How to Fix A Crooked Garage Door

[@GerardoRodriguez-tp9gr]

All I got to is this guy saved a lot of people money, good job sir. Now I don't care if you have 20 yrs. of experience or 30. If you have a better way of doing it, then show it, don't just explain it. Because at the end of the day, it's all about saving money, and that's what this young Technician did.

[@PearlHarborization]

Hi Thomas. You saved me $295. I just paid Lowe’s for $39 for two vice grips and two rods. Thank you very much for your helpful clip.

[@chrisjones7807]

Excellent video that directly speaks to the issue and fix. Best of all, no music, thanks for taking the time to help us out.

[@YK-yw4jp]

A life saver! I struggled with it for several days, and this video solved it in 3 minutes. Thanks!!!

[@joejackson6603]

Used your video and fixed my uneven garage door. Releasing tension 1/4 turn was the trick. Thanks for the lesson.

[@tomgriggs879]

Excellent. I would add: before calling the fix complete, keep the garage door disengaged from the opener and check to see that when you open it manually, it stays wherever you let go of it, either halfway up or all the way up. If it wants to close when you let go, the springs need to be incrementally tightened until it stays put when you let go of it. If it wants to raise when you let go, the springs are too tight. This adjustment was part of my problem with the crooked door, I believe.

[@Corkoth55]

Is that really possible? To have the perfect tension down low and halfway up the tracks so it won't want to raise/lower when you let go? Serious question

[@itsmeforsure5475]

Excellent vid. I watched it 4 times just to make sure I had the steps down perfectly. The bolt on my spring and side rollers was not a 7/16, not a 11mm and not a 12mm so I had to use the ol nut rounder.

[@lionshareprops]

Dude, that was awesome and straight to the point. i just finished replacing the spring on an old door (1978 model) and the side cables weren't under the same tension. The drums that hold the cables have an additional inner spring, which i haven't seen before, but with your video i'm sure i can figure it out. You're obviously a pro and i appreciate this video. Thanks so much. Blessings, scooter

[@masoodahmedkhan3937]

If on Garage door tension is less the 5 turns does it work. In my case its pressure is down and does not open. Even if it open it require lot of strength.any solution?

[@bigshooTer39]

Best diy I’ve ever seen. This guy have a channel?

[@Boyzofsummer1]

Where can I purchase those rods??

[@marcg2823]

Got mine at Menards

[@jeffchapman8992]

Tom! Perfect. This was precisely our issue ... right down to the 2" (okay maybe 1.5"). Your video assisted us in fixing our door ... in a minus 34 degree celsius morning ... in exactly the method you demostrated. So thankful. Continued success.

[@ChaserTiponi]

As a a30 year experianced garage door tech I can promise this. Thats NOT how its done. If you watch carefully you can see the right side still has light under it even after this silly idea of a fix. A pro would visegrip over one roller on the left side and simply but slowly loosen the set screws on the right drum until the door set down on the floor. At that point retighten the drum set screws. Not only is that easier its also much faster. I would make that repair in say 30 seconds w/o the need for winding bars.Also it would be an actual fix as opposed to not fixed at all.

[@jphb7730]

Jeff Killey I'm looking at a lot of these videos and try to balance the tension of the cable on the drums as I'm writing this..So the side that is down most, you would vise grip that she and then loosen the set screws on the right side drum ...then when that side hits ground I could tighten set screws? Rather ask somebody with 30 yrs experience...thanks

[@ChaserTiponi]

Yes. But its important to visegrip the low side down . Other wise when you loosen the high side the low side will end up extremely high likely causing you to need a pro :)

[@ChaserTiponi]

Sorry. Just realized you already grasped yje visegrip part....

[@jaylev85]

Lets say the entire door is level when shut, yet one side is heavier (call it the low side for lack of better term) therefore the door rolls up crooked. Do you still use the vise grip on the low side and adjust the high side? What if I want to tighten the low side cable. Can you vise grip the same side your adjusting?

[@ChaserTiponi]

@@jaylev85 Not sure how to answer this? If a door is level it should remain level while opening. It should also weigh the same on both sides. I have seen a door where no center bearing was used and it cut the pipe in half. I guess that could have happened. Or the drums are not the same size, or one more possabilty is the cables are not the same length. Otherwise what your describing almost sounds like an extention spring door with mismatched springs.

[@paulmcvey1331]

keep in mind, if your door was installed level, but your floor is not level this will cause what appears to be a crooked door. that is not the case. if you follow these steps and attempt to fix a door and end up springing out of level, the cable on one side will slack. slack could lead to a cable coming off. a cable coming off could lead to the door falling out of the tracks and unless held up by the opener arm (assuming you have one and it is mounted well, it could fall on your car, or you. Do not attempt to fix a crooked door before you level it by placing a 4 foot level across the very top section of the door. if it is level, seek larger bottom seal or attempt to fill seal with plastic bags to hold it out.

[@gregoryf9299]

Awesome stuff, thanks! Had to use 1/2" steel rod and the bolts were square so had to use a crescent wrench. Never have I proceeded so carefully on a home repair before, haha!

[@B18b1ej8]

Thank you! Forgot to unlatch the lock on one side of my door at work before hoisting and skewed the balance. Landlord would have had my head if I needed a service call. Easy and quick repair.

[@CrashBr0]

This worked like a charm. Best quick fix garage door video on KZbin.

[@SilentBob1932]

I just Replaced the Springs and had light on one side slightly off the floor , this was an easy Fix , Thanks for the Video

[@upstreet90]

Saved me a headache! Did exactly as he did and, YES IT WORKED!!!

[@jigsshah2555]

Thanks for the Guidance. Problems Solved. I had multiple problems. Because of this video I was able to resolve the issues.

[@brentvogt5908]

Thanks so much went from a Wayne Dalton internal spring system to a traditional double spring system. Ordered parts from Garage Door Nation person who helped me was out of Georgia and was very helpful ordered all the parts for me all I had to get were the torsion bar and mounting bolts. I tooke my time and took about 3 hours but works perfect. Thank you for videos and parts.

[@caseyjohnson3407]

Excellent video! Don’t forget to tighten the bolts on both pulleys ( I didn’t see you tighten the side that had the vise grips).

[@steve4386]

He never loosened the bolts on that side.

[@12fretter]

Thanks, you just revealed that my slab has a hump in the middle. I closed up the offending side only to discover the opposite side opened up. Why am I not surprised...our builder sucked. But that you, sincerely, for the video. It helped me understand the mechanics better and I did manage to make enough of a difference to keep 90% of the water out.

[@calebsw]

You can fix that with an angle grinder and a 24 segment wheel. If you don't have a longterm need for an angle grinder, see if you can rent those tools, should just take part of an afternoon to knock that out

[@bills6946]

I don’t level a door to the ground by looking at gaps under the closed door. I use a 4 foot level on the door. Once the door is level, to close any gap in the bottom, I adjust with the down travel adjustment. The concrete is usually not level.

[@miteBaMountainMan]

Thank you! I tried several other videos. They all have similar procedures. Didn't fix my problem. Yours worked perfect. Again, thank you!

[@HerbertAtkinson]

Your welcome👍

[@fiberopticsguy]

Old video but still very helpful! Fixed my uneven door in minutes. Thanks!

[@cebravot3945]

Many nights of going over every as pet of garage door formalities it's like learn how to sew with a high power machines: feed off the arm; elastic: double needle. These machines (GDoor) Have a sense of there own... But, I got it now. Thanks for your videos.. All of them! Edward Bravot...

[@rushsx190]

You made it easy. This has been bugging for awhile. Thanks for the video.

[@HashBandicoot356]

Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

[@Sipho-Msayi]

Thanks for this tip, I have just sorted my garage door.

[@MLFranklin]

Amazing. A very efficient use of the viewer's time.

[@sadanandbidave7941]

Garage door repair hotson is working perfectly in my mobile phone thanks for sharing this amazing video 👍👍👍

[@aldocustomupholstery2853]

Maybe I’m thick, but...when tensioning the cable on the left drum with the vice grips, what is keeping the tension on it while you go over to the right side? Is the vice grips resting on the ceiling (which isn’t shown)? As feedback: sometimes explaining “why” helps us to figure out “how” more easily :)

[@menglor]

first thing he does is put the hold bar on the left side to store the tension already in the spring

[@rgs1628]

Your question is a good one. As you say, it's not shown, but the vice grips would have to be wedged against the ceiling to secure the torsion bar in place, and thus keep the left cable tensioned. It has nothing to do with the other reply that says "first thing he does is put the hold bar on the left side to store the tension already in the spring", because the torsion spring was disconnected from the torsion bar when he loosened the set screws.

[@LDavis-ll5yr]

I assume the vise grips were sitting against the ceiling although it was outside of the video’s frame.

[@SuperAsian78]

What did you do on the left side ??????

[@alisagumm8547]

Great vid. Straight to the point.

[@tommac5411]

Wow, nice job and thank you for sharing.

[@hamoonkts7144]

Thanks Tom. Used your expertise to fix mine. But I think you’re doing it the dangerous way. Isn’t it better to retention the spring when door is in open position (door weight is offloaded from spring),thus less torsion on spring and therefore easier to put tension in it even by turning it by hand? The way you are doing is when the spring is at its max torsion force therefore dangerous. I did all my 4 garage door this way and didn’t need a winding-bar. Leveling can be done when door is down. How tight is a guitar string? I have a ukulele but to get it right, placed a half inch board under door and tightened the cables and it worked nicely. 7/16 doesn’t fit the screw heads and had to use a 10mm wrench. Cable adjustment is missing from your tutorials. Overall, very good clips. Thanks again.

[@badassvette1542]

You made sense bra

[@CrashBr0]

How do you fit in-between the garage door and ceiling to use the winding bars?

[@sajedhossinei3428]

Video was so good I decided to subscribe to your channel!

[@sitechca70]

Thanks for the video. Had this issue. Called a pro that I thought I could trust (he replaced my spring and installed a new door for a reasonable rate on separate occasions). He came, took a look at it, didn't tell me what he was going to do. Said $250 to fix. I said yes, and he did exactly this in 5mins. Felt so ripped off. Told a friend of mine, said his garage door pro ripped him off $200 for a simple sensor that was askew. The pros scare you with "you can get killed, always call a pro". Sure, I'll call a pro if they charged reasonably.

[@calebsw]

Dumb take. If you were really as cheap as you're pretending to be, you'd have 1, checked the web for how to fix it yourself, and 2, bothered to ask him what he was going to do. instead, he quoted you a price, you said ok, and then you got upset because you didn't check the web to see if you could do it yourself, nor did you ask him what he was gonna do. That's on you bro, you have no one to blame but yourself. You didn't have the knowledge, the tools, or the willingness to do this job yourself, and you got it done right by a professional in under 5 minutes. You didn't get ripped off, you paid for his talent, tools, and ability to do the job quickly.

[@richardleesparks6694]

Exactly. Expertise and skill = value. Personally, I’m choosing to educate myself in this process…to pay myself back for the time I’m spending on educating myself.

[@hmac2476]

Great tutorial. Will try it tomorrow.

[@ceciljones2695]

Great video, took me a little longer than 2 minutes, but not by much. Thanks for posting.

[@garykelley2303]

Thank you so much! It really helped me with my problem! Much success to you!

[@garagedoorrepairco3829]

Giving your Garage Door attention before breakdowns occur is so important as it can save big bucks!

[@homemaintenancebyclive153]

Thanks for your videos

[@kashifsyed5443]

Thanks man! My garage door is fixed. Torsion/Winding bar is a must.

[@humdrum5509]

Gotta go watch a video now on how tight a guitar string is

[@jemc21]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@E025796]

This was very good. So thanks so much as you got me through the weekend. I still will have a professional come out and look and the condition of the whole door. One thing that happened to me when I did your procedure was that the left side spool had moved inboard just enough, such that after I did your procedure the cable did not wrap on the spool. MY BAD. So I fixed that and I got back on track. Anyone who is asking you basic questions should not be attempting this repair.!!!!!! I AM AN ENGINEER...not a DOCTOR!

[@badassvette1542]

You're a disgrace to your profession.stfu

[@devonbradford9217]

I'd like to see this with Ez-Set torsion, as the cable drums are dependent on the bearing of the tension spring drum.

[@thehu]

I love how he spoke directly to my dumba$$ "don't make your own, don't use a screwdriver"

[@NightNight0351]

Thanks so much for this video worked like a charm and saved me a few hundred dollars 💸

[@MrRyanhartnett]

“How to explain doing something exceptionally dangerous in an inadequate amount of time, or less”

[@joemckenna9644]

Great video. Worked perfectly with my door. Thanks.

[@trentbdog]

Thank you for taking the time to post this. Very helpful!

[@KennethPhotography]

Got my door leveled, thanks! I actually didn't really understand the point of the vice grip, since it seemed like the torsion springs were already doing a pretty good job of keeping the torsion shaft in place (so long as you don't release both drums at the same time). Can anyone explain? Also, did I really need to even release the torsion springs? Could I have just loosened the drum on the side of the door with the gap and retightened it after it the door lowered itself by its own weight?

[@garyhoney2013]

Kenneth Chan its just a safety in case those tension bars slip. Its easy to do if your not paying attention. That said I agree that there is no use for them in this scenario. Hope all went well if you had to do it.

[@jaylev85]

He released the spring from the shaft by loosening those bolts (after first putting the winding bars in place as a temp lock to keep the spring from unwinding). Would you want to work on the drums which are also connected to the shaft, while you knew the spring was putting torsion on that shaft? If the winding bar slipped while you were adjusting the drum you could get injured. It seemed like he did use the vice grip to rotate the bar to add some tension to the cable on the the left side.

[@michaelruys5021]

This is genius. Thanks for the video

[@KingOfPatiala]

Can you make a video on what to do if door is open and cable is off the pulley on one side? Door won't come down.

[@1Jomarcel]

3:11 still crooked Right side see more light ( more opening)than let side

[@ElUnico57]

Yep, needs to be fine tuned a little more. Good eye...

[@stephenracine5707]

You could also just backwind the spring instead of loosing set screws on springs

[@oldsport3364]

Dude thats such a nice garage door half of mine is made of old pizza boxes and tape

[@josecerv4452]

Thanks man, you make it easier than the previous that i have seen. thanks again.

[@taberwit]

Amazing! This totally saved me. Thank you.

[@adammiller9748]

Worked great, thanks!

[@HerbertAtkinson]

Your welcome👍

[@tammyeich4493]

Tom, Great video. I recently replaced a broken torsion spring on my door and can't get it to sit level - it is up about 1/4" on one side. When I release the tension on the spring (single spring system) it is level and I tension the cables but once I re-tension the spring, it is 1/4" high on the spring side. The cable tension seems equal before I re-tension the spring. Any suggestions?

[@swfsecurityman1]

U always have the stupid haters behind a PC. but your tip helped me and it works...thks...

[@noluck33]

What if my door only has one spring on the right side??? Thanks

[@heroknaderi]

Thanks man this video halped alot.

[@zinnburban]

My garage door shifted to the right, this causing the top door panel to hit the door glide, and cause the door to stop at that point. I tried to shift the door back to the left side, but it would come back to the right side over time. To fix it: Really simple, I put two zip ties around the post between the door roller and the hinge its attached to, this keeping the door from hitting the door glide. Now the door work fine, forever!

[@CheekyMonkey888]

smart, I have a wandering door too and was going to weld a washer in place but two zip ties is much easier

[@christina-hx7ej]

This video helped me a lot!!!!!!!! I got it down 👌👌👌👌👌💯💯💯💯💯❤❤❤❤❤😇😇😇😇😇🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 ty

[@jamesonjohnston92]

great video. helped get mine fixed just a little longer than he did it in. ha

[@naginagib2296]

from Canada real thank you brother

[@Marlin365]

Nice video! My garage door only will go down to 8” left. I noticed the right side is a little higher than the left. Even with the chain disengaged, I can’t force it down?

[@leebannister3759]

Never heard of winding bars, where would you buy them?

[@djmanning346]

Great video ! Thank-you.

[@chiefsphan741]

thanks, super easy fix followed it step by step and bam... fixed.

[@cwize]

What about an extension spring door? Not everyone has torsion springs.

[@user-lf4td9xr4v]

How am I getting killed if I don't have the tools? Could you explain a little more?

[@swiftpau]

Thank you Thomas, excellent video. This method worked perfectly for me!

[@chadwalker638]

I did everything as instructed, but my winding bar is now stuck. Any ideas?

[@tago8039]

I can't get the door to go up AT ALL. Tried 1/4 turn more on each spring - NO GOOD. Guess it's time to try less tension now... or start looking for a video to help with troubleshooting.

[@kbro7484]

Probably got your Springs reversed

[@mobileturtle]

I forced mine open, now I wonder if it is safe doing same procedure while door is fully open. Can you please help with that concern

[@hamoonkts7144]

That’s how I did it without the danger of killer spring. See my comments.

[@Z-Ack]

Has anybody ever really been killed from the torsion spring? Ive heard of a dude loosing an arm when it whipped his screwdriver up driving it into his forearm then pulling it up where he lost all that muscle and skin. Another story of a dude using actual bars and the thing wasent in all the way and broke his jaw and eye sockey from the handle wopping him a good one.. but never heard of any deaths besides children and elderly getting caught underneath before all the sensors came about..

[@BKMDano17]

Will that work with 4 springs?? My door is wood and heavy!! Thanks

[@Question-all]

What do you do if the concrete is crooked?

[@Acphlegmhmed]

I had this problem, it was getting worse every year. the 7/16 socket didn't fit the square bolt so I used a 3/8 wrench instead. now my springs make a chattering noise. And it used to be level when open, now it seals on the floor but Crooked when open.. Now what to try?

[@Wolf03919]

Why would you not just tighten the drum?

[@howardOKC]

So you put your hand on it and tighted the drum. But how did u do it?

[@AntKPro]

Great explanation! Thanks!

[@dsmith9541]

And......wear EYE PROTECTION....a busted spring can do a LOT of damage.

[@DaveMcLain]

I got it fixed thanks for the tips. This was not difficult.

[@davidsommer1308]

What is the vise grips for. I don't understand. Thanks for the other instructions. I was able to fix this problem without the vise grips. Sorry can't put a like.

[@419Tpm]

How about for doors with springs along side the tracks?

[@bobbytsmith3346]

My door was fine until this guy lifted it up while moving and now door won’t close right to ground , it’s a bit crooked and an inch from ground , any suggestions?

[@Beamin-vt7jm]

The issue is having all the right tools

[@MarkBliton]

Worked like a charm. Thank you.

[@priyantha0]

Thank you very much mate.

[@acepodgasti5105]

What if my floor is not level? Can i still fix the gap with your instructions? Please help

[@LArider57]

Got serious after he said you can get killed😳

[@Montery12]

Something pulled wrong and moved the spring-pole bracket like a half inch to the left and now the wheels are touching the track retainer wall on that side, therefore, the door has a rough opening. Any tips on that DIY?

[@marcelinonovaessilva]

Perfect!!! Very helpful!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

[@jerrymiller9066]

Thank You for this video. This info. solved my problem.

[@smerdlyfrump5016]

When you droped the right side of the door 2" you, in essance, lengthened the right side cable 2" - what happens to that 2" when the door is open??? It seems to me it would unwrap from the drum.

[@jaylev85]

he said in the video that he rotated the drum with his hand before retightening it. (just enough to get the cable tight like a guitar string? I'm guessing like an E string)

[@garyparton8285]

the crack is just as big as it was before you did anything. And you never said what you did to balance the door outside of loosening everything and retightening. Sorry,,, NEXT VIDEO

[@AlexTPayneOfficial]

He addressed that. There’s light on both sides because the bottom rubber is warped as well causing light to show through.

[@836dmar]

“Guitar string tension” on the cable - on both sides. He explained that. If one understands how a garage door spring assist works this is plenty of info. How a garage door spring functions is something you can google. You can also pay to have this done. A friend was seriously hurt - requiring surgeries and almost losing an eye messing with his door. This isn’t difficult but if you are so unsure it is considerably cheaper to pay to have this done. You may not be this type but, remember, there are some people who just should not use tools. There are others who just criticize videos about things they aren’t dealing with. You might be that type.

[@danielvila4485]

I loosened the spring on the left side and the door went down a bit. However, when I loosened up the right side I did't feel any tension on the spring. What's wrong? Is this normal? Any suggestions guys?

[@KenMatthews-bd3ok]

I cleaned my garage door, where dust would collect... ...energy statement