Safety first
The springs and cables on a panel door are under high tension and hold the door's full weight. Do not loosen or undo anything on the springs, the cables or the brackets at the bottom of the door. If the door is crooked, heavy, off its tracks or has been hit, keep clear of it and call us.
How a panel door works
A panel door is made of rigid sections, called panels, joined by hinges. It is also called a sectional door. Rollers, which are small wheels on each edge of the door, run in a track on each side. When the door opens, the panels travel up the tracks, around a curve and back along the garage ceiling.
Springs carry the weight. Panel doors are generally fitted with torsion springs, which are coils wound around a shaft above the opening. They twist tight as the door closes and give that energy back as it opens. Extension springs, which run along the side tracks and stretch, are more typical of older, lighter doors.
A lift cable on each side runs from a bracket at the bottom corner of the door up to a drum on the spring shaft. A panel door can weigh close to 200 kg or more, yet one in good order moves with light effort. Opener makers expect a door to need no more than about 15 to 20 kg of effort to move by hand.
- Panels. The rigid sections that make up the door.
- Hinges. Join each panel to the next.
- Rollers. Small wheels on the door's edges that run in the tracks.
- Tracks. One each side. They go up beside the opening, curve, then run back along the ceiling.
- Torsion spring. Wound around the shaft. It carries the door's weight.
- Shaft. The bar above the opening that the spring sits on.
- Cable drums. On the shaft. Each lift cable runs up to one.
- Lift cables. One each side, from the bottom bracket up to the drum.
- Bottom brackets. Hold the lower end of each cable. Never undo them.
- Opener rail. Runs from the motor on the ceiling to the door.
Where the opener fits
The opener for a panel door sits in the middle of the garage ceiling, with a rail running to the door. It is not designed to do the springs' job. Running it when a spring has broken can damage the opener or make the door move unsafely.
A panel door has many moving parts, so it tends to need more upkeep than a roller door. If your door is one ribbed sheet that winds up above the opening, see roller door repairs instead.
Common panel door problems and what they usually mean
Dented or damaged panels
A damaged panel does not always mean a new door. One panel can often be replaced on its own, as long as the frame and tracks are sound and the same panel profile, meaning its shape and pattern, is still made. Send a photo with your quote request and we can give you a rough estimate first. If a new door turns out to be the better choice, onsite quotes for new doors are free.
A car has hit the door
Do not try to open or close it. Switch the opener off, keep clear and call. Whether the door can be repaired depends on how bad the damage is, the type of door, whether parts can be supplied, and whether the tracks or the frame were hit too. Photos help us give first advice.
If the door cannot be closed, ring the emergency line on 03 8789 9398. We aim to have a technician there the same day to fix the door or make it safe.
Door off its tracks
A door leaves its tracks for a reason. It may have been bumped by a car, the rollers may be worn or damaged, a cable may have broken, a track may be bent or out of line, or something may be caught in the track. Switch the opener off and do not force the door back. AGG Doors has Melbourne-wide service details on its out-of-track repairs page.
Hangs crooked, or one side sits lower
This points to cable trouble. Other signs are jerky or uneven travel, a cable that looks frayed, kinked or rusty, or a snap or bang just before the door stopped working. The cables carry the full weight of the door, so stop using it. A broken spring can also leave a door sitting crooked. AGG Doors covers the Melbourne-wide service on its cable replacement page.
Noise, shaking or jerky travel
Noise usually means the rollers, hinges or springs need lubricating or replacing, or that a part has worn or moved out of line. Shaking can come from loose hardware, worn rollers, a track out of line or springs out of balance. Jerky movement is one of the signs a door is due for a service.
Broken spring
The usual signs are a loud bang from the garage, a door that suddenly feels very heavy, a motor that runs while the door lifts only a little, or a visible gap in the spring. Stop using the opener. Springs are typically rated for about 10,000 to 20,000 cycles, where one cycle is one open and one close, so a busy door wears through them sooner. If the door is stuck shut, see garage door won't open.
Very noisy, or reverses while closing
Dust and dirt in the tracks and hinges can make a door very noisy, or make it reverse on the way down. Steel-Line, one of the door makers, names brick dust in new estates as one source. Clean the tracks as set out below. If the door still will not shut, see garage door won't close.
What you can safely do yourself
- Keep the tracks clean and dry. B&D's advice is to wipe inside them about every four to six weeks with a soft cloth dampened with mineral turps or methylated spirits.
- Never put oil or grease in the tracks. It collects dirt and dust and stops the rollers running smoothly.
- Put a little oil on the hinge points and on the roller stems, which are the pins that hold the rollers. Wipe off the excess. Makers differ on the details, so follow the manual for your door.
- Look, but do not touch. Check for frayed or broken cable strands, a gap in the spring, and parts that look worn or loose. If you find any, stop using the door and call.
- Wash the door with clean water about once a month.
- Do not paint the tracks, rollers, hinges, cables, springs or lock.
What to leave alone
Leave the springs, the shaft, the cables and the bottom brackets alone. The force stored in the springs is roughly equal to the weight of the door. Steel-Line tells owners never to loosen a fastener on the bottom brackets or the spring assembly, because the spring can unwind or the door can fall. It also says replacing springs or cables is dangerous work for trained door technicians only.
What a panel door repair visit involves
The call-out to a Rowville address is $249. That covers GST and the technician's labour while on site. Parts and bigger repairs are priced before any work starts, and you decide whether to go ahead.
| Job | Price AGG Doors publishes |
|---|---|
| Call-out visit | $249, including labour on site |
| One torsion spring replaced | from $459 |
| Set of two torsion springs replaced | from $699 |
| Cables replaced, drums at the front of the door | from $449 |
| Cables replaced, drums at the rear | from $539 |
Prices include GST. Spring jobs get a fixed quote on site once the door has been measured. The cable drums sit at the front on some doors and at the rear on others, and the technician will tell you which yours has. After-hours call-outs cost more, and the rate is confirmed on the phone. See the repair cost guide for the other prices AGG Doors publishes.
Most off-track repairs take 30 to 60 minutes. A cable replacement takes about an hour, or up to an hour and a half when the drums are at the rear. If a part is not on the van, the technician makes the door safe and secure before leaving and comes back with the part.
AGG Doors keeps parts for current and discontinued doors at its Hallam warehouse and works on almost every brand sold in Australia, including B&D, Steel-Line, Gliderol and Firmadoor. Repair workmanship is covered for three months, and new parts supplied and fitted are covered for one year.
Panel door questions
Can you replace one panel instead of the whole door?
Often, yes. It works when the frame and tracks are in good order and a panel with the same profile is still made. Send us photos and we can give you first advice.
A car hit my garage door. Can it be fixed?
Sometimes. It depends on how much is damaged, the type of door, whether parts are available, and whether the tracks or frame were hit. Leave the door where it is, switch off the opener and send us photos.
My door has come off its tracks. Can I push it back?
No. Do not force it. There is usually a cause behind it, such as a worn roller, a broken cable or a bent track, and that needs fixing too. Switch the opener off, keep clear and call.
Why is one side of my door lower than the other?
A cable is the likely cause, and a broken spring can do it too. The cables hold the whole weight of the door, so stop using it until it has been checked.
Should I grease the tracks?
No. Grease in the tracks gathers dirt and dust, and the rollers stop running smoothly. Keep the tracks clean and dry, and oil the hinge points and roller stems as your door's manual says.
How long does a panel door repair take?
It depends on the fault. Most off-track repairs take 30 to 60 minutes, and a cable replacement takes about an hour.
How often should a panel door be serviced?
AGG Doors recommends at least once a year for a home door, and every six months for a door used by three or more cars. A standard home service starts from $249 including GST, Monday to Friday.
Can you fit a motor to my manual panel door?
Yes. Adding a motor to a panel door generally costs $999 to $1,699 supplied and installed. The springs have to be doing their job first, because an opener is not made to do it for them.