Self-Help Guide: How to Repair Your Garage Doors

Imagine your garage door breaks down and refuses to perform the one function that it is supposed to: To keep your vehicles or storage items safe. The overall frustration can be nerve-wracking, and you might start googling the fastest and easiest methods to fix your garage door but have no luck at finding the appropriate solution.

So, we’re here to help you out if you ever encounter such a dilemma. Garage doors can quickly become dysfunctional as they are opened and closed more than an average door. But don’t worry, fixing a garage door does not require an expert, and anyone can do it!

Garage doors can become dysfunctional in many ways, such as:

• It can become unbelievably loud and noisy.
• It can have trouble opening or closing fully.
• It can become rusty.
• It can be frozen after a snowstorm.
• It can have remote or panel issues.
• It refuses to close entirely.
• The garage door spring can break down, and so on.

It’s ironic how a simple garage door can have so many problems. But instead of having a breakdown like your garage door, you better get all your tools out and get to work because we are going to help you fix your garage door in no time!

How to Fix an Unnecessarily Loud Garage Door

Though most garage doors always have a notorious and loud opening and closing noise, there are still some things that you can do to reduce the noise. With time, the noise can get louder and sharper and sometimes becomes unbearable not just for you but the entire neighborhood. So it is only immoral to let the garage door function like that, and if you don’t do something about it, one of your neighbors might. Here is how you can fix the noise.

The most important part is to listen to the noise closely; either it is a loud pop that comes out of the garage door while it is operating, a loud scraping sound, or an annoying squeaky sound that is consistent.

A loud popping garage door

If the garage door makes a loud popping sound, the chances are that it needs new rollers. The number of rollers inserted within the garage door depends on the type of door. Traditional garage doors have five sections and almost 12 rollers, while the number of rollers can vary in other door types. Nylon rollers work best for conventional garage doors. They provide complete value for their money and try to keep the garage doors as quiet as possible. But make sure to get the roller’s measurements right before heading to the store and purchasing new rollers. And once you have the rollers, all you need to do is replace them!

A scraping or squeaking garage door

If the garage door is making a loud scraping sound every time you open or close it, it usually means one of three things: either the torsion spring is damaged, the spring cable is worn out, or the tilted end bearing plate is damaged. If you see a broken torsion spring or spring extension, it is much easier to fix that, but we’ll get to that later.

On the other hand, if you think that the tilted bearing plate is causing the issue, you have three options: either straighten it, reinforce it, or replace it with a new plate. Straightening can be tricky, and a lot of the time might not help the door at all. So it is well-advised to replace it.

An annoyingly squeaky door, however, means that your garage door needs a lubricant. Silicone Lubricant is best for squeaky garage doors. Spray the lubricant all around the track while keeping a safe distance from it and wearing protective gloves and eyewear. Repeat this process on both sides of the door and open and close the door a few times. You’ll notice the loud squeak fading away slowly and gradually and will ultimately be gone forever!

How to fix garage door opening and closing issues

If your garage door is having trouble closing or opening, various reasons might hinder the door’s functioning. The most prominent reason is that there might be an issue with the remote control or the control panel. In this case, you can either fix the remote control by yourself, which might be a little hard, or you can manually open and close the garage door.

The garage door can also have trouble opening completely or even reverse immediately after opening it or closing it. Both these issues are related to the limit switch. A limit switch controls the lowering or lifting of the door through a motor. This issue might be minor and might require you to move the limit switch closer to the motor. Or it can be a significant issue that may include the motor being entirely out of function. You might want to turn to an expert in such cases rather than trying to fix it yourself.

How to fix a garage door that is frozen

Winter might be the time when your garage door faces the most issues due to extreme weather conditions such as snowstorms, hailstorms, and declining temperatures. A frozen garage door is most common in areas with a colder climate. But not to worry, because we’re here to help! Your garage door is often frozen in the morning because as the temperature drops during the night, the entire mechanism of the garage door stiffens and hardens and making it impossible for the door to function with power.

Most of the recent garage doors come with a ‘Pressure’ option in which you can easily adjust the pressure from standard to strong according to the circumstances and open even a frozen door. So, if you aren’t aware of this option on your remote control yet, we suggest you have a look and try it!

How to fix a rusty garage door

A rusty garage door may result from the door’s direct contact with a concrete floor or a damp floor. And to fix this problem, you need to get your hands dirty! The best solution is that you trim the track for about half or one inch. After that, you’ll need to remove any lubricant from the track as well. This can be done by rubbing paint thinner on the track. After this, the rust will become much easier to scrape off!

How to fix a garage door with a faulty or broken spring

The most common reason for a faulty garage door is a dysfunctional torsion spring. Replacing the old springs with new ones isn’t hard at all and can save you hundreds of dollars. However, if you cannot get the job done right, you might want to call a professional.

The first step is to remove the old springs. There are torsion springs on both the left and right sides of the garage door, and you might want to remove and replace both of them at the same time. Start by disconnecting the door opener.

Next, clamp the door to the floor, loosen the screws, and hold the springs with a winding bar. Then unwind the springs with two different winding bars. This will help you remove the nuts and bolts and sliding the springs to the end of the bracket. After this, remove the springs, and slide in the new springs. Don’t forget to insert the center bearings and the springs and double-check if they are fixed within the door.

Once the springs are fixed, use some lubricant to remove the stiffness of the new springs. And within a matter of minutes, your garage door will be good as new!

Conclusion

Fixing garage doors doesn’t require a professional, but if you manage to ruin the garage door even more than it was before, we suggest you hire a professional! It might cost you some money but will eliminate the constant stress of having ruined your garage door even more!

While looking for a professional, do consider us – we are waiting for your call! Our team comprises the best garage door specialists with the expertise to fix your garage door and make it good as new again! (We also have discounts for first responders, teachers, senior citizens, and the military!)

Browse our website today to learn more about our services!