While maintaining your house, you need to pay attention to the whole building, including the garage. One part of the garage that may need your attention is the garage door. You may need to adjust your garage door at some time, so it will close neatly so any things in the garage will be safely stored.
If you get a problem with your garage door, don’t immediately call for professional help. You may find it easy to fix it by yourself and save some money.
Read also: 6 TIPS HOW TO FIX GARAGE DOOR
1. See If the Door Work Normally
If you cannot open or close the garage door as usual, you may only need simple maintenance or adjustment. You can try to give some lubricant to the hinges and rollers, then see whether it improves the move or not.
If you use the electric equipment to open the door, you should plug off the machine first, then you should see whether you can move the door manually quickly or not.
When you find it easy to move it, then the problem may lay in the machine. Don’t try to fix the device by yourself unless you are a pro technician. Leave it to the pro so you can cut the budget for further damage.
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2. Check the Bolt
Sometimes it is just because of the loose bolt. You need to make sure that the bolts are attached firmly but not too tight so the mechanism can work well. See whether the tightening of the loosening bolt may solve your problem directly or not.
3. See if the Problem is the Spring
When you cannot close your garage door tightly, maybe the problem in the spring. However, you need to recognize what kind of spring is attached to your door.
If your door uses torsion springs, you need professional help since such a sort of spring is more dangerous to meddle with. It is not impossible to fix torsion springs by yourself, but you need to be careful. However, if you get the side-mounted springs, then you may proceed next step.
4. Adjust the Spring According to the Problem
Then, you need to know your problem and adjust the spring correctly. If your door doesn’t close tightly, you should decrease your spring tension. This way also works well for the door, which opens too fast or is hard to close.
On the other hand, if your problem the door closes too quickly or is hard to open, you need to increase the tension. You can also adjust the pressure on one side if there is a gap on one side of your door.
5. Open the Door to Release Spring’s Tension
When you want to start adjusting the spring, you need to release some tension from the spring first; otherwise, it will be dangerous for you, and it may break your door.
To release the pressure, open the door until it can’t go any further. For the automatic door, you need to read the manual first to fully open the door and completely release the tension.
6. Secure the Door in Place
It will be dangerous for you if the door suddenly falls while you are fixing it. So, you need to secure your door with locking pliers on each track or a C-clamp below the bottom rollers. Remember that you need to avoid any dangerous things so you can get the best result later.
7. Remove the Hook and Adjust the Tension
The spring is usually attached to the track hanger by a hook. This hook is large, and it is mounted with a nut. You need to remove the spring from the track hanger by removing the nut and releasing it from the hook. That’s why you need to release the spring’s tension first.
You will find some holes in the track hanger, and those holes will help you decrease or increase tension. You need to move the hook to another hole and adjust the springs in both sides equally and find the balance. After that, you should put the nut back so the hook will be firmly holding the springs.
If you want to decrease the tension, you should move the hook into a lower hole. On the other hand, you should move the hook into the upper hole to increase the pressure. If you need to adjust one side, you can lower the hook only on that side.
8. Test the Door
If you are done with the springs and have already attached the nuts back, you should test your door. Test its function and whether your problem is solved or not. You can adjust the spring one more time until you are satisfied with the result.
9. Add or Lose Tension by Adjusting the Cable
If you still feel something is not right, you can try this way. For some minor tension, you can adjust the cable inside the spring. You can loosen or tighten the knot to solve the minor problem. Make the cable short of increasing the tension and making it longer to decrease the pressure.
If your cable is attached to an S-hook, you should move the hook into the higher hole to increase or lower the hole to reduce the tension. You can then test the door again and make sure that the door is in the right position and the problem is solved.
10. Adjusting Torsion Springs by Yourself (Not Recommended)
As said before that you can also adjust the torsion springs, but it is not recommended if you are not confident with this. Seek pros help will be more convenient for you rather than risk your safety and also further damage. However, if you want to try, then you may proceed.
Close your garage door and unplug the automatic opener; then, secure the door with C-clamp. You can follow the spring, and in the end, there is a winding cone. You must loosen the set screws.
After this, you need to be ready to move quickly and get your body in the position where your head and body are safe if the spring breaks. Move the winding cone forward 90 degrees if you want to decrease the tension or backward to increase the pressure.
Don’t’ forget to stretch the spring and tighten the set screws back. Repeat on another side, and if you are done, you may test your door. Repeat the process if necessary.
