Just like the skin on an aging person, your garage door can start to sag with age. This sagging can happen on one side or right down the middle. In either case, if not addressed, it can lead to bigger issues down the road such as your garage door not working. For example, if your garage door sags too long, eventually one spring will become much more worn than the other. When that happens, there is a possibility that the overstressed spring can snap. This could cause serious damage to property or even people. Your garage could possibly stop opening, trapping your car inside. So why does a garage door sag and how can it be fixed?
Wooden garage doors are especially susceptible to sagging. Rain, humidity, and sunlight all take a toll on exposed wood, especially if it is not periodically resealed, stained, or painted. And it’s not just the conditions on the outside of the garage door that can make it sag. Inside the garage, cars covered with rain during the hot and humid Houston weather may increase the humidity inside the garage as the water evaporates if the garage is poorly ventilated. This can cause the wooden garage door to swell and shrink with changing conditions and eventually sag.
The recommended way to prevent these kinds of problems is to make sure you keep your wooden garage door sealed. We recommend re-sealing your garage door once every two years. This will help prevent moisture from getting into the wood. Yet if the garage door is already just too swollen, you should look into installing a new garage door.
Another possible reason your garage door is sagging to one side or the other is that your tracks are misaligned. Misaligned tracks can eventually buckle the door making it harder to open the door, and in some cases, you will not be able to open it at all. Check to make sure the lips of the tracks are not flattened or damaged. If so, bend the track inwards back into place with a pair of pliers. If there are no bends in the track, but it looks like the tracks have moved, you can realign it using a rubber mallet and screwdriver. Loosen the screws of the garage door track and gently tap it with a rubber mallet until the track is straight.
Your garage door rollers can be another cause of the problem as it is a common culprit in terms of sagging garage doors. Make sure the brackets holding the rollers are tight. They are typically screwed into the door and will only need a Philips head or standard screwdriver to tighten. Also, make sure they are rolling properly and are well lubricated.
Another reason can be an old, faulty, or incorrect garage door opener. The garage door may have either gotten too heavy or was too heavy to start with and is affecting how well the opener works. Fixing this issue could range from adjusting the settings to having to replace the garage door opener if the model is older or faulty.
If your garage door is sagging or off track and you’re not sure what do, you can call Spectrum Overhead Door LLC to schedule a FREE QUOTE with NO TRIP CHARGE. Spectrum Overhead Door has been giving Houston award-winning service since 2006. Call 281-748-9542 to schedule your appointment today!
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