Your garage door can be out of level for several reasons sometimes it can be that the concrete has shifted. The most common cause of doors being out of level is frayed cables that grow in length as they fray. Doors also rise on one side when the cable is not properly seated on the cable drum on the opposite side.
If the cable is not fitted properly on the drum or is frayed, you will need to either replace a cable or to reset a cable on one of the cable drums. There are specific types of garage doors that will need to be leveled. Another cause of a garage door not being level is when the cable drum (where the cables are attached to) slips, this makes it look like the cable has gotten longer. These doors are typically lighter and smaller and are overhead versions. The garage doors that need leveling will have a hollow shaft that is found along the top of the door.
This is a dangerous procedure. Pay close attention to warnings that appear in red, including this one. If you question your ability to make this adjustment safely, hire a professional. Keep hands and clothing away from the shaft, torsion springs, and drums. Be prepared to have to rewind the spring or springs, especially on heavier doors
You will need the following tools:
Ladder
Vise grip
Pliers
Screwdriver
A set of winding bars
7/16 wrench
To level your garage door you follow the below steps:
- First stick the winding bar on the cone, loosen the key grip on the spring.
- Retighten the key bolts. Make sure you don’t remove the winding bar from the cone.
- Tighten the cable drum so that the cable does not slip again.
- Loosen up the other cable drum. We want to make sure the two cable drums have the same amount of tension.
- Remove the winding bar from the cone.
- Rise up the garage door all the way up then pull it down again.
- Check if the garage door is leveled across.
The procedures above are useful when leveling your garage door or even when changing your torsion springs, cables or even bearing plates. Having a leveled garage door helps to keep your garage door safe from snakes and other wild animals. It also helps in making sure the garage parts are not stressed hence the garage door functions properly. Utilizing these tips from American Veteran Garage will extend your garage door and ensure that it lasts much longer.