You may often face problems due to your garage door, and one of them is a loose chain. When the chain is loose, it knocks against the rail and produces lots of noise. Not only is this noise annoying, but a loose chain also makes the whole system of the door less efficient. This issue occurs in those doors that operate with a chain drive opener. The chain becomes loose because of the weight of the door and the vibrations caused by the motor. Sometimes a loose chain can even cause your garage door to jump off the track, which can be quite dangerous. This chain is usually tightened as part of regular garage door maintenance, but it is something that you can do yourself as well.
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Start by Taking Precautions
A professional repairman or opener chain repair technician should be consulted if you think that you can’t repair the opener chain entirely by yourself. But having the proper equipment and taking precautions can solve this problem. Be certain to cut the power supply off from the door and turn the switch or circuit breakers off before starting the process. If the garage door is connected to the power cord, unplug it completely. Then, take the necessary precautions, such as wearing appropriate gloves and goggles to minimize the risk of injury. Ensure that you have all the tools and equipment required for the repair work. The most important thing needed for repair is a ladder since the opener chain is connected from above.
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Disable the Door Opener
After taking the precautions, start by locating the garage door emergency release cable. This cable is either red or yellow and is hanging from the upper garage door. Once you have located this rope, all you have to do is pull it down. This will disable the door latch and prevent automatic control of the door. In other words, you can put your garage door in manual mode with the help of this step so that you can effectively repair the garage door chain.
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Disassemble the Opener Chain
A garage door opener chain is located on the door pulley. This characteristic chain has a tension bolt with a nut on the open end. A socket wrench should be used to remove this nut from the bolt. After that, use a screwdriver to remove the screw from the slot under the bolt. If the screws are removed, you can pull the chain from the pulley bar. This is when you must decide whether the chain needs to be replaced or repaired. If the chain is completely broken, get it replaced immediately. However, you can troubleshoot a loosened chain easily.
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Repairing the Loose Chain
Using an adjustable wrench, first, loosen the lock nut slightly. Then tighten the adjusting nut to increase the chain tension. The chain should be tensioned until it reaches about a quarter-inch above the rail for square rails and half an inch above the rail for trails. Make sure that the chain isn’t over-tightened as this will wear out the rollers after some time. Once the chain is adjusted to its desired tension, the lock nut should be tightened. You need to use two wrenches because one of the wrenches holds the adjustment nut, and the other turns the lock nut.
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Reconnect the Opener and the Power Supply
After reconnecting the opener, pull the manual release cable back towards the opener until the trolley locks into place. However, the trolley will automatically return to place when you kick the door open with the wall button. Turn the opener back on, and you’ll notice that the chain will start to sag a bit which is normal as the chain restores its tension afterward.
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Perform a Test Run
After you are done repairing the loosened chain, open and close the garage a couple of times to see if the problem is resolved. If the chain is still rattling against the rail or producing noise, you can repeat the procedure to tighten the adjusting screw once more. Once the issue resolves, there is no need to worry about the opener chain for at least a year. However, if the chain sags frequently, this is a sign that the chain or the garage door opener needs to be replaced.
Follow the method shared above to repair your garage door’s loose chain and avoid unnecessary problems and damages. If you can’t fix the chain yourself, hire a professional technician to do it for you.
