If you want your garage door to open safely, you need hinges. A garage door hinge is a must to swing the door smoothly when it opens. If not for the hinge, the garage door panels will become disconnected as it is raised or lowered.
With repeated use, garage door hinges are subject to wear and tear. If these broken garage hinges are not replaced at once, they can damage the garage door track permanently.
This is why garage door hinge replacement or repair is a must and must be done only by qualified garage door repair experts.
Reasons for the damage to garage door hinges
Residential and commercial garage doors are heavy weighing often up to 400 pounds. The hinges are the parts that carry the entire weight of the heavy garage door. When the hinges become old, they cannot withstand the weight of the door and snap.
Garage door spring tension is the next reason. These springs help in lifting the door. Broken garage springs can cause a strain on the hinges as well.
Poor maintenance is the main cause of damage to hinges. Rusting due to moisture exposure is another reason.
The other reason for a broken hinge could be due to the collision or impact from a car.
Ways to find out if it is time to repair the hinges of your garage door
The first obvious sign that there is a broken hinge is the loud noise from the door. If you find a noisy garage door, first check the hinges.
Next, check for broken or defective garage door repair parts like loose garage fasteners, springs, etc.
If you find any of the garage door screws missing, first check the bolt holes of the hinges. Do this also if you find that the roller brackets do not slide smoothly.
The next thing that causes concern is bent hinges as this will damage the garage door opener by dragging the door.
Lastly, see if the door is stiff and difficult to move, then you can be sure that the hinges are damaged.
Repairing garage door hinges
Garage door hinges are cheap to replace. So most often, when you need to repair broken hinges, it is better to replace them.
A garage door professional is a right person to repair the broken hinges as he has the expertise, experience, and the proper tools to handle the job.
Garage hinges support the entire garage door. If these hinges are fitted wrongly, all the other parts like garage door rollers, garage door cables, cable drums, or extension springs might get damaged.
Points to remember before garage door hinge replacement
Correct sequence
Garage door hinges have to be fitted in a certain order. They are numbered as 1, 2, 3, etc. from the bottom. The bottom-most hinge is #1. The one above it is #2 and so on. All the center hinges are also numbered #1.
One must fit the hinges correctly in position according to their number in the correct sequence. If not, there will be uneven spacing on the sides of the door. This results in having an unbalanced garage door that can sag at any time. To avoid all these issues, call a garage door technician to do this with precision.
Unplug the garage door opener
Before starting on the hinge repair, one must disconnect the opener from the electrical outlet. This can prevent any personal injury due to electrical shock.
Clamping the door
To repair the hinges, you must raise first the door a bit and fasten it firmly with a clamp to the bottom rollers.
Removing the worn-out hinges
First, remove the screws holding the fasteners to the hinge. Tilt outward to let the roller pop out. Now remove the hinge safely. Reuse the roller if it is in good condition after lubricating it with 10W-30 Motor oil. Replace the roller on the vertical track and then replace the hinge.
In garage door maintenance, the role of hinge repair is foremost. Engage a reliable garage door service team to do an efficient job of garage door hinge repair.
Thrifty Garage Door Repair offers garage door repair in Vancouver and surrounding areas. Contact us if you need your hinges repaired or replaced.
