It is important to remember that, a garage door has two important components: the opener and the door itself. Whether the garage door swings up in one piece or rolls up in sections, it is operating on spring tension.
It is able to move on tracks of metal on the walls of the garage, and heavy springs provide it with the power. In most cases, when it fails to work, it is very easy to do the repair work.
Here is how you can go about repairing the door to your garage in case it gets spoilt.
Step 1:
Ensure that you check out the metal tracks which are in your garage. Check out the mounting brackets which hold the tracks in the garage walls. If you find out that they are loose, ensure the bolts are tightened or the screws which are in the brackets. Examine the crimps, dents or flat spots.
If you find out that there are spots that are damaged, make sure that you pound them out with whatever can push it in like a hammer or a rubber mallet. If you find out that the damage on the tracks is bad, then you will have to replace them.
Step 2:
Use a level to examine the tracks to be sure that they are aligned properly. If the tracks are horizontal, then they should be able to slant slightly towards the garage back. If the door is a roll up one, ensure that the vertical sections of the track are exactly plump. The tracks need to be on a similar height on the walls of the garage. If you find out that there is no alignment of the tracks properly, loosen but you don’t have to remove the bolts or screws which hold the brackets for mounting, and then ensure that the tracks are tapped carefully back into position.
Do a double check of the tracks with the level to ensure that they are in a position which is right, then go ahead and the bolts are tightened or screwed at the mounting brackets.
Step 3:
Use a concentrated household cleaner to clean the tracks so that you are able to remove all the hardened grease and dirt. Ensure that the rollers are cleaned thoroughly and then wipe both the rollers and the tracks thoroughly.
Step 4:
Check out if there is any loose hardware and ensure that you tighten them. If your door is a swing up one, check its plates where the spring is mounted to ensure that all the screws are tight. If the door is a roll up one, check out the hinges which hold the door sections together, make sure that it is tight with all screws together, and in case there are any damaged hinges, replace them.
If there is any sagging at one door side, you can correct it by ensuring that you service the hinges. If there is an enlarged screw hole, replace it with one that is longer but of the same diameter using a fiber plug which is hollow with a new screw, dipped in the carpenter’s glue.
