See door repair and overhead garage door repair for a complete listing of garage door and door topics.
How to balance a garage door with side springs.
Garage door springs offset the weight of the door and allow it to open and close with ease.
Side mounted springs are long heavy springs mounted on each side of the upper garage door track.
Doors that are out of balance will cause extra loads for your opener and may even cause it to fail prematurely.
Adjust the springs on both sides of the door the same way.
A garage door should stay down when closed open when raised and at the halfway point when raised halfway.
Is the gap on one side only.
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The springs are not balanced and the side where the gap occurs needs to be adjusted.
Adjusting an extension spring door.
Spot the bar that runs parallel to the top of the garage door and has 2 springs on it.
With an extension spring door the goal is to take all the tension off the door before you even think about touching a spring you can do this by opening the door all the way and propping it up with a ladder.
Instead it s all about the relationship between the garage door s weight and the springs used to counter that weight.
Balancing a garage door does not involve circus tricks teeter totters or special gymnastic skills.
Retest the door balance as you did in step 1.
Too much tension on the springs.
Look at the wall just above the garage door.
Once the spring is free of tension remove from its track hanger.
The springs extend along the shaft and work by twisting as the garage door closes by means of cables attached to each side of the lowest garage door panel.
Open it just as wide as you can without hitting the garage door opener s stop bolt and place a clamp on the track on both sides to keep the door in.
What is the door doing.
If it was opening too quickly move it to the next lower hole.
Locate the torsion springs on the bar above the garage door.
This tension makes it easier to lift the garage door from its closed position.
An unbalanced door can pose safety issues and tax a garage door opener.
Is there a gap along the floor when it is closed.
Periodic maintenance of your garage door includes balancing to ensure the door opens and closes with maximum efficiency.