How to adjust a garage door chain – useful tips to tighten the chain drive

Among the most common garage door problems is a loose chain that makes the door ram against the rail noisily. It is annoying and can lead to multiple problems if left as it is. For example, it can make the opener less efficient by forcing it to do more work. Don’t worry, though, because we come bearing good news. 

Tightening the garage door chain should be a part of your maintenance schedule but if you depend on the technician to do this for you, it’s totally okay. We have enlisted all the steps you should follow to safely adjust the door chain when you aren’t able to reach out for help and/or would like to try it on your own. Let’s begin.

How to adjust a garage door chain

The whole process is actually quite simple. Just like tightening any regular chain, all you need is to tighten the right bolt. You can find it at the point where the door connects to the track/rail. Kindly follow the steps below to DIY:

• Turn off the power supply to your garage door and disconnect the remote control opener.
• Find the adjustment bolt that we spoke about earlier with a step ladder. Look around the trolley assembly to find a threaded fastener. Around 2 screws will be attached to it.
• Take a half-inch wrench to loosen the locking nut. Don’t overdo it – a little loosening is more than enough. After this, tighten the nut to create tension. Tighten it well enough so that it is stable and sits in the middle.
• Now, tighten the locking nut back into its original position. 
• Safely come back down and reconnect your garage door to the power supply.
• Reconnect the opener.
• Try opening and closing the door at least a couple of times. 
• If it’s still slightly loose, tighten it a little more and test. 

Things to remember

• You might need to use two wrenches for this so that you hold the nut in place and tighten the locking nut at the same time.
• It is advisable that you have a partner to help you hold the wrenches or give you support as you work.
• If your garage door often loosens up, you might need to get it checked by a professional. It might indicate a bigger problem and may need replacement.

FAQs

Now we shall answer a few FAQs that you may have about your garage door and its chain:

1) Why did my garage door chain break?

It is probably because the sprocket has broken, causing the chain to break and hang. 

2) Do garage door chains stretch?

They don’t really stretch but they loosen over time.

3) Why is my garage door chain not moving?

There can be a few reasons behind this such as the door being too heavy and the motor head’s force settings being too high. 

4) Why is my garage door so hard to open manually?

The garage door may be clogged or misaligned. It may also be damaged. Have a technician look at it to get to the root cause.

If any of the steps is unclear or if you have any other questions, please contact us. We are here to guide you through the process and help you as much as we can.