logo
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Door Types
  • Commercial
  • Gates
  • Locations
  • Gallery
  • Contact
  • Home

  • About Us

  • Services

  • Gate

  • Gallery

  • Blog

  • Contact Us

  • Residential

  • Commercial

logo

All You Must Know about Garage Door Hinges

The panels of sectional garage doors bend and turn as they move upwards and over your vehicle thanks to the hinges. These are the tiny garage door parts no one really notices but everybody needs to operate the door. They connect the panels of sectional doors together but also each panel with the rollers. And although garage door hinges look similar, they are not all the same but they are all very important. So here are a few things you need to know about hinges.

The role of garage door hinges

Sectional garage doors consist of several panels, which are connected withgarage door hinges hinges. These are also known as center hinges as opposed to the end hinges, which are found at the edges of each panel. The end hinges are the connecting point of the door and the garage door tracks. Since the movement of the door is possible thanks to the rollers that glide through the tracks, there is an end hinge secured on the edge side of each panel – apart from the bottom which wears a bracket. The garage door rollers run through the end hinges and thus the door moves up and down.

Low-gauge vs high-gauge garage door hinges

One of the main distinctions among garage door hinges is their durability. This is defined by the thickness of steel and thus the number of steel gauge is an important consideration. You need to remember that the lower the gauge number, the thicker and thus stronger the hinge is. And so the heavier the garage door, the lower-gauge hinge you need.

Take commercial garage doors. They are usually very heavy and large and so it is wise to operate with 11-gauge hinges. Since the upper part of heavy doors supports most of the door’s weight, it’s vital that the hinges installed at the higher points of the door are made of low-gauge steel.

Now, most residential garage doors come with 18-gauge hinges. These are actually very thin hinges and thus susceptible to early damage and breakage. Although they might be alright for lightweight doors, it’s always best to get at least 14-gauge hinges for residential doors.

Safety garage door hinges

Many garage door accidents occur when people’s fingers are trapped in the hinges. For the avoidance of such injuries, manufacturers have come up with innovative ideas. The safety garage door hinges leave no room for fingers and so accidents are out of question.

How to order hinges for your own garage door

There is usually a number stamped on garage door hinges. This number indicates the position of hinges on the overhead garage door and thus the vendor can send you the right product. #1 hinges are usually the center ones while the #2 ones are the end hinges. If you cannot find the number, measure the distance of the hinge from the bottom to the center of the top circle. In order to do that accurately, the hinge must lay on a flat surface.

If the existing hinges broke earlier than expected, get stronger ones. In other words, get lower-gauge hinges. The more durable they are, the most expensive they get. But overall, their price is not expensive and the cost difference is compensated by the longevity of the low-gauge hinges since they are durable enough to withstand stress.

One last tip: lubricate the pivot points of hinges during garage door maintenance. Lubes help them operate silently and resist elements and thus corrosion that will require garage door hinges replacement.

Back to Blog

Call Us: 713-730-2797

Email Us: [email protected]

Contact us
Categories
  • Articles (66)
  • Commercial (3)
  • Garage Construction (2)
  • Garage Doors (18)
  • Garage Doors Projects (2)
  • Gates (2)
  • Maintenance (3)
  • Openers (2)
  • Springs (2)
Archives
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
logo

GDS and Repair Inc,4660 Beechnut st
unit 225 Houston Texas 77096

Phone: 713-730-2797

Copyrights © 2021 All Rights Reserved by