Fixing a Dent During a Garage Door Repair
A garage door is an essential component contributing to your Long Beach home security. It keeps your stored valuables safe from theft, extreme conditions, and inclement weather. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain your investment correctly to ensure it remains in excellent shape for satisfactory service. You want to monitor wear and tear damages and closely check the panels’ condition on your Long Beach garages. It is common to require a garage door repair for dents on the boards, typically resulting from a bad storm or accidentally backing a vehicle into the door.
Below are some methods you can adopt to tackle the dent issue in your garage door. You can also find additional information on the signs that indicate a garage door in need of repair. Using this piece, you can learn to recognize garage door problems and get professional assistance for durable and safe fixes.
Examining the Damage’s Extent
Before you can identify the repair method to undertake, you first need to determine the extent of the denting damage. Dents can cause the panels to compromise your door’s operation by interfering with the closing and opening functions. Generally, a professional guides you in deciding the suitable repair method to take when you cannot close or open the garage door correctly. The expert usually advises according to manufacturer specifications for safe, durable, and accurate repairs.
Using a Mallet for the Garage Door Repair
Upon verifying the performance of your garage door and finding that you can still open and close it despite the dent, a technician can utilize a mallet to fix the issue. Garage doors designed with aluminum panels are highly malleable. The professional can repair minor dents by tapping areas back into place, leaving the surface smooth and even.
The technician begins the repair by washing the dented area with water and soap. Then, a mallet and a woodblock are needed. After this, he or she goes to the opposite side, places the wood block over the dent, and taps the section using the mallet.
Notably, you may require auto body filler and fine-grit sandpaper to achieve smoother outcomes with garage door repairs on deeper dents. The sandpaper allows the technician to sand the section and even it out before utilizing a patching material to cover the dented place. He or she then uses a putty knife from the auto body filler kit to make the area even. Once it’s dry, the technician sands it down again.
After reshaping the dent, the professional applies the primer, allows it to dry before painting the surface in your desired shade. Depending on your preference, you can choose to retain your original garage door color or repaint the entire structure a new shade for a change.
Correcting Dents via Heat
You can fix dents in a garage door using the rapid heating and cooling technique. This method enables metal panels to shift back into place efficiently, removing the indented shape. The repair can include utilizing a heat source, a can of compressed air, and aluminum foil to reshape the dented panel.
An expert starts by washing the damaged panel and letting the surface dry. After this, he or she stretches aluminum foil over the dent, heats it with a lighter for around one minute before quickly removing the foil. Next, the expert sprays the indentation with compressed air for about 30 seconds to a minute, with the generated carbon monoxide popping the panel back into place.
Fixing a Dent With Suction Cups
Some panel conditions may require the technician to utilize suction cups during the garage door repair. Popular in automobile dent removal, suction devices work best with metal doors since the cups can effectively pull outward the bumps and dings in a particular direction. It is ideal for applying this method when dealing with small-scale tasks, enabling you to finish the job within minutes.
Signs You Need to Fix Your Garage Door
Movement Issues
Aside from dent issues, you can find some problems that hinder your garage door from functioning correctly. One of the first signs of needing a garage door repair is when the door opens and closes slowly. The slow movement can be due to old age, programming, and insufficient lubrication on the hinges and rollers.
Besides this, it is time to repair your garage door when it opens all the way or partway and then reverses directions. In this case, you can fix the problem by checking the photo safety eyes in the garage opener and correcting any misalignments.
Balance Problems
It is essential to repair an unbalanced garage door because it wears out one spring more than the other. As a result, the overly stressed spring snaps and increases the workload on your garage opener, resulting in premature system failure.
Malfunctioning Door Opener
Another way you can tell you have a problematic garage door is when you encounter a broken garage door opener. The opener’s failure generally results from a malfunctioning logic board or stripped nylon gears, causing the garage door not to open or close.
Cord and Wire Issues
You can also identify that you need a new garage door installation when you notice broken or loose cords and wires. A frayed cord weakens the support system, meaning your door may begin to sag. It is vital to fix your garage door when you notice it sagging since broken cords give no warning before they snap. When the cables eventually snap, the door can crash down on animals, people, or cars. Additionally, you may need to replace the remote control system if the garage opener’s wires give out and kill the system’s circuit.
Strange Noises
A noisy door is another sign that indicates you require fixing your garage door. Aside from being annoying, the kind of sounds produced can signal the type of repair you need. For example, a grinding noise indicates that your door is dragging against the track. A rumbling or grating sound could signal malfunctioning torsion springs. In addition, a popping sound might mean that certain areas are meeting correctly. It is advisable to repair your door when you notice any of these sounds or other unusual noises from your garage door system.
Unusually High Energy Bills
Lastly, it is best to repair your garage door when you experience increased energy bills. Like your home doors and windows, the garage door should appropriately seal your garage and provide adequate insulation. A well-sealed door stops heat from escaping your garage in winter to maintain pleasant indoor conditions throughout your home. A small gap or improperly closing garage door leaks conditioned air, wasting energy and leaving you with higher utility bills.