How To Level A Garage Door With Springs

Garage door springs offset the weight of the door and allow it to open and close with ease.

How to level a garage door with springs. Remove any safety cables from the springs before loosening the springs themselves. Start with the side which is opposite to where the gap is. So with a gap on the left side you will begin leveling on the right side. Once the spring is free of tension remove from its track hanger.

Second and far more critical is when the garage floor has begun to tilt backward toward the house. If they have a lot of give you may want to consider replacing them. Climb up to the drum and use a marker to make one mark on the drum and another approximately one fourth of an inch above the mark on the drum if the gap under the door is 1 inch or more. If it was opening too quickly move it to the next lower hole.

A problem with the spring tension could cause the door to open or close unevenly improperly or at the wrong speed and adjusting the springs will likely solve the problem. If the garage door is level tighten the set screws 3 4 turn past the point at which they meet the hollow shaft. If the bottom of the garage door is still not level repeat this process following steps six through nine with another mark or marks until the door is level. To rise the side of the door that is lower turn the set screws in the drum clockwise.

If the door was closing too quickly move the spring to the next higher hole on the bracket. Move to the other side of the garage door where the gap is. This will tighten the screws and raise the door. Garage doors come in different styles that use two different types of springs.

Garage springs are under an extreme amount of tension and either stretch or torque providing enough force to help you move the door. If the gap is less than an inch make the marks one eighth of an inch apart. First the floor may be so out of level that the garage floor does not meet the bottom edge of the door. Open it just as wide as you can without hitting the garage door opener s stop bolt and place a clamp on the track on both sides to keep the door in place.

However an out of kilter garage floor may require leveling when two critical scenarios happen.