Garage doors are a significant investment in a home or business. Recent research has revealed that homes with new garage doors are more likely to sell faster and at higher prices. Whether you’re planning to sell or not, having a new garage door has many benefits, including increased value, improved security, and energy use efficiency.
Buying a new garage door is only one side of the coin; installing it is the other. Homeowners looking to hire a professional can visit www.chicagogaragedoor.com/installation/. This article offers information on garage door installation basics.
Installing Your New Garage Door
Older garage doors can weigh anything between 250 and 450 lbs. It is often advisable for homeowners to hire professionals with the manpower and expertise to handle the removal of old doors and new installations.
DIY garage door installations often cause accidents among homeowners, especially inexperienced ones. Hiring a professional can save you the stress, time, and hassles required for the project.
However, if you’ve decided to DIY the installation, here are the basic steps to make the project successful.
Know The Spring Type
One of the basic things to know when removing an older garage door and replacing it with a new one is the type of spring it works on. There are two types of springs; Torsion springs (mounts above the garage door’s header) and extension springs (floats above the upper roller track).
Extension springs used to be safer to install in the past, however, they have become more dangerous in newer models, especially because they now have containment cables running through the center of the spring. There is a high chance of accidents with this type of spring, especially with DIY-ing your way.
Torsion springs, on the other hand, have three major advantages over extension springs. These benefits include;
- They are quieter
- They are safer to install, even for DIY-ers
- They are easier to fine-tune for an excellent garage door operation.
For your DIY installation, torsion springs are quieter because they lack springs that knock against the roller tracks. They are safer because they usually stay on the bar when the spring breaks, and they are easier to fine-tune for a balanced operation.
Tools For Installing A New Garage Door
Having the perfect tools for installing your new garage door can save you time and hassles. Some of the tools recommended for the job include;
- Safety glasses and gloves
- Drill
- Level
- Drillbits
- Adjustable locking pliers
- ½-inch diameter rods
- Open-ended wrench
- Socket bits
- Hammer
- Philips driver bit
Steps For Installing A New Garage Door
1: Release The Garage Door Tension
Releasing the garage door’s tension requires extra attention and extreme caution to prevent accidents. Start by releasing the tension of the torsion spring using your adjustable-locking pliers to hold the torsion spring shaft, wedge the pliers against the header wall above the garage door and insert a steel rod into one of the four holes in the spring winding cone. Proceed to loosen each spring – one quarter at a time and alternating between the two rods.
2: Disconnect The Door And Door Opener
Disconnect your old garage door from the door opener by pulling the red emergency release handle to move the trolley arm into a vertical position. In this position, you can raise or lower the door manually.
Start the disconnection from the top panel and proceed to disconnect the panel from the track by loosening the bolts from the doorframe.
3: Install The Sectional Garage Door Panels
With the old one out, start by attaching the hinges of the sectional garage door to the top of each door panel. Go on to attach the axle supports to the top and bottom panels. Place the bottom panel into a new opening and check for level. Then install each new panel into the previous one as appropriate.
4: Install The Tracks
Start by fastening the top half of each hinge to the panel on top. Proceed to place the wheeled axles into the side hinge and install them from top to bottom. Doing this will keep the garage door on track and you can check to see if the wheels align correctly.
5: Attach Spring Assembly To The Track
Assemble all pieces to support the spring and attach it to the garage door track. You can use the previous door’s ceiling supports to make this work.
6: Bolt The Tracks, Install Springs, And Others
You can now line the horizontal and vertical tracks and bolt them in place. You should also install the springs by connecting them to the anchors.
Additional steps include installing the torsion rods and pulleys, which can easily be slid into the holes in the side header bracket.
7: Attach Cable And Tighten Spring
In this final step, attach the garage door cable to the pulley wheel and turn the wheel so that the slacks are eliminated. Once done, tighten the springs using your steel rod while following the manufacturer’s instructions.
You should have your garage door in place by now. However, you can contact a professional anytime you feel stuck or confused.