Planning to repair your garage door on your own? If you are doing so for the first time, then it would be quite a bit of an undertaking. A garage door has two major components- the door, and it’s opener.
To begin with, verify the metal tracks within your garage. Check the mounting tracks that hold tracks to the walls. If you find that they are loose, then you will need to tighten the screws at brackets. Once you start the repair work, keep the door closed.
Look for the tracks for crimps, dents or flat spots. If you find that there are some damaged spots, stomp them out using a rubber mallet. If, in case, the tracks are badly damaged then you will need to replace them.
Also, check the tracks well to ensure that they have a proper alignment. The horizontal ones would slant a bit down towards the back portion of your garage. The vertical parts of the track need to be completely straight. Check the height of both the tracks. They need to be at the same height on the walls of your garage. If there are alignment related issues, then loosen the screws which support the mounting brackets. But don’t remove them.
If necessary, you can recheck the tracks with a level to make sure that both are in correct position. Once you have done so, tighten the bolts of the mounting tracks. Apply a household cleaner to remove the grease and dirt sticking to the tracks. Work well on the rollers, and wipe them dry.
Look for loosened hardware, and tighten it if you come across one. While checking the swing-up doors, check the plates with mounted spring. Tighten the screws there. The hinges of the roll up door are another area which support the door. If some them are damaged, replace them.
You can have the hinges repaired to ensure the sliding of one side of the door. If the wood in the area surrounding the hinge is cracked, then remove it and fill the cracks with wood filler. Leave the filler to dry and then replace the hinge.
But as a first timer, be more cautious in your approach. If you find that the roll up door has a single torsion spring, then don’t repair it on your own. You might get injured in the process as the tension would be huge. You need the help of a professional expert to work on doors with this type of spring.