Tuesday, October 20, 2020

How to Fix A Crooked Garage Door

Has your garage door gone crooked?

It’s irritating at best, and a security issue at worst. If the door isn’t sitting in the frame right, you’ll need to repair it as soon as possible. This can be a bit of a process, so we thought it might be helpful to share a step-by-step guide.

Here’s how to fix a crooked garage door …

Why is Your Garage Door Crooked?

To properly mend the garage door, you need to understand why the problem has happened. There are several reasons why it’s happened, including:

Knocked or moved sensors: The garage door sensors are what helps the garage door opener ‘see’ is anything is in the way of the garage door when you open and close it. If they’re out of alignment, they will cause problems for the door when you try to use it. Check that your sensors are in alignment, and if they’re not, move them back. 

Lack of lubrication: When maintaining the garage door, it’s important you keep it lubricated with a proper lithium-based lubricant. If there’s no lubrication, important parts of the door will seize up, making it harder for the door to move. This can easily lead to it becoming crooked. 

Older or broken springs: The springs on your garage door can lead to it becoming crooked. These are what give the door the tension it needs to open and close. If they’re wearing out, it’ll be harder for the door to open and will cause more problems. If left longer, they can even break. They can cause a lot of damage and even injury, so be careful when replacing them or call a professional. 

Cold weather: As the winter approaches, you need to be careful of crooked garage doors. Cold weather means the metal and wood in your door will contract. This can lead to the door buckling and becoming crooked, or even jam. 

How to Fix A Crooked Garage Door

If you’ve found that your garage door has become crooked, it’s easier to fix than you’d think. There are several steps involved and it may be dangerous due to the weight of the garage door. We recommend contacting a professional if you’re comfortable working with heavy garage door equipment and mechanics.

Here’s how you’ll go about getting it back to normal. 

Step 1. Identify the Crooked Spot

Firstly, you need to test the garage door. Move it up and down, until you find a spot where it stays suspended when you let go. Pay attention to where that spot is. If it’s more than four feet or less than three feet above the ground, that’s a sign that the garage door is unbalanced. Your next step will be to start fixing that balance issue. 

Step 2. Prop the Door Open

If you’re going to work on the door, you’ll need to prop it open. The best way to do this is to leave a ladder under it, to keep it open. This takes the pressure off the door springs and ensures that the door won’t close on you as you’re working on it. Also, ensure that you unplug the garage door opener to stop the door from opening and closing automatically. 

Step 3. Move the Springs

Now, you need to move the springs. Before you do this, ensure there is no tension in the spring to avoid injury. Where you move them will depend on the exact issue you’re having with the door. If it’s opening too quickly, then move the spring to the next highest hole on the bracket. If it’s closing too quickly, then move it to the next lower hole. 

Adjust the springs on the other side of the door in the same way, and then retest the door in the same way as step one. If it balances properly, then this step has been done correctly. 

Step 4. Keep it Level

Get a spirit level and test that the door opens and shuts evenly. You want to see it close to the ground evenly, on both sides. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to adjust the springs until it does. 

Step 5. Make Adjustments

If you need to make some fine adjustments, try adjusting the lift cable instead of the spring. It’s attached to the door and runs through an S hook that attaches to the track support. Take the S-hook out of the support, and loosen or tighten the cable as needed. 

With this guide, you should be able to get the door properly balanced and safe to use again. It’s easy to do yourself, but you do need to take care of the springs.

Remember, if you need any help always call on the professionals to give you a hand. 

Additional Garage Door Issues

If you have found your garage door has become crooked, you need to address the issue as soon as possible. There are several problems that they can cause, that you want to avoid:

Opening and closing too quickly: The main issue you’ll get with a crooked garage door is the opening and closing speed. If it closes too quickly, then it will be a risk to anyone who moves under it, especially children and pets. It’ll also put extra strain on the moving parts that you want to avoid. 

Damp and leaks in your garage: If the door isn’t sitting in the frame properly, it can let all kinds of things in. If you get a downpour, you’ll see damp start to creep into the garage. It also creates an excellent pathway for pests, which is the last thing you want. 

Uneven component wearing: If the door isn’t sitting as it should, then you’ll see all the components will start to wear unevenly. It creates more cost for you, as you’ll have to replace parts sooner than you should. 

Create more defects: If the door is crooked, then it can’t work as it should. The other moving parts in the mechanism will have to work overtime, and some will break as they won’t be able to handle the extra pressure. 

Become a target for thieves: Those looking to steal are more likely to target you if they see the door is crooked. It’s easier to get in when the door doesn’t fit properly, so it’s very tempting for them to try and get in. 

Conclusion

Now that you know how to fix a crooked garage door, you need to decide whether or not you’re up for the project. If you’re not too familiar with garage door parts and mechanics, you may want to consider hiring a professional garage door repair company for help.

A professional will be familiar with the components of your garage door and, most importantly, understand how to safely repair the problem.

If you need help, consider contacting Your Garage Door Guys today.

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Saturday, October 17, 2020

What to do if your garage door keeps stopping?

Automatic garage doors are a blessing like so many other modern appliances that make our everyday life easier. They not only pamper us in terms of saving our time but energy too. For example, when talking about electric garage doors, you don’t need to get out of the car and bend and lift the door up and then do the opposite to close it. All of this is possible with just a single push of a button, thanks to automatic garage door openers. However, dependency sometimes can be very harsh. What if the chain breaks down or the remote stops responding? What if you are stuck in a situation where your garage door won’t open or keeps on stopping when you try to close it?   

So what to do when your garage door stops when you try to close it? Become a bit of Sherlock Holmes and start the investigation. 

  

Check for obstruction object.

 

The primary culprit can be an obstruction. Automatic garage doors make use of sensors to know if something is present beneath them. Investigate and find out if something is blocking the way because your garage door won’t close if something’s in the way. Even a tiny item such as a twig can set off the alarm. So, sweep the area clean and make sure nothing is present to disturb you. 

 

Make sure the track is not blocked.  

 

Make sure nothing is blocking or jamming the track. For the garage door to open and close smoothly, it needs to have a crystal clear track, and if even something tiny comes in the way, the door can stop working. Use a flashlight to ensure no object is hindering the way.

 

Do you have a broken tension spring?

 

A broken or stretched tension spring is another reason why your garage door keeps on stopping. If this is the case, you need to call garage door repair experts because trying to make it a DIY project can harm you or permanently damage the door.  

 

Check if sensors are okay.

 

If no obstruction is present, the next investigation target should be sensors. Automatic garage doors have photo-eye sensors that ensure the doors don’t close on someone or something, causing serious damage. These sensors can be misaligned, interfering with the doors mechanism to operate properly. You should see lights on both the sensors, and they should blink or be lit. If any one or both lights are out, realign the sensors to make the door up and running. 

 

If you have tried all the troubleshooting methods and your garage door still keeps on stopping, it’s time to call professional help. 

 

Garage Door Doctor has the experience and expertise to repair or replace your malfunctioning garage door. Call us today at 281-855-9300. You can also visit our website at https://www.garagedoordoctor.biz/.

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Monday, October 12, 2020

How Wide is a Garage Door?

If you’re interested in upgrading your garage door or installing a new one altogether, you first need to decide which size is right for your home.

In this article, we’re taking a closer look at a common question we hear from homeowners … how wide is a garage door?

How Wide is a Garage Door?

Are you planning to remodel your existing garage, or build a totally brand new one on your property?

If you are, you’ll need to ensure you get the measurements of the garage door correct. Everyone has experienced the pain of scraping their car on the garage door frame, after all.

So, how wide is a garage door anyway?

How Large are Average Garage Doors?

Garage door sizes haven’t really changed much, even from the days of the Model T car. On average, garage doors are made to be around 8 feet wide. The garage itself will be around 9-10 feet wide and 18-20 feet long. That’s great if your car fits into that space, but with car designs always changing, that average garage may not be enough. 

The sizing of your new garage door will have to suit the car or cars that you have on your property. That’s going to be different for everyone. Parents may drive SUVs, while their neighbors have compact cars. The size of your garage door will need to accommodate that. 

Considering Your Cars

On average, cars come in three different sizes. A compact car will be 6 feet wide and 16 feet long. A large or luxury car will be 6 ½ feet by 18 feet. A van or SUV will be 7 feet by 19 feet. These aren’t exact measurements for every car, but they’re a good place to start. 

If you’re still in the planning stages of your new garage, think about the cars you have. What do you drive right now? You may own a compact at the moment, but are you planning to have kids? If so, you’ll want to build a larger garage door in order to accommodate a larger car. 

If you know you’ll be sticking with the same car, or the same kind of car, for while, get the tape measure out. Get the measurements of your car, and you’ll see just how much room you’ll need for your car. 

Single or Double Garage Door?

Next, let’s think about the type of door you’ll put in your new garage. Will you use a single garage door or a double door? This is again something that depends on the space and the cars you have. 

A single garage door is usually made to be 8 feet wide, although they can be made to be larger. A double door will be around 15 or 16 feet wide. 

If you’re only remodeling or building a single car garage, then you’ll just get with the single garage door. If you’re building a larger garage, then you’ll need to think about whether you’ll use a double garage door or two singles. This is down to preference, as they will make the garage look different when installed. Plus, you may find it easier to drive both cars in and out of a double garage door. It’s a good idea to discuss this with your contractors, so you can decide on the best option for you. 

Don’t forget that this isn’t the only door you’ll need in your garage. You will want a regular door on the side of the building or leading into your home if the garage is attached to the rest of the property. 

Sizing Up the Interior of Your Garage

The size of the garage door you use will be affected by the interior of the garage itself. You’ll need a door that can be easily accessed both inside and outside of the garage, so you’ll need to leave enough room for this in your interior. 

Also, keep in mind that some states do require you to build to minimum dimensions. For example, California requires you to create an interior dimension of 10 by 20 feet. 

What else do you need to consider here? You want to leave enough space to walk around each car in your garage easily. If you want to store things in your garage, then you’ll need to allow for extra space here, too. It’s best to keep storage as far away from the doors as you can, to ensure that automatic garage doors aren’t affected by items kept in there. Finally, consider hot water heaters and similar systems. These are often kept in garages, so you need to make room for these too. Many choose to create alcoves for them, creating more room in the garage for your cars. 

Which Garage Door Style?

Now that you know how many doors you need, and how wide they need to be, you’ll need to pick the right style for them. This is dependent on your tastes and the style of your home, so let’s look at what will be right for you. 

If you have a traditional style house, then single garage doors are usually better as they fit in with the style. If you do need to use a double door, you can add features such as multi-pane windows and panels to make it blend in with the rest of the home.  

Multiple single garage doors will also work with a minimalist style house, as the proportions will work better with the overall look of the architecture. Adding extra details, again such as windows, will again make this look perfect with your existing property. 

Whatever kind of door you use, don’t be afraid to use details around them. Potted plants between doors, and archways above them, will complement them well. A garage door is a large section of the front of your home, so it is already drawing attention. You can lean into that and make this a feature with the right details. 

It looks like there are lots to consider, but it shouldn’t be too hard to pick the right size garage door for you. When remodeling, consider how large your doors will need to be, and whether you need a single or double door. When you’re finished you’ll have a garage that looks amazing. 

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