Crooked garage doors that hang askew to their frames are bad news. Sure, they might open and close when prompted. But your door has now become an open invitation to insects, tiny critters, moisture, and uncomfortable temperatures, in addition to being a major security hazard.
Don’t ignore the problem for too long before you contact a garage door technician who knows how to fix an uneven garage door. Action Overhead Door has extensive experience in this area, as our team provides superior garage door service. We’ll explain how we fix uneven garage doors below.
Why Is Your Garage Door Misaligned?
Uneven garage door paneling is a fairly common problem. The hardware becomes unaligned the more you use your door. You’ll notice the frustrating effects more quickly if you don’t professionally maintain your door.
You might also need a different garage door size. Even minor measurement miscalculations mean the door ultimately doesn’t fit in the frame. A technician who knows how to fix an uneven garage door can perform maintenance services, replace damaged hardware, and resize the panels as needed.
What Does a Technician Who Knows How To Fix an Uneven Garage Door Do?
So, what happens during a garage door alignment service? The process is often surprisingly simple, though it does require intimate technical and engineering knowledge regarding how each component adds tension, balances weight, and uses force to pull the door up or down. Let’s explore what your technician might do when adjusting your door’s alignment below.
Hinge Adjustments
The hinges fold and contain each panel as the chain draws the door up. The open and close cycles cause jarring vibrations that loosen or warp the hinges over time. Once a hinge no longer sits flush with its panels, it no longer keeps them secure.
It can also interfere with the folding panels. Your technician can inspect and, if necessary, replace or tighten any hinges that are too loose or bent to function properly. They may also replace stripped connective hardware, like screws. Stripped screws won’t stay securely in place, allowing the hinges to flap around.
Track Alignments
The tracks are the infrastructure along your ceiling and the edges of the doorframe. The door panels move securely along the tracks during operation. Sometimes, the hardware holding those tracks in place loosens or falls. Other times, the tracks themselves bend or become crinkled.
Your technician will re-secure the tracks to the wall or ceiling with new hardware when they come loose. They can also tap bent or angled lengths back into place for a door track adjustment. The door should move smoothly and evenly once it has a clear pathway.
But what if the track is noticeably angled or bent out of shape? You might just have to replace the tracking. If you know for a fact that an object forcefully hit one of the track sections, then you should speak to the technician about installing new, straight replacements.
Spring Tension Improvements
The tension springs sit just above the doorframe and sometimes along sides of horizontal tracks. One set of coils might wear out faster than the others, loosening at one end as the portion’s tension wanes. Your technician will typically replace the entire set of garage door springs, as it is not possible to make metal springs tight again.
This replacement should ensure that the bottom of each panel aligns perfectly. An experienced technician may take additional precautions to help prevent the issue from recurring.
Adjustment and Alignment Tuning
Perhaps your garage doesn’t have a significant problem with its hardware. It might just be overdue for a maintenance visit. In that case, your technician can fine-tune the mechanical components and infrastructure to ensure optimal performance.
They might discover portions of pulley cables that need specialized repair to mitigate frayed or warped fibers. Perhaps the cables simply have too much slack and need to be tightened. Your technician will be prepared to handle small tasks like these, as well as larger projects, including complete track replacement.
Leveling the Floor
You might be surprised to learn that the problem isn’t with your garage door but rather with the floor beneath it. You’ll need assistance from a concrete or flooring service.
Why might your garage floor not be perfectly level?
- The service responsible for initially installing the floor may have miscalculated the amount of material needed or the leveling angle.
- Your home’s foundation has gradually settled over the years. The floor has incrementally lowered in some areas as a result.
- You once dropped something on the concrete that created a dip near the door, and it’s been growing ever since.
- A tree root is emerging beneath the floor, creating a bump that raises the lowest part of your garage door panels.
Book a flooring expert to inspect the floor and determine the best course of action for repair. An uneven floor creates big problems beyond your garage door’s functionality.
Garage Door Maintenance Is the Perfect Prevention Method
In a perfect world, you would never have to deal with your garage door becoming increasingly uneven with each passing day. Garage door maintenance services can make that dream a reality. Schedule an annual tune-up for your residential garage door and let your technician handle the rest.
They’ll harness door leveling techniques, fresh hardware, and balancing methods as needed. The result is a garage door that stays in perfect working order throughout its lifespan. Additionally, you’ll receive more benefits from your warranty coverage. Action Overhead Door is your headquarters for superior maintenance services specifically designed for garage doors.
Let Action Overhead Door’s Skilled Technicians Fix Your Misaligned Garage Door
At Action Overhead Door, our technicians know how to fix an uneven garage door. We’re also experienced in providing maintenance services, such as adjusting door tracks and replacing minor hardware. Call us at 502-955-7725 to book your door inspection and maintenance service today.
