DIY: How to Fix A Garage Door That’s Stuck

One could say that garage doors are the simplest objects in a house; with the press of a button, the door automatically opens and closes all by itself with no effort from you. Until it doesn’t.

When your garage door gets stuck, you may be ready to call a handyman and begin the panicking as you’re late for work, but there’s no need. There are a variety of reasons why your garage door could be putting you in a jam, but there are plenty of simple, easy, and efficient DIY solutions that can get your door back up to par while earning you some handyman bragging points. Here are a few ways your door can get stuck, and a few fast methods for seeing it back to its proper working order.

1. Power Outage

Electric garage doors are all about simplicity, with remote commands and the ability to open with zero personal strength, making them a godsend for those in a rush or with little desire to be bothered. However, it’s all fun and games until the power goes out. When you find yourself in this situation, the best idea is to think simple. You’ll see a cord hanging from the top of the door, and simply reaching up and pulling on this works as a form of manual override, making it easy for you to avoid an action movie exit resulting in a car-shaped hole in your garage door.

2. Frozen Opening Mechanism

The weather outside is frightful; your newly cleaned car is staying toasty and warm inside while your garage door takes the brunt of the cold and the wind. At this point, the door decides it’ll hold a personal strike against opening in revenge; you guessed it, the cold weather has made your garage door freeze in place. In most cases, the pressure difference of the cold weather makes the strain on your opening mechanism more than it’s used to handling. The solution is simple; locate the pressure garage, usually around the motor, and adjust the settings to accommodate the difference, allowing your door to raise and lower with renewed efficiency.

3. Sticky Gears

A garage door’s ability to open and close is reliant on a series of gears running along the ceiling of your garage. If these gears are unable to move, then the door is physically incapable of moving as well. There are a few reasons behind these issues, but each comes with a simple solution.

• Dust

Even if you’re not the backyard mechanic or the handyman who has their garage full of sawdust and other airborne debris, the cleanest garage has its fair share of dust. While minor, this dust will eventually built up in the gears of your garage door, creating a barrier that the gears must roll through, or even jamming inside the wheels themselves, halting your door’s progress. In this case, putting your garage door back into working order is as simple as using soap and water, or even pressurized air, to clear out the debris. To ensure future efficiency, also applying some grease will make them move faster and smoother than before, lengthening the overall lifespan of your garage door.

• Bent Gear

A faulty gear, an accidental hit, or even manually opening your garage door too fast can lead to a gear being bent out of shape, forcing your garage door to be firmly stuck in place. Should you find yourself in this case, prepare to earn a few advanced handyman points, because you’ll need to replace the gear itself. Replacements can be easily found at your local hardware store, and the packaging will offer guidance on how to both remove your old gear and install the new one according to your specific door.

4. Broken Springs

A garage door’s ability to open and close automatically relies on the heavy springs place on either side of it. These mechanisms not only take the weight of the door when the power is active, but also help reduce the personal strain required from someone manually opening it. If these are damaged, the door will be more than stuck – it’ll be exceptionally difficult to open manually. A broken spring can have obvious signs with deformed or severed coils or by being slightly bent out of shape, unable to take the brunt weight. In this case, a full replacement is required. This process is as simple as visiting your local hardware store, and following the detailed directions on how to remove and then replace the mechanism.

5. Damaged Tracks

Tracks are what the gears of your garage door move through when opening and closing, and if they’re bent out of shape in any way, they can halt the progress of the gears, effectively turning your door into a fancy wall.

• Dents in the Track

After inspecting your tracks for the flaw, the solution is as simple as a ladder, a block of wood, and a hammer. By placing the block of wood against the dent, you can hammer it back into place without risk of further damaging the track itself.

• A Wavy Track

The track itself has to be completely straight and aligned with the garage door in order to work properly. A wavy track can be created by hitting it out of place or by not ensuring it’s properly leveled at the time of installation. In this case, it’s important to use a level and ensure the track itself is perfectly straight. Should a flaw be found with its angle, using a screwdriver, remove the track and reinstall it so that its angle is properly adjusted.

Everyone hates it when their garage door sticks, but it’s a problem we’ve all faced once or twice. Rather than spending the money and the time or accepting the frustration, you can handle it yourself with these easy DIY solutions, ensuring that your garage door ends up working even better than it did before.