Repairing a faulty garage door

It is not always possible to repair a broken or damaged garage door, however in many instances it can be feasible to look at making a repair.

A garage door is composed of both the door itself and the tracking mechanism that makes it tilt, roll, slide, hinge or cantilever.

The nature of the mechanism will usually determine the viability of making a repair. Naturally with a side hinged door the lubrication or replacement of a hinge is a comparatively simple process, however with other door types things can be more complex.

Doors that store overhead or slide around a corner

Roller doors, sectional doors and up-and-over doors all use spring tension for their operation and transition to and from the void above the garage door opening.

These door types can employ a variety of different movement mechanisms, but nearly all will use springs for power and counter balancing, and tracks to guide the passage of the door. When problems arise with this kind of door it can often be traced to the point of origin and frequently repaired.

Doors that do not move freely, have a jerky transition, or stick during transition normally have a problem with either the track or the brackets (and fixings) that hold the tracks to the wall.

If the tracks are loose, incorrectly aligned (which can happen over time and with wear), have distortions, dints or bends, there will be a problem opening and closing the door. However it should be possible to trace a loose fitting, a crimp in the track, a lack of good vertical alignment, or any other structural defect - and correct it.

Here are some examples of the most common problems and their solutions (below sponsored ads).

• Loose brackets can be tightened or re-drilled.
• Incorrectly aligned tracks can have the brackets loosened and re-aligned correctly.
• Dints and distortions can be carefully knocked out and corrected with a rubber mallet.
• Levels can be checked and corrected.
• Dirty or soiled tracks can be cleaned and lubricated.
• Rollers can be cleaned and checked for freedom of movement.
• Rollers and tracks can be lubricated with oil or silicon.
• Any pulleys can be checked and lubricated in the same way as the rollers.
• All screws, bolts and fixing can be checked for wear and tightness and tightened if required.

Springs

• Check the springs and ensure that they are “hooked-up” correctly. If they are not try the following.
• Adjust the tension of the springs on the door. This may be done by re-positioning the spring’s hook in a different notch or by pulling and re-knotting the cable (on roller doors). In both instances the procedure needs to be repeated on both sides of the door.

Doors

Some garage door problems may have the door as the problem source. This can be true of any sectional type door (which includes rolling and sliding doors) where the door itself bends.

The most common problem relates to the failure of the door to adequately bend at the hinges between the sections. When this is the case it almost certainly suggests that a hinge in malfunctioning, either because it is damaged, clogged up with dirt, or has one or more loose screws.

• The problem is usually solved by systematically checking the hinges, tightening any that are loose, and cleaning and re-lubricating them and replacing any severely damaged hinge. In instances where a screw hole is rotten or rusted, it may be necessary to re-drill and use either a plug or a larger screw.

In instances where there are multiple problems, or a combination of several of the above, it may no longer be possible to repair the door. In such cases it will be necessary to replace the door.