As long as it’s safe, we’re always here for some pro tips on fixing your garage door yourself. But, just like anything, the field of garage doors and garage door openers has its own set of field-specific terms that can get confusing if you don’t know what you’re looking for. There’s a bunch of them, but you don’t need to become a professional exterior door repairman; you just need a primer to get yourself through a couple YouTube videos. And as long as you’re not trying to DIY repairs on your garage door springs, we’re here for it.
ASTRAGAL
The weather stripping that runs along the bottom of the garage door.
BACK HANGS
Vertical supports for the horizontal overhead track on the garage door’s opening infrastructure.
DEAD LOAD
The weight of the garage door.
EXTENSION SPRINGS
One of two main types of garage door springs. They come in a pair that run along either side of the garage door tracks and use tension to help the garage door opener lift and lower the door.
HORIZONTAL TRACK
The overhead guide track for the garage door that runs from the top of the closed door along the ceiling to the garage door opener’s motor.
JAMB SEAL
The weather stripping that runs up the sides of the garage door along the door jambs.
PHOTO SENSOR EYES
The small motion sensors set at the bottom of either side of the garage door jamb.
ROLLER ASSEMBLY
The rollers that allow the door to move up and down within the track, plus the axels that attach the rollers to the garage door.
TORSION SPRINGS
One of two main types of garage door springs. These sit at the top center of the inside of the garage door and use torque to help the garage door opener lift and lower the door.
TORSION SPRING COUNTERBALANCE
Garage door parts that convert the raw torque of a torsion spring into lifting power.
TRACK(S)
Metal tracks that run vertically along the sides of the garage door and horizontally along the ceiling of the garage. They guide the door while it’s moving.
WIND LOAD
How much wind force a garage door can take when in the closed position.