garage door problems that can explain failure. Garage doors declare failure months in advance by slowly opening or grinding to stop halfway through, then mysteriously start up again.
Instead of buying a new garage door, you can do basic repairs. Tracks, tension springs, and pulley cables are part of your garage door that you can repair yourself, but it’s never a bad idea to hire a professional to make sure the job is done right.
The garage door can be one of the most dangerous parts of the house. Garage door tension springs are tightly wound and can cause serious injury if they break or come off. These are best left to professionals. In comparison, extension springs are safer, so replacing them is more of a DIY project.
Unplug the Garage Door Opener while working on the garage door. Follow all safety instructions for repairing garage doors and wear all safety equipment, including safety glasses.
Open the garage door. Tighten the C-clamp as high as possible onto the metal door track, just below the bottom edge of the door near the rollers. Repeat on the other side.
This is a safety measure to prevent the door from being accidentally dropped and should be done when you are working on an open door.
The garage door sits on metal tracks on either side of the garage door opening. These tracks move the door from vertical to horizontal, making a sharp 90-degree turn at the midpoint.
Open the door and inspect the vertical section of the garage door metal track. Use the flashlight and move your fingers along the sides of the track. Look for curls, folds, dents, and other damaged areas.
Remove the clip. close the door. Stand on the ladder and inspect the horizontal section of the track near the ceiling for the same type of damage.
Use a rubber mallet or hammer and wood block to knock out the dent in the garage door track. If the track is bent, hit it with a mallet to straighten it. Severe dents can be fixed with a garage door track anvil. This special tool straightens old, damaged door rails and restores the rails to their original shape.
The mounting brackets securing the garage door track to the garage may be loose or dented. These braces usually loosen over time. Using the wrench kit, screw the bracket back into the garage door frame. Sometimes, the recessed bracket can be pushed back into shape by hand or a pry bar. If not, replace them with mounting brackets specific to your garage door make and model.
The extension spring is located at the top of the garage door and is attached to the garage ceiling. The steel safety rope is passed through the center of the spring. If the door opens and closes slowly, the spring may be defective. You will know if the spring needs to be replaced when one or more parts of the coil are pried open.
Open the garage door. Unplug the garage door opener. Place a six-foot ladder over the open door. Pull down on the safety release cord. Let the door rest on top of the ladder and set the C-clamp.
Use a wrench to loosen the pulley and slide the bolt out. Let the safety rope hang down. Untie the safety rope. Suspend the tension spring from the safety rope and remove the spring.
Extension springs are color coded by tension or strength level. The replacement extension spring should match the color of the old spring. Your garage door has two extension springs, and even if only one is defective, it’s best to replace both at the same time. This will balance the tension between the two sides.
Route the safety cable through the replacement extension spring. Twist the safety rope and reconnect. Reconnect the pulley to the other end of the tension spring by sliding the bolt over the pulley and tightening it with a wrench.
A broken, frayed, or rusted pulley lift cable can drop the garage door. Check all parts of the pulley cable, especially the wear points on both ends. Defective pulley cables should be replaced, not repaired.
Open the garage door, unplug the garage door opener and set the C-clip. In this position, the extension and torsion springs are no longer stretched and are in the safest position.
Mark the location of the S-hook with tape and remove it. Remove the cable loop from the bottom bracket of the door.
Unscrew and remove the bolts to remove the pulley from the tension spring. Loosen the pulley cable and dispose of it.
Attach one end of the pulley cable to the metal attachment bracket with three holes. This bracket should have been removed from the previous installation and can be reused. Pass the cable through the two small holes.
Route the pulley cable through the pulley attached to the tension spring. Thread the other end of the cable through the door pulley and pull it down.
Attach one end of the pulley cable to the S-hook and the other end to the bottom of the garage door. Garage doors always have two pulley cables. It is best to replace both sides at the same time.
If you are uncomfortable using garage door springs, cables, or any other part of the door system, call a qualified garage door installation technician. Severely damaged garage door tracks should be replaced. Replacing tension springs is a job best done by a qualified garage door repair professional.
Post time: Dec-28-2022