Garage doors are meant to work effortlessly with an outstanding balance. A well-balanced garage door does not look very heavy or too light and can ideally stay at a certain level. However, some perfectly working garage doors fail to impress the owner much longer as they are poorly managed. The garage door needs regular inspections to avoid any big trouble.

Regular maintenance can help the owner to sort out the problem at the very beginning stage. This inspection involves checking the garage door balance regularly and making adjustments when needed. Primarily balance related issues arise at the Garage Door Springs, which certainly need a replacement.

How To Check The Garage Door Balance?

A seasonal at-home balance test should be done to see either the door is evenly balanced or need any sort of maintenance.

  1. First of all, detach the garage door from the opener and check its self hanging capability.
  2. Open and close the door a few times manually to check either it is smoothly moving on the tracks or not.
  3. When the tracks are clear, and the garage door is moving smoothly, test it by running it up halfway and let it go.
  4. See if the door stays in the same place, falls on the ground, or goes upwards.
  5. If you see a slight movement, either way, it indicates the door is unbalanced and can be dangerous in any way.
  6. If the door falls on the ground, it should be fixed immediately because the springs have lost the tension and need to be replaced.
How To Check The Garage Door Balance

How To Check The Garage Door Balance

How Do You Balance An Old Garage Door?

Adjustment Of An Extension Spring Door

When working on an extension spring door, below are some measures and steps you need to know:

  1. Firstly, take all the tension off the door before even touching a spring. Open the door and support it with a ladder. Open it as much as you can without hitting the stop bolt of the garage door opener. Place a bracket on both sides of the tracks to ensure the door does not move.
  2. It’s better to remove the safety cables from the springs before it loses them by itself. You need to replace the springs if they have already given up.
  3. If not, simply roll out the springs off the door brackets next to the hanger and move them to the next hole. Before testing, adjust the springs evenly from both sides.
  4. Now is the final testing time; loosen the brackets and rest the door on the ladder below. Once you are done with this step, go away from the springs and move the door up and down to check the balance. At this point, you would get a clear picture if you need more adjustment of the springs or you need to tune it more.
  5. Using the S-hooks at the end of the pulley cables, make adjustments on both sides of the door.
  6. Lastly, tighten the cable if you need more tension.
Adjustment Of A Torsion Spring Door

Adjustment Of A Torsion Spring Door

Adjustment Of A Torsion Spring Door

Working with a torsion spring could be very dangerous if not handled carefully. So it is better to take safety measures accordingly.

  1. Disconnect the door and check its balance first. In the torsion spring door, you will work with the door in the downward position.
  2. To ensure unnecessary lifting, place c-clamps on the tracks above the sets of rollers in the bottom.
  3. Climb the ladder and adjust yourself nearer to the spring you are changing. Keep a set of winding bars and an open-ended wrench to adjust the screws.
  4. To help you hold the tension on the spring, push one of the winding bars into the vertical hole on the end of the adjustment collar until there is a snap sound. Using a wrench, loosen the set of screws and hold the first winding bar. There will be a lot of tension when the screws are removed.
  5. The final adjustment needs more attention. For both the torsion spring, bring the first winding bar to a 90-degree angle to the garage door, place the second winding bar facing the floor, and vertical to the door to help you hold the door in place. At the same time, you put back the screws into the holes and tighten them carefully.
  6. Remove the winding bars after performing the procedure on both the springs and test the door. Don’t rush, and take your time to see if any more adjustment is needed.

Bottom Line

Please note that working on a garage door that has torsion springs can be a dangerous DIY. If you feel nervous about the task, feel free to contact Elite Garage Door and Gate Repair Of Lynwood, who provides all garage repair and maintenance services. Give a call for same-day services at 425.336.3238.