Saturday, January 9, 2010

Minneapolis Garage Door Repair Expert Advice

By Justina Jaberwocky

Garage doors are made from a variety of materials including fiberglass, wood and metal. These doors can be plain or decorative. Regardless of what style they are, having good springs is what makes them work. According to minneapolis Garage Door Repair specialists, any time a garage door is worked on, the individual should always watch out for the springs. A quick release of these springs can cause an injury.

Cables and springs, on garage doors, will eventually start to stretch due to use. This creates a safety hazard as the door becomes out of balance. The normal issue is that it closes too fast which is a hazard to anything that might be in its way. The door may also open too fast which damages the door and can hurt a shoulder. A door that is balanced right will remain in the same position when opened by three or four feet. Garage doors should open and close easily. If it bounces back up or slams to the ground, the tension in the springs needs to be altered.

A step by step walk through for fixing an out of balance door is contained below.

1.) Check to see if the door is out of balance by lifting it three to four feet off the ground. From there, raise or lower the door until a position is found where the door does not move. If this position is higher than four feet from the ground, the tension needs to be adjusted.

2.) To relieve pressure from the springs, prop the door open with a ladder to keep it from falling while you are working on it. You can also use C clamps on the door track if you do not have a ladder or if it is not tall enough.

3.) The spring should be completely compressed and then taken out of the track. Relocate the spring to the next higher hole if the door was closing too quickly. Relocate it to the next lower hole if it opened to quickly. Make sure to relocate the spring on the other side as well and retest the door.

4.) Check the sides of the door for even closing with a level. If it is still uneven adjust the springs again.

5.) For minor alterations, the cable may need to be altered and not the springs. Cables are joined to the door using S springs that affix to the track support. Again, prop the door up and disconnect the S spring from the support. Loosen or tighten the cable as needed.

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