Garage door repair is not exactly a routine thing. However, once in a while you may have to look into it, because one fine day you do not want your garage door to collapse, right? It may happen that during this you might need the help of a professional, but if you can do it, nothing like it. You can save money and it will be quite satisfying. Here we go then...
Steps to Fix a Garage Door
# 1
The first thing you would want to do is to check the metal cracks in the garage door. Check out the mounting brackets which hold the tracks to the walls. Tighten them if you find that they are lose. You can do that using bolts or screws. Work inside the garage with the garage door closed and check the tracks for dents, crimps or flat spots. In case you find any damaged spots, use a rubber mallet to pound them. You can also use a hammer and a block or scrap off wood. Replace the tracks if they are badly damaged.
# 2
Use level to check out the tracks to be sure of their alignment. For instance, horizontal tracks need to slant down in the direction of the back of the garage. With roll up doors, the vertical sections of the track needs to be accurately plumb. An important norm to remember here is to see that both the tracks have to be at the same height on the garage walls. Loosen the tracks if they are not properly aligned but don't remove the bolts or screws holding the mounting brackets. Just tap the racks lightly in proper position. Tighten the screws after checking the level of the tracks with the level once you are sure that they are in perfect position.
# 3
Now you have to clean the tracks using concentrated household cleaner for removing dirt and hardened grease. Make sure that you have cleaned the rollers thoroughly and have wiped both tracks and rollers dry. Then lubricate the rollers and the tracks with a garage door lubricant spray or even powdered graphite in the tracks. House hold oil or even silicon spray on the rollers will also work well. For pulleys too, you can use the same lubricant if there are any. Fixing a garage door involves the repair of these tracks and rollers.
# 4
Keep a close eye one any part which seems to be lose or worn out. If your garage door has swing-up doors, do a close scrutiny of the plates where the spring is mounted, just to make sure that the screws are tight. Tighten the loose screws consequently. As far as roll up doors are concerned, hinges holding the sections of the door together need to be checked and subsequently fix the loose screws. Hinges which are badly rusted or damaged would have to be replaced.
# 5
Moving on, if the door is sagging on either sides, it can be corrected by servicing the hinges. In another instance, if a screw hole has widened and enlarged, change that screw. Fix a longer screw, but with more diameter. With the new screw, use a hollow fiber plug which is dipped in carpenter's glue. If you find out that there are cracks in the wood at the hinge, remove the hinge, fill the cracks and screw holes using a wood filler. After the filler dries, replace the hinge. Move the hinge onto solid part of wood if it can be done.
# 6
This section will tell you how to fix a garage door spring. Some of the doors are swing up doors, having a spring on each side, hooked into notches. So in such cases, for adjusting the tension, move the spring hook to the next hole or notch. If you have roll up doors, a spring cable on pulley controls the spring on each side. Pull the cable farther through the plate above the door and re-knot the end to retain the tension for adjusting this type of spring.
Congratulations! I am sure you will reap the benefits of repairing the hinges! All the Best!
