Helpful Handyman: How to Repair or Replace Your Garage Door

You likely use your garage door so often that you take it for granted. You press a button (on a remote or in your car) and it opens. Then, one day, you press the button and it only opens halfway or not at all. You feel immensely frustrated as a result. Having a good knowledge of repairing or replacing your garage door can really help in a moment of crisis.

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Examine the Tracks

If you’ve ever watched your garage door open or close, you’ve noticed the tracks that are braced against the walls. Should your door be malfunctioning, it could because the tracks are compromised. The tracks should be at the proper height and free of any serious damage. Some of these can be smoothed out or readjusted. You want to have a screwdriver and a level to make sure your readjustment is done properly. Some damages might be so severe that you have no choice but replacing them.

Look for Invisible Causes

Your garage door might not be opening due to faulty connection, not one involving how your tracks are set up but between the transmitter of your garage door opener and your garage. See if there’s any kind of flaw with the antenna that receives the message inside your garage. If necessary, you might need to replace the transmitter and/or antenna. While this can be a pain, it’s far preferable to replacing an entire garage door.

Examine the Springs

For a garage door to open properly, the springs must be in good condition. No matter how well everything else is working, it could be straining to open without good springs. Known as torsion springs, these can be compromised through repeated tension of heavy lifting. If even one of your torsion springs breaks, you want to let your garage door rest rather than risk further damage.

Call a Professional

Should you need to replace your garage door in whole or need to remedy it in a way that you’re not comfortable with, call a professional garage door company. Tell them about what’s been going on and listen to their specific instructions. They’ll likely advise you to not mess around with it any further. You don’t want to put yourself in danger or risk making the project even more expensive.

Knowing how to repair or replace a garage door goes beyond making sure your car is safe. It can also improve your confidence in being able to solve a problem that might elude many. By following these tips, you can help keep a malfunctioning garage door from being a huge hassle.