apscenttalksUnless you’re looking to replace the entire garage door repair, there are several things that can be done to help keep it operating smoothly. First, make sure that the weather stripping is in good shape; this helps to seal the door from the elements. If it is torn or ragged, you should replace it.
Is it safe to repair a garage door yourself?
It’s also a good idea to examine the tracks and rollers to see that they are clean and well lubricated. A special garage-door lubricant is available that goes on as a liquid and then dries to a non-tacky grease that doesn’t attract dirt and grime. You can purchase this lubricant at a home center store.
A common cause of a sagging or crooked door is uneven tension on the springs that do most of the heavy lifting. The easiest way to check this is to disconnect the opener and manually open and lower the door about halfway up. If the door sags or is crooked, it indicates that the springs need to be replaced.
Another common problem is excessive vibration caused by the opener mounting brackets and building structure. To help quiet this, you can insert vibration isolating pads between the brackets and structure. These can be purchased at a home center for about $15 per kit. Some people prefer to fabricate their own pads from other forms of thick rubber, but the kits are convenient and relatively inexpensive. If your garage door opener has trouble lifting the door, it may be that the force that the opener exerts has been reduced over time. This can happen if the opener is older and has been exposed to wear or the garage door track has been damaged. You can increase the opener’s pulling power by turning a nut located on the opener (the location of this varies by brand).