Having a properly balanced garage door is necessary to help prevent problems with your door from occurring. An unbalanced door can lead to inefficient operation and potentially cause damage to your door and opener. You should be able to check your door’s balance to keep it working smoothly. Let’s discuss some reasons why it matters to have a balanced garage door and then we can move on to how to check the balance and what to do if the balance is off.
Why does the garage door balance matter?
- Smooth door operation.
A well balanced garage door should operate with ease. If the door is unbalanced it can cause the door to move jerkily or stick.
- Prevent wear and tear.
All garage doors will at some point have normal wear and tear, however if your door is not balanced it can cause parts to fail prematurely due to excessive strain being put on the door’s components.
- Money saving.
Maintaining the balance of your garage door will reduce the chance of needing more frequent repairs and replacement of parts.
- Safety.
A balanced garage door is safer. Continuing to operate a door that is unbalanced puts additional strain on its parts which could cause the door to drop down unexpectedly.
How can you check your garage door’s balance?
Checking the balance of your garage door is a simple process. Here are the steps to follow:
- Disconnect the opener from the garage door. This can be done by pulling on the release cord and will then allow you to use the garage door manually.
- Manually open and close the door. The door should not feel sticky and should not feel excessively heavy.
- Manually lift the door halfway and release. If the door moves from its position when you let it go, this indicates that the door is not balanced.
- Reconnect the door to the opener if the door is balanced.
What should you do if the door is unbalanced?
If the door is unbalanced it most often means that there is an issue with the spring. It is highly recommended to hire a professional rather than tackling this problem yourself. If you are untrained and lack experience with garage door springs, it can be very dangerous. The springs are under a great amount of tension and when not handled correctly can result in serious injuries.
Maintaining the balance of your garage door plays an important part of your door’s functionality. Regularly inspect your door’s components such as springs, cables and rollers and lubricate all moving parts. This should be done at least twice yearly. Make testing the balance of your door part of your biannual garage door maintenance. This will keep your garage door in good working order and allow you to address any issues before they worsen. A well maintained garage door will give you peace of mind!