What To Do When My Manual Garage Door Won’t Open
Our garages hold a variety of things we might need on a daily basis, whether that’s your car, your washing machine or even just the garden furniture you want to get out now that the sunshine is back. So when your manual garage door won’t open, it’s pretty inconvenient, to say the least.
Manual garage doors require some sort of physical action to get them open, which means it can often be hard to tell what the problem is as you struggle to lift or pull the door — and no one wants to tug too hard and break the door altogether.
What’s wrong with my manual garage door?
Half the battle of a broken garage door is figuring out exactly what’s going wrong. It may not be easy to diagnose, so if you’re left scratching your head, try calling garage door repair experts who will be able to get to the bottom of the problem.
As garage door repair professionals, we find the following are the most common things that prevent a manual garage door from opening:
- Broken torsion spring – helps with the lifting and lowering of a heavy door
- Broken or bent tracks – guides a garage door for a smooth, straight motion
- Damaged rollers – provide smooth movement of doors in the tracks
- Broken tension spring – provides slow and smooth action when closing the door
- Lack of lubrication – helps to avoid friction and jamming of moving parts
- Misaligned door – this will cause the door to get stuck against the frame (or the other door if you have a side-hinged door with two sides)
- Jammed or damaged handle – releases the door so that it can be opened
Tools to fix a manual garage door
Depending on what the reason is for your manual garage door not opening, there may be ways to fix it. However, when it comes to things like cables and torsion springs, it can be dangerous to perform DIY repairs, as it could cause serious injury. If you’re ever unsure of how to fix a garage door, always use a professional.
Some basic tools you may need if attempting to fix a manual garage door:
- Protective eyewear
- Gloves
- Lubricant
- Ladders
- Pliers
- Clamps
- Level
- Screwdriver
- Hammer
- Adjustable spanner
- Replacement parts
Basic repair steps for manual garage door
The following are basic steps to be undertaken to help rule out these things as the problem. We always recommend using an established repairer if you are not confident undertaking these tasks for the related issue:
- Broken or bent tracks – if only bent slightly, you may be able to knock the track back into shape, whereas a broken track will need to be removed and replaced.
- Damaged rollers – if only slightly miss-aligned, you might be able to tap them into place on the guides again, but if they have cracked or split, they will need to be replaced.
- Lack of lubrication – clean the area with a cloth to remove dirt and debris and then reapply the new lubricant.
- Misaligned door – depending on the door type, you may need to simply tighten screws or bolts at the hinges, but if the frame or door itself is warped, it may require replacement.
- Jammed or damaged handle – check that nothing is resting against the mechanism on the inside of the door, and if the mechanism is simply stiff, try adding WD40 to loosen it. If it’s broken, you may need a new handle fitted.
- Broken torsion spring – Replacement spring required. Do not attempt repair, use a professional garage door repair service.
- Broken tension spring – Replacement spring required. Do not attempt repair, use a professional garage door repair service.
Professional garage door repairs
Stumped by your garage door? If it won’t open – or won’t close – then look no further than Doormatic Garage Doors. Our expert garage door repair team will take the hassle off your hands, establishing the root cause of the issue and recommending the right course of action. You can find even more troubleshooting guides on our dedicated page here.
Tackling garage door repairs can be dangerous due to the tension in cables and the weight of the doors themselves, which is why we offer our knowledge and experience in fixing garage doors to homeowners across the South East, including Surrey, Kent, Berkshire, Devon, Hampshire, West Sussex, London and Buckinghamshire.
Call today for garage door repairs, no matter what style of manual garage door you have.
