Despite how stable garage doors can be, there will always be some issue that might arise with an unfortunate bout with sheer chance. To begin, your garage door has some unforeseen problems, but this isn’t the end. Perhaps the spring is out of whack, or some hinges are loose – Maybe it squeaks a bit too much for your comfort. With a bit of grit, some elbow grease, and a willingness to learn, you can repair some minor issues yourself without a specialist. Though, keep in mind, anything significant should be left to the professionals. The spring in your garage door is under such tension that, if allowed to spring free, an impact can be absolutely fatal. Here are a few of the tasks that you can maintain yourself with possibly some special tools. Read on to learn about garage door repair that you can do yourself.
Tightening The Door’s Hardware
One of the simplest methods for garage door repair for your sliding door is easy and can often extend how long your piece of hardware lasts without issue. Check over each accessible piece, especially if you think the door has gone long periods without someone looking it over. Time, weather, and vibration can all slowly work loose the parts in your door, and the last thing you’ll want to hear is the ‘clunk’ of a bolt hitting the ground due to neglect.
Lubricate Tracks
Do you have a squeaky door driving you crazy? Often, the cause could be the rollers or hinges pulling against each other when you open it. Liberally apply a silicone spray to each joint to assist in removing that irritation from your life, but try to refrain from WD-40; it’s more stressful on your garage door.
Leakage from Door’s Underside
Both light, pests, and moisture can pool in from poor weather and too-sunny days. If the bottom of your door is shining through, or on occasion, requires a mop, it might be time to replace the weather stripping. The process is simple enough, stop by your local hardware store and ask for a new stripping, but if that’s not allowed, online retailers often also deliver them.
Dangerous Replacements
After this, several maintenance tasks are well out of a typical handyman’s experience range. A garage door contains several tightly-wound springs that can cause severe or even fatal injury if allowed to fly free from their housing. Not only are the springs potential dangers, so are many other components.
Not only that, the doors themselves can weigh as much as a staggering 500 pounds. Please, for your safety, do not do anything rash. A wrong act can result in more breaks to your door to improper DIY works leading to injury.
Various Parts
Things like cables, rollers, drums, and more are potential causes of severe issues in a garage door. The stress of opening and closing the rollers with a pulley system is bound to fail at some point. Replacement of these parts can be, at times, reasonably complex – It’s better to hire someone to assess the damage and suggest repairs at a price you’d consider fair. Call someone willing to share expertise, and see if it’s minor or worthy of hiring an expert to deal with the repairs.
Torsion Springs
Keeping an eye on the springs of your door is an important task. Though you can’t replace them yourself, you can, at the very least, inspect them for corrosion. Once again, if you believe them to be damaged, do not attempt to repair them yourself. They’re so tightly wound within their container that you may as well be playing Russian Roulette on accidental discharge from their housing.
Electric Openers
While appearing simple, this part of your garage door is essential in controlling your door’s various mechanisms. Improper installation could result in some… Less than stellar results. Anything from simply not working to putting too much strain on those wound springs. Leave replacement or repair to the paid professionals; it will save fortunes in the long run.
