Garage Door Hinge Replacement

Garage door replacements are sometimes time-consuming and risky. Replacing a torsion spring, for example, can be a bit dangerous and you’ll need to take some steps to make the process safer. On the other hand, garage door hinge replacement is much less dangerous and it isn’t all that complex. But, you’ll still need to take certain steps in order to fix it properly.

In this article, we’re going to teach you how to properly replace the hinge on your garage door. If your garage door works poorly or doesn’t work at all, chances are that the hinge needs to be replaced.

Without further ado, let’s get to the nitty-gritty of the topic.

Identifying and Replacing the Broken Hinge

To fix your garage door, you need to find the corresponding hinge that’s broken. Well, this is easier said than done but you must understand that the garage door is a complex system. If you take a look from the inside, you can see that the hinges are sorted out at different spots. We’ve got hinges up to the right side, up to the left side, and in the middle. All of these have their own numbers and names, adding a pinch of a complexness to the problem. Let’s see how you can sort things out.

• When you take a look along each side of the door, from the bottom to top, you can see a lift bracket. This is NOT a hinge! The garage door’s lift spring is connected to the lift bracket with a lift cable. This cable is under tension when the garage door is closed, meaning that you’ll have to remove the tension before replacing the lift bracket.
• The next part on the same side, moving from the bottom, is called Hinge #1. This hinge connects two panels – the bottom panel and the panel above it.
• Above Hinge #1, we can also see Hinge #2. As we move towards the top of the door, we can see the next hinge, Hinge #3, etc.
• Along both sides, there’s a part at the top of the garage doors and this part is called top roller carrier. It carries the top roller along the side of the garage, hence the name top roller carrier.
• Finally, it’s important to mention that ALL hinges in the center part of the garage door use Hinge #1.

Now, if you’ve identified the broken hinge, the rest of the job is easy. When you go to your local vendor, you can see a number stamped on the hinge, which indicates which type of hinge you’re looking at. For example, if Hinge #1 is broken, you’ll go to the store and buy exactly the same hinge with number #1. Sometimes, you won’t be able to do that, especially if we’re talking about the old garage door.

In that case, unscrew the hinge and bring it with yourself, then compare it with the new hinge you want to buy. If they aren’t identical, you want to buy one which is almost identical, to avoid potential malfunctions of your garage door when replacing the hinge.

Quality Over Savings

Always buy quality hinges. Never try to save on a new hinge, as the low-quality hinge will wear out much faster. If you still want to save cash, let’s do a bit of analysis and see if you’ll save some money.

Let’s begin with the residential doors. Here, you’re looking at a price of approximately $2 for a light-weight Hinge #1 made of 18-gauge steel or cheap plastic. As for the more quality hinges, you’ll pay anywhere from $3 to $4 for a heavy-duty Hinge #4, made of 14 or 11-gauge steel. Just for your information, a light-weight material always has a higher gauge number. In this case, the heavier material is 11-gauge steel, compared to the 18-gauge steel.

In most cases, the hinges with a higher number, Hinge #5 or #6, for example, cost more. Higher the hinge number, higher the price. In the example we’ve mentioned, it’s really not logical to go for a cheaper hinge. The cheaper one costs around $2 while for a dollar or two more, you get a sturdy, quality, and reliable hinge that’s going to last you quite long.

This begs the question – is it worth saving cash and buying a cheaper hinge? Definitely not.

Conclusion

Replacing the garage door hinge is very easy and once you’ve tried it a couple of times, it’s easier than ever. Alternatively, you can always pay someone to do that for you but for something this simple, you can always spare an hour or two and do it yourself. Just be sure to purchase the right hinge to avoid problems in the future and make your job a lot easier. See more from repair and maintenance.