Garage door out of alignment question

[guest2]

I hope this is the correct place to post this . I couldn't figure out how to post under the ASK Doors Done right link.

I have a double door (18'). sectional door wood clad. The left side of the door (outside looking in) gets stuck about 4 inches from the bottom and reverses. It appears that the right side is about an inch lower than the left. How do I adjust the door height on the low side?
Thank you.

 

[Snoonyb]

If there are 2 springs at the top, adjusting them can alleviate the out of square issue.

There are u-tube videos addressing this.

 

[guest2]

Thank you, I'll check the tube. Probably to difficult for me as I do not want to go to hospital after the spring attacks me.
I was hoping that maybe the cables on the sides could be adjusted without adjusting the springs,
I appreciate you reply

 

[Snoonyb]

It's actually pretty simple, I use 2 short pieces of 3/8 rebar and a crescent wrench, but you need to be careful.

 

[guest2]

So, a couple short pieces of rebar would do the trick? How do you know which way to load the bar to the wall. Which way do the springs wind or unwind to?

 

[Snoonyb]

With the door down, insert and hold 1 rod, loosen the two capture screws and the direction of the tension will become apparent.

 

[havasu]

I just hired a company who taught me something new. Roll the garage door halfway down and let go. If it drops quickly, you need more tension on the springs. It it opens fully, the springs are too tight. I bought a new Genie opener and their units are so under powered, that if the door isn't adjusted just right, it will not work properly. An old man was taught something new!

 

[guest2]

With the door down, insert and hold 1 rod, loosen the two capture screws and the direction of the tension will become apparent.

Thank you l will give it try in a few days. Which side spring will I need to adjust to get the left side up slightly to square the door. I always thought on side was up tension and the other was down tension

 

[Snoonyb]

To allow the operator, either mechanical or manuel, to open and close, for longevity, the door needs to be balanced, which is just one more on the list of home owner maintenance tasks.

If you strain in either direction, from the mid travel point, general just above your waist height, you adjust from there.

The springs do not wind in opposite directions.

 

[guest2]

To allow the operator, either mechanical or manuel, to open and close, for longevity, the door needs to be balanced, which is just one more on the list of home owner maintenance tasks.

If you strain in either direction, from the mid travel point, general just above your waist height, you adjust from there.

The springs do not wind in opposite directions.

Great information. I think I can just take the tension off the springs and tighten the cable on one side, it is loose>

 

[Snoonyb]

Adjusting the cable, for me, would be a last resort. Balance and springs, first, with the operator disengaged.

 

[BuzzLOL]

I have a double door (18'). sectional door wood clad. The left side of the door (outside looking in) gets stuck about 4 inches from the bottom and reverses. It appears that the right side is about an inch lower than the left. How do I adjust the door height on the low side?
Thank you.

First of all we need to know what kind of springs system you have...
If you have two springs that point away from the door at a right angle...
That's a totally different situation than having the two springs parallel to the top of the door and wound around a steel rod... this second way is more tricky to work with... if not 'mechanically minded', may want to avoid working on this second system... can be very dangerous...
Both springs in either system try to lift the door (there is no spring pulling the door down, gravity does that)... as the up door slides off the horizontal tracks supporting it and moves downward toward the floor, more of the doors weight is transferred from the horizontal tracks onto the springs and proportionally, as the springs stretch more/are twisted more, they exert more and more lifting force on the door...
As others mentioned, when the door is about 3 feet above the floor, it should balance there/stay there all by itself... lift it some from that point and it tries to go higher on its own... lower it from that point and it starts trying to close itself... when fully closed it tries to stay down and closed...
For a smooth operating door, the tracks should be exactly parallel to each other at every point... in other words, exactly the same distance apart at every point... top, bottom, in between...
But before that, the tracks should be pointing out exactly 90 degrees out from the door... easiest way to determine that is measure from a garage side wall to a track... make sure the track is parallel to the side wall... then the other track is parallel to that track...
Are you sure the door is 18', 16' is more common?
Also, check the pulleys the cable rides on, make sure they aren't worn out, tipped at weird angles, the bearing balls haven't fallen out of them, the bearing balls have a dab of oil on them to lubricate/protect them, the bolt the pully spins on isn't loose or crooked, the pulley isn't split allowing the cable to ride lower down inside it, etc...

 

[BuzzLOL]

I bought a new Genie opener and their units are so under powered,

Garage door openers intentionally have just enough power to operate a properly adjusted door so that if kids/pets get the pull down rope around their necks, arms, legs, bodies they don't get hung when the door opens... also, if the door is closing, it doesn't crush people, kids, pets, things... it should stop or reverse direction... the door only closes forcefully for the last two inches...
Also, for past 30 years, openers have an electric eye preventing the door from moving if anything is in the doorway... it can be added to older units...

 

[Ron Van]

Be careful! I broke my hand working on one of these springs. After a visit to ER, I called a garage door repairman and it really wasn’t expensive to have a new spring installed. An adjustment would be even cheaper.

 

[guest2]

First of all we need to know what kind of springs system you have...
If you have two springs that point away from the door at a right angle...
That's a totally different situation than having the two springs parallel to the top of the door and wound around a steel rod... this second way is more tricky to work with... if not 'mechanically minded', may want to avoid working on this second system... can be very dangerous...
Both springs in either system try to lift the door (there is no spring pulling the door down, gravity does that)... as the up door slides off the horizontal tracks supporting it and moves downward toward the floor, more of the doors weight is transferred from the horizontal tracks onto the springs and proportionally, as the springs stretch more/are twisted more, they exert more and more lifting force on the door...
As others mentioned, when the door is about 3 feet above the floor, it should balance there/stay there all by itself... lift it some from that point and it tries to go higher on its own... lower it from that point and it starts trying to close itself... when fully closed it tries to stay down and closed...
For a smooth operating door, the tracks should be exactly parallel to each other at every point... in other words, exactly the same distance apart at every point... top, bottom, in between...
But before that, the tracks should be pointing out exactly 90 degrees out from the door... easiest way to determine that is measure from a garage side wall to a track... make sure the track is parallel to the side wall... then the other track is parallel to that track...
Are you sure the door is 18', 16' is more common?
Also, check the pulleys the cable rides on, make sure they aren't worn out, tipped at weird angles, the bearing balls haven't fallen out of them, the bearing balls have a dab of oil on them to lubricate/protect them, the bolt the pully spins on isn't loose or crooked, the pulley isn't split allowing the cable to ride lower down inside it, etc...

It two springs parallel to the top of the door and wound around a steel rod and 18" wide 7' high.

The pin that the bottom of the cable attaches to is catching on the right side braces / brackets. on cable is slighty looser than the other the springs are tight.

 

[BuzzLOL]

The pin that the bottom of the cable attaches to is catching on the right side braces / brackets. on cable is slighty looser than the other the springs are tight.

Does the door balance in the right spot? Pulleys, cables, rollers, etc. in good condition?

 

[guest2]

The door is balanced pretty well, easy one hand, this are in good to very condition, nothing dragging or out of sorts. except ou tof level about a 1/8 of a bubble. It has gotten colder and the pin is not hitting an sticking now but assume it will when the sun hits it again and it warms up. The pin hits on the right side of both doors? Go figure.! You can see where it has been dragging on the brackets for a long time, it is probably just getting worse.

 

[BuzzLOL]

The door is balanced pretty well, easy one hand, this are in good to very condition, nothing dragging or out of sorts. except ou tof level about a 1/8 of a bubble. It has gotten colder and the pin is not hitting an sticking now but assume it will when the sun hits it again and it warms up. The pin hits on the right side of both doors? Go figure.! You can see where it has been dragging on the brackets for a long time, it is probably just getting worse.

Precisely where the door balances at determines whether you loosen one cable or tighten the other cable to straighten out the door...

 

[guest2]

Interesting, I'll try it. I also have a 9' door that has the exact same issue...it nly has one spring. The spring is on the left and the door hangs on the left. So does it need tightened ? or loosened?

Thank you

 

[cdestuck]

If there are 2 springs at the top, adjusting them can alleviate the out of square issue.

There are u-tube videos addressing this.

Please watch the you tubes on this carefully, I then you don’t feel comfortable in doing this, do hire someone or ask friends it they’ve ever done it. We all had our first time doing this but certainly don’t want this to go bad on you. Getting hurt isn’t fun. Good luck.