How To Fix A Crooked Garage Door
Is your garage door leaning to one side or failing to shut properly? A fully functioning garage door should lie flush against the ground once closed, creating a tight seal that prevents draughts from entering and protects your belongings from potential intruders.
A crooked garage door is more than just an inconvenience – it’s a serious hazard that can put you and your property at risk if left unaddressed.
So, how do you fix an uneven garage door? The team at Doormatic is here to explain.
Why is my garage door crooked?
- Broken cables: The cables of your garage door bear its weight and ensure it lifts and lowers safely by working in tandem with the springs. If one of these cables is frayed or snapped, it can mean your garage door lifts unevenly.
- Obstructions: As your garage door opens and closes, it moves along a track. Should anything become lodged in this track – whether that’s a build-up of dirt and debris or a misplaced storage box – this can mean one side of the door jams while the other keeps moving, causing it to tilt.
- Misaligned track: For your garage door to move smoothly, the tracks must be precisely aligned and parallel. Over time, everyday wear, loose hardware and accidental impacts can bend these tracks out of shape. As a result of this misalignment, the door might jerk open and appear lopsided.
- Damaged springs: Springs help to counterbalance the weight of your garage door so that it’s easier to lift. If one of the springs stretches, wears away or snaps altogether, this can cause one side of the garage door to lose tension and snag.
- Worn rollers: The rollers are small wheels that are attached to your garage door, guiding it along the track and ensuring it opens and closes smoothly. After repeated wear, these rollers can stiffen and become damaged, which can lead to the garage door sticking on one side and opening slowly and unevenly.
How to fix an uneven garage door
To fix an uneven garage door, the first and most important thing you’ll need to do is identify the cause of the problem. Carefully inspect your garage door and its various components, looking for any signs of damage.
Check around the tracks of your garage door, looking for any obstructions that might be preventing it from moving properly. If this area is clear, then move onto the rollers and ensure they’re clean and able to move freely; if the rollers are stiff, apply some lubricant to help reduce friction and get everything running smoothly again.
Next, examine the springs and cables for any signs of damage. These components are under extreme tension, so should you notice any wear, you should never attempt to repair or replace them yourself. Doing so is extremely dangerous and could result in serious injury, so make sure to contact a trusted garage door repair expert, like Doormatic, for help.
When to call a professional for repair
While you should be able to handle any minor repairs yourself, such as tightening loose hardware and lubricating the moving parts, you should always leave the more complex issues – especially those involving the springs or cables – to the professionals. Attempting a DIY repair without the proper tools or training is extremely dangerous, not to mention it can cause more damage and potentially void your warranty.
The best way to keep your garage door in good condition and stop it from becoming damaged or uneven is by investing in regular garage door maintenance. A trained technician will carefully examine your garage door for early signs of damage to prevent costly repairs in the future.
If your garage door isn’t working like it should be, let the team at Doormatic help. Our expert technicians provide repairs and maintenance for all types of garage doors across the South East – contact us to schedule an appointment.
About Doormatic Garage Doors
Doormatic Garage Doors is a well-established independent supplier of garage doors based in Guildford, Surrey and Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire.
