The Best Way To Identify An Unbalanced Garage Door

Is your garage door not closing properly or seems to just be off line? Garage doors are the largest opening to your home, and there's no doubt you need to be sure they're able to open and close safely and reliably. They provide security to your home, keep out the cold air in the winter, and protect your valuables. How do you know what's wrong with your garage door?

It could be that your garage door is not balanced, and that could throw off a variety of mechanisms that control it. A balanced garage door will move up and down quietly without any new sounds, and it should also operate smoothly without any type of jerking movements. This should be the case no matter if you're operating the door manually or automatically, says Upright Garage Door Service. If you notice a problem other than that, it may be time to take a closer look at what could be wrong.

The easiest way to tell if the garage door is unbalanced is to look at what happens when you open and close it, according to Powell Garage Doors. Most of the time, garage doors have horizontal panels that should align with each other. When opening and closing your garage door, you'll notice gaps form as the door goes upward over the curve in the track. Take a look at this process while it's happening to see what occurs.

If you notice a slant in one or more of the panels as it's opening and closing, that's a good indication that there's probably a loss of balance in the door. This is not just because the panels are off line, though, as it could mean there is an uneven amount of power being dispersed between the panels and other working components of the door.

You may notice other signs of an unbalanced garage door as well, and often these develop over a period of time. For example, when opening and closing the garage door, you may hear strange sounds as the door moves up the tracks. Powell Garage Doors states that if this sounds like the door is straining, that could indicate the door is unbalanced or there is another concern with its operation.

Upright Garage Door Service also indicates that, when operating the garage door manually, you may notice that it seems heavier than usual, making it harder for you to operate the door especially when pulling it up. A visual inspection of the components may also show evidence that the garage door's springs, rollers, and other track parts have significant wear and tear on them. If you're experiencing these types of problems, it's a good idea to invest in garage door repair or replacement.