When you keep your vehicle inside your garage, you can rest assured that it is in a safe custody. However, if the garage door is not functioning properly then it causes a lot of annoyance. As it is not opening or closing easily, taking the vehicle in and out of the garage becomes one big hassle. For any minor garage door repair, you do not have to hire a professional and you can do it on your own.
How to Repair a Garage Door
Basically, there are two types of garage door which are most popular. One is the roll-up door and the other one is the swing-up door. The answer for the question of 'how to fix a garage door' is more or less the same for both types. Here are some valuable tips on fixing mechanisms of various garage door repair parts:
Tips #1: When a garage door gets stuck to the metal track, it fails to open or close properly. This may happen due to accumulation of too much of dirt and grease inside the track. If you find that deposits of dirt is causing such an obstacle, then clean up the track and the rollers with regular household cleaner and then wipe off to make it dry. Cleaning should be followed by lubrication of the track and the wheels. You can use either powdered graphite or garage door lubricant for this purpose. Add lubricant to the pulleys and hinges as well.
Tips #2: After the clean up and lubrication, if you find that the garage door is still not moving then check out for some defects on the track. It could be bent or damage in certain parts which is obstructing the door movement. Any bent or dent can be repaired by hitting the area repeatedly with a rubber mallet.
Tips #3: Another feature of the track that need to be checked is its leveling. If the alignment of the tracks is not correct, then it is going to cause trouble in garage door movements. Use a level to check whether the alignment is proper or not. Sometimes, loose screws are responsible for some kind of misalignment. Take a screwdriver and tighten all the loose screws in order to level the tracks properly. After fixing up the screw check the position of the track with the help of the level one more time.
Tips #4: Inspect the hardware of the garage doors. Any of the screws of the mounting plate of a swing up garage door becomes loose, then it should be secured properly to ensure smooth movement of the door. Hinges of the roll-up doors often causes a lot of trouble. Any damaged hinge should be replaced. Sometimes, screw hole of the hinges get enlarged. In that case, take a longer screw and put some hollow fiber plug on it with the help of carpenter's glue. This will tighten the screw as well as the hinge.
Tips #5: Sometimes, the tension of the springs of the garage door need some adjustments. The spring of the swing-up door is fastened into a hole of the mounting bracket. In order to adjust the tension, you have to simply attach the hook to the next hole. In roll-up door, the tension of the spring can be adjusted by pulling out the cable over the door and make a knot at its end. If your garage door has a single spring at its middle, then do not try garage door spring adjustment on your own. The tension of such a spring is so high that it can cause you severe injury when you try to adjust it.
Those were few of the residential garage door repair tips and tricks. When you successfully accomplish garage door repair do it yourself project, it will really make you feel good. The best part is it will save you a lot of money. If you hire a professional, garage door repair cost is going to be as high as $350-800. Whereas, when you fix garage door on your own, you just have to pay for the materials that you buy for any replacement.
