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Questions and Answers
Garage door won’t open all the way?
I have two garage doors with the same type of openers (I believe Sears Craftsman, about 12 years old). One is working fine. The other stopped opening all the way about a week ago. It opens about 2 feet then stops. It will open if I “help” it by applying very slight upward pressure with my hand as it opens ( not much at all, kind of like a spotter on a bench press at the gym). It also sometimes will not close without a couple of tries. I was thinking that the cold had something to do with it (in Atlanta). I dont know how it could suddenly get “heavier”. I will take a look at the unit more closely using the suggestions previously mentioned on various sites. I’ll will report back if it changes anything. In the meantime, an additional comments/suggestions would be appreciated. I have been reluctant to call a garage door repair service without trying to resolve myself first.
Posted by Ryan
Admin: The garage door opener is assisted by the use of springs. Springs put tension on the garage door taking up some of the weight so that when you open it, the springs help pull the door up. The most common types are springs that extend horizontally back allong the track, or coiled springs that extend horizontally directly above the door. At 12 years old, it is certainly possible that those springs have lost some of their tension. This in effect makes the door feel heavier for the garage door opener. Since there is less tension on the spring the further the door goes up, it would make sense that the door would feel heaviest the last few feet, just as you described.
I can say most confidently that the problem is that you springs have lost some of their “spring”. The easy fix is to simply adjust the spring by putting more tension on it. Most garage door springs are manufactured to be adjusted several time over their useful life span, so adjusting them won’t be much of a problem. With all of that being said, however, the springs have several hundred pounds of tension on them. If you don’t know what you are doing, it can be very dangerous to adjust the springs yourself. Once wrong move could send several hundred pounds of force into your face, breaking a hand, or even possible impalement. It is strongly recommended that you do not do such a job youself, its best left to a professional.
Any tips for repairing mortar joint above a garage door?
The joint above the garage door has a metal plate and it has corroded some, and the mortar on that joint has come out, so I chipped all the extra mortar out and I’m ready to put new mortar in.
Should I treat the metal strip with anything before putting mortar in the joints? If yes, how?
Also, any tips on making it the same color as the old mortar would be great, thanks
Posted by JJ
Admin: The best tip here to avoid rust and the metal plate sticking to the cement is spraying with a lubricant like WD-40. Another solution that works also specially on winter is applying petroleum jell with a small brush. This will also prevent the surfaces from sticking one to another. More help you can found on the link below.