Five Signs of Broken Garage Door Hinge and How to Fix It

There are many types of garage doors, and they all differ in the principle of operation. As a result, there are countless ways they can break down. One of the most common types of garage doors is hinged doors. The most frequent breakdown of such doors is a malfunction of the modern garage door hinges. This breakdown can catch you by surprise, and you need to solve it quickly. This article will explain this common issue and how to fix a broken garage door hinge.

Causes of Garage Door Hinges Breakage

Although garage hinges are an extremely simple mechanism at first glance, quite a few breakdowns can happen to them. It is worth talking about the main reasons for broken garage door hinges separately so that if something happens, you can recognize your problem.

Squeaky Noises

To start this list, the most common problem garage owners face with this type of door is the annoying creak when opening and closing the garage door. This problem can occur with any hinged door, regardless of the manufacturer or the cost of the hinges.

Stuck Hinge Pin

Sometimes, in addition to the squeak, you may notice that the smoothness of opening and closing of the door has disappeared, and now they take great effort. In addition, if your door has an automatic opening mechanism, this can create a substantial load on the mechanism. In the future, in addition to a broken hinge, you will have a broken opening mechanism. This problem is uncharacteristic for new doors and can be prevented with frequent check-ups. Find how to fix a broken garage door hinge with a stuck pin later in this article.

Loose Hinges

Even such a simple mechanism as a hinge is not immune to age-related breakdowns. Generally, the longer the hinge is used, the higher the chance that one of two problems will occur:

• The hinges get corroded and, as a result, shrink. In such cases, the door may stop opening completely.
• The hinges loosen, and the door starts to swing up and down when opened.

The weather conditions can also be the reasons for such changes. For example, if you live in a hot area, the metal on the hinges may begin to expand. With the systematic expansion and contraction, the loops can start to loosen. In addition, mechanical influences on the door (vibration, shock, etc.) can also lead to the loosening of the hinges. Finally, the incorrect installation of door hinges can also be one of the reasons.

Skewed Jamb

Hinges can also be influenced by whether the doorframe is flat or not. If the door closes at the wrong angle, the load on the hinges increases significantly. Hinges are the only mechanisms that hold the door in position, and if the load on some hinges is greater than on the others, it can easily lead to a broken hinge on a garage door. It also affects the smoothness of opening and closing the door.

Broken Hinge

The final problem with garage hinges is complete breakage. This can happen as a result of physical contact or the above reasons. For example, you could accidentally drive into the garage door and crush the door along with the hinges. In such a scenario, the hinges simply stop working, and an early replacement is needed since the load on unbroken hinges increases significantly. The final blow of broken hinges can be that the door simply collapses. Later in this article, you will find how to fix a garage door that fell off the hinges.

Ways to Fix Main Garage Door Hinge Breakages

So, we have sorted out the main types of problems with hinges that you can encounter while using them. Now is the time to talk about fixing them and ensuring that the hinged door serves you for a long time.

Fixing Squeaky Sounds

This problem is widespread, but it is also the easiest to solve. Here is how to fix a hinge on a garage door with this issue: simply use a WD40 spray can! Spray several times in the gaps of the hinges, and your problem should be gone. If it doesn’t work, you can pull out the hinge pin and also spray it with WD40 spray. If you do not know how to fix a noisy garage door opener without this spray, you can use regular medical petroleum jelly.

Fixing a Stuck Hinge Pin

This garage door hinge problem is already a little more serious. To solve it, you need to remove the stuck hinge pins, and most likely, it will help solve this issue. However, if the door still does not close smoothly, you need to change the entire hinge.

Fixing Loosened Hinges

Despite the seeming severity of the malfunction, chances are you will be able to solve it yourself. You can tighten garage door hinge bolts back without the need for any special tools. However, if the issue persists, we advise you to contact a specialist since most likely the issue lies elsewhere.

Fixing a Skewed Jamb

At first glance, the solution to this problem lies only in the complete dismantling of the door and repair work to align the door frame. This is only partially true. These are drastic measures that are needed in advanced cases. In some cases, it can be easily solved. If the door frame is half an inch from the door, you can use any spacer to compensate for this distance. However, if significantly larger, you still have to dismantle the door and level the jamb.

Fixing a Broken Garage Door Hinge

If your garage hinge is broken, nothing will help you except replacing broken garage door hinges. This process is often straightforward and can be done by hand. However, if you do not have the time or the necessary skills, you can turn to specialists for help, and they will quickly replace the hinges. If your door has fallen off its hinges due to breakage, it is worth replacing all the hinges completely. If it were badly damaged due to the fall, you wouldn’t be able to do it without calling the repairman.

Consider STI Garage Door for Quality Repairing and Maintenance of Your Garage Doors

Breakage of garage doors can catch you by surprise, and you will need to address it urgently. In addition, no one canceled the need to carry out preventive work with the door mechanisms to serve for a long time and reduce the risk of possible breakdowns. To help you with these tasks, STI Garage Door has a huge staff of specialists who can help you with:

• Door installation
• Garage door replacement services
• Garage door opener replacement
• Maintenance services for garage doors
• Repair and maintenance of springs
• Insulation services
• High-tech openers installation

You just need to contact us, tell us your problem with the garage door, and we will come up with the best solution to fix it.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, garage hinges are not the ultimate way to avoid door breakage. Even such a simple and seemingly durable mechanism can fail from time or physical impact. However, all possible breakdowns are easily eliminated both by hand and with the help of experts. So you can be sure that a broken garage door hinge is not the end of the world, and you will have a perfectly working garage door again in a short time.

STI Garage Door

Operating in the garage door industry for over 25 years, STI Garage Door is dedicated to quality service and excellence in everything.

The company is a proud partner to the top brands in the field — LiftMaster for commercial door openers and Amarr and Clopay for residential and commercial doors.