How To Fix An Uneven Or Sagging Garage Door
Average garage doors weigh about 150 pounds, and they open and close more or less 1,500 times a year. What a great deal of heavy lifting! So you should not be surprised if your door shows unwanted issues now and again, or worst, a broken garage door! One of the most common overhead door concerns that homeowners encounter is a sagging or uneven garage door. Not fixing it immediately can lead to a potential hazard and an expensive repair. In this article, you’ll learn how to adjust or troubleshoot a garage door unevenly.
How to Fix an Uneven Garage Door
If your door seems to shake every time it closes or opens, something may obstruct the tracks. Inspect and remove any blockages you discover. Wipe down the tracks if necessary.
If it still doesn’t work, you may suspect that the spring system (extension springs or the torsion spring) brings excessive or insufficient tension. Note that enough tension given by the springs is what makes a balanced garage door. So in this situation, you will have to seek assistance from a professional to work out the issue.
1. Detecting an Unbalanced Garage Door
Take a look at the following signs of an unbalanced door:
- The door seems odd or uneven when closing or opening
- Your garage door sags when fully open
- The door creates a strange sound when opening or closing
- Your overhead door takes a lot of time to open or close
- Your door doesn’t move at all (it seems too weighty for the opener to shift)
2. Knowing the Awful Consequences of an Unbalanced Garage Door
Your door opener is usually the one that goes through a tough time when you have an unbalanced garage door. When it’s compelled to raise more weight than it could handle, eventually, other parts like drive gears, carriages, sprockets, and couplers will begin to malfunction until the entire machine collapses.
Another awful result is that the spring or cable could fracture. And like a broken door opener, it will make your garage door unusable until you can call an expert to repair it.
3. Performing a Balance Test
It’s an excellent idea to perform a balance test occasionally. It takes only a few minutes and doesn’t require any tools at all. Here’s what you need to do:
- First, close the door.
- To make your garage door move freely, disconnect it from the opener. You do it by pulling the manual release rope.
- Manually raise your overhead door to the halfway position and release it carefully. If properly aligned, it will stay in place. It’s alright if one or each side of the door slightly shakes.
- Reconnect your garage door to the opener.
4. Managing an Unbalanced Garage Door
Generally, the cause of an unbalanced door is the issue on the garage door springs; that they are giving insufficient or excessive tension. And adjusting them is undoubtedly risky. So resolving this problem by yourself is not highly recommended.
Contact a certified specialist at once if you notice any unbalanced garage door signs or it doesn’t pass the balance test.
The garage door deteriorates as it ages, which sometimes causes sagging. One best solution for it is to upgrade your overhead door. If it’s a minor issue, you can get do the following to diagnose the problem:
- Check the roller tracks if there are damaged or flattened areas. You can fix them with pliers.
- Find out if the brackets carrying the hinges and the rollers are sufficiently tight. If not, you can retighten them with a basic screwdriver.
- Find out if the hinges between the parts of the garage door are secured and firmly fixed in place. If not, you can also tighten them with a basic screwdriver. And if broken, you can purchase the replacements at a nearby local hardware shop.
- Using lithium-based or silicone-based grease, lubricate the track and the rollers. Do not use WD-40 as it surprisingly won’t work as a lubricant. Instead, it will remove the grease.
If the steps mentioned above don’t fix the issue, your garage door is perhaps unbalanced. Do the balance test to find out. As we tackled, it’s best to seek assistance from a professional to help you deal with an unbalanced garage door.
Contact the Specialists
For an uneven garage door that couldn’t be fixed, contact the specialists at Overhead Door. You can count on us whether it’s for inspection, a major fix, a replacement, or even a slight repair.
Contact us today!
