5 Quick and Easy Garage Door Repair Tips

Before asking a professional to fix your your garage door, remember there are only 5 simple steps to it that you can do by yourself as the homeowner. If it’s simply a squeaky or stiff door, all it’ll need is a good lubricant and some cleaning. However, if there’s a need for other kinds of repair like fixing a torsion spring, you might want to call in a professional because that could be hazardous.

Safety always comes first. Before doing any sort of work on your garage door, make sure you’ve disconnected your garage door opener so that you minimize the risk of getting electrocuted. Most probably, you’ll be using a ladder; a fall from which can add to the injury. Most importantly, safety goggles are a must when working with electric tools.

Before calling in a professional for repair help, make sure you go through the following check list:

1. Check Metal Tracks for Damage

This easy garage door repair tip may often solve the problem very fast. The metal tracks often may have dents or bumps. If you find any such damages, strike the damaged part of the track with a wood block and a hammer to straighten the track.

2. Check Positioning of Tracks

If the tracks are not aligned well, they may be causing the door not to work. It’s not always necessary to unscrew the tracks; you can just try to loosen the bolts or screws and to tap the tracks slightly into position. Use a level to check the alignment of the tracks. Aligned tracks will let you be done with your garage door repair in no time.

3. Clean and Dry the Tracks

Even though it may sound obvious, but hardened dirt and old lubricant may be the cause of the garage door sticking. In this case, your garage door repair may consist of merely cleaning the tracks and then drying them. You can use regular cleaners to clean the tracks.

4. Ensure proper Lubrication

Any movable part benefits from good lubrication. A good lubricant, especially after a good cleaning, can help solve your garage door worries in no time. Apply the lubricant spray or a silicon spray on both, the tracks and the rollers.

5. Tighten any Loose Screws of Bolts

As the heading suggests, simply tighten all bolts and screws to fix the problem. In case the screw hole has gotten bigger than the screw itself and you hence cannot tighten it, use a wood filler to fill those holes. This tip comes in handy when solving your garage door problems.

What Not to Do?

If all of the above check points fail to help fix your garage door, the problem might lie in the door spring. For your own safety, it is advised not attempt to fix the spring, because it can result in serious injury; or in some cases as seen, death. Usually, people get critically injured in the head, which results in chronic damage to the brain.

If you doubt your garage door repair, you should not perform any more repairs on it although it’ll cost you lesser that way. However, a reliable professional can help save you from severe injuries.

Author Adam Stranton is very knowledgeable about quick garage door repair and about many other types of simple garage door repairs.