Over the years, your garage door may fall into disrepair if you don’t maintain the various components that allow it to function. If this occurs, you may need to adjust your garage door so it functions properly.
In this article, we will explore how to adjust a garage door so you know what to do should your door stop working.
How to Adjust A Garage Door
Your garage door has been designed to work perfectly every time you use it. Over time though, components can wear out and the door may not work the way it used to. When this happens, you’ll need to adjust the door in order to get the best use out of it. Here’s what to look for, and how to fix any problems that arise.
Here’s how to adjust a garage door so it works properly.
How to Check the Balance of Your Garage Door
The first thing to do is to check the balance of your door. You will need to see if all the components are working correctly and whether anything needs to be changed.
Turn off all power to your door (if any), and then manually lift it up and down a couple of times to ensure that it’s moving correctly in its tracks. Then, you’ll want to leave it halfway open, to see what happens. The ideal result here is that it stays in place where you left it. If it rolls down or slides up, you’re going to need to do some adjusting.
The most common scenario is that the door rolls down because there is less tension in the garage door springs. This can be a regular occurrence as the door springs get a lot of use, and so can wear out over time. You can fix this yourself (see below), but if you’re at all worried about doing it, it’s best to call in the experts to handle it for you.
Adjusting the Springs
To adjust or replace your springs, you’ll need to take all tension off the garage door. The best way to do this will be to rest the open garage door on a ladder, to hold it open. Now that it’s ready, you can take a look at the springs. If they’re quite loose, then you can remove them and replace them with new ones. If they just need a bit of adjustment, you can move them to the next hole away from the hanger.
Once you’ve done this, try testing the door again to see if it now hovers. If it does, you’ve been successful. If not, you may need to do more adjustment.
Test Your Garage Door Opening Equipment
If you have an automatic garage door opener, you should test your door regularly to ensure that it’s working correctly. This is fairly simple to do. You’ll need to do the following:
- Testing the up/down limits: Close the door and then hold the button to open it. If it opens more than five feet but does not open all the way, then it will need some adjustment. The limit adjustment screw will need to be turned clockwise, in order to get it open properly.
- Garage door force: If your door is reversing when you go to close it, it could be that the sensors are being blocked. Remove anything blocking the sensors, and try again. If this isn’t the problem, then you’ll need to increase the force of the door. If the door isn’t opening all the way, you’ll need to increase the up force.
- Check the safety reverse: All modern garage doors will have this feature to ensure that the door won’t accidentally close on anyone in the way of it as it closes. You should test this feature to confirm that it’s still working effectively. Place a 2 by 4 in the threshold of the door and close it. If it stops but doesn’t open again right away, then you’ll need to adjust the system and retest it, to guarantee it works properly.
Maintaining Your Garage Door
If you’re finding problems with your garage door, this may mean that it needs to be maintained more regularly. Here are some maintenance tips you can follow to ensure that the door is still in good working order:
Firstly, check for any major wear-and-tear that you can see. If you’re handy, you might be able to do the repairs yourself. Make sure that these repairs are done before you use the garage door again.
Next, you’ll need to lubricate all the major moving parts so that the garage door will be moving well every time you open and close it. You’ll need to lubricate the combination hinge and rollers, the rest of the hinges, and the lock mechanism on the door itself.
Now, you’ll want to do all the tests that are detailed above. Double-check the opening mechanism and verify that it is working correctly and that it’s safe to be around. Then, you’ll want to check that the door is properly balanced – if you haven’t already done so.
Bu doing all of this, you’ll be ensuring that your garage door will be in good working condition for a long time to come. By keeping it in good shape, you’ll be minimizing any repairs that need to be made, and saving money on maintaining it.
Calling in The Experts
If you’re not too sure about a repair that your garage door needs or you think it would be safer to call in an expert, then you can call a company experienced in repairing garage doors. There’s a lot of good reasons why you would want to take care of your door by calling in a professional garage door repair service.
Firstly, they have the experience needed to help you get the most from your door. They may be able to see issues that you didn’t even spot when you examined your garage door. This ensures that everything is mended when it needs to be, and you won’t come across more problems later down the line.
Additionally, you’ll need to stay safe when you’re conducting repairs on your garage door. This is especially true when it comes to your springs, as they can cause serious injury when improperly handled. Having an expert handle it for you means that you’ll be safe, and you won’t have to worry when working on it.
These tips will help you properly adjust, balance and maintain your garage door. Use them when you’re checking your door for wear-and-tear, and know when to call in the experts when you need some help.