Keep safe and hire a pro!

Outdated garage doors

Uh‑oh! Your garage door seems to be on its last legs, it’s making strange noises and not working as it used to… You’re worried you might have to fork out a lot of money to replace it, so naturally, you do some research and see if you can fix it yourself.

While there are some garage door issues you can fix yourself, these are five that you shouldn’t. Keep yourself and your family safe and hire a professional.

1) Issues with springs

If you’ve got a broken torsion or extension spring, you need to hire a garage door technician and get it replaced as soon as possible. These springs have a lifetime of around 6 years, so it’s natural that they wear out over time. But not acting can put your safety at risk. A torsion spring will slowly lose tension over time and eventually snap, which could throw your garage door off balance, and an extension spring will stretch over time, at which point your garage door will start making some strange noises and shaking.


A broken TORSION spring

A broken TORSION spring

A stretched EXTENSION spring

A stretched EXTENSION spring

2) Issues with the rollers

First of all, the quality of rollers varies a lot. You can get black nylon rollers that have no ball bearings but are contained in a galvanized, corrosion-resistant cylinder, and you can get rollers with ball bearings. If they’ve got ball bearings, the more ball bearings the better. For a double garage door, you need long-stem rollers installed on double hinges, without them the rollers could easily become damaged. Another way they become damaged is by leaving the garage door open for long periods of time.


A broken TORSION spring

Worn‑out roller

3) Issues with lifting cables

Lifting cables are wound round a grooved drum and are under extremely high tension. If the lifting cable breaks, the full weight of the door could come crashing down. Common causes of broken, slack or frayed cables are using the wrong diameter cables and misaligned drums causing the cable to rub along the grooves.


A broken TORSION spring

Broken lifting cable

4) Issues with tracks

Horizontal tracks are attached to the ceiling via a metal right-angle, if this hasn’t been installed properly, vibrations from the door will over time push the tracks out of alignment. Misaligned doors can cause the door to fall, and that’s certainly not something you want to wait around for!


Misaligned horizontal tracks

Misaligned horizontal tracks

5) Broken or stripped door opener gear and sprocket

Some plastic garage door opener components can break if the drive chain puts too much pressure on them, like the gear in the motor. This will usually be the result of another problem, for example, a broken spring.


A door opener gear that needs to be replaced

A door opener gear that needs to be replaced

Don’t forget: Attempting any of these repairs puts your safety at risk!

That’s why you should work with a professional, call our team today at 1-877-828-5279 to discuss your needs. We can also help you out if you need a new garage door, we’ll be happy to make a house call to see what you need, or we can send you a detailed quotation via email.

Before you go… Have a look through our image gallery or try out our Design Centre tool.

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