Garage Door Parts: The Basics
Garage door parts are not that hard to find. If you have some broken parts, just go online and look for that specific component that would replace them. However, it's important to know what it is you're looking for so that your search can go smoothly. That means you have to have a fundamental knowledge of the basic parts of a garage door. So keep reading if you want to have a crash course on what the basic parts are and their uses.
The first thing is the basic door that's made up of a panel with many sections. The panels can both be made of wood or steel and reinforced with stiles that are interconnected with the hinges and rollers. The door is usually 7 ft high or so with an average thickness of 25-gauge.
 The next door part is the bottom bracket. These are actually structured supports that are built to provide an attachment for the lifting cables. Here's a tip, don't mess around with this (such as tightening and loosening the screws) if you aren't sure they need replacing.
Another important garage door part is the torsion spring. The torsion spring is the one that does all the opening and closing of a garage door through the winding of the lifting cables on drums. These cable drums come with the torsion spring and are basically just grooved drums on the torsion spring shaft that the lifting cables use to be wound onto whenever the door opens.
Some garage doors use extension springs instead of torsion springs. They are the counterbalance springs that provides the force for lifting through stretching. That's why they are usually called stretch springs too. Some people like to customize their garage doors with these because they are easy to install. They are mounted to the rear track hangers and are also attached to a pulley at the other end.
Another garage door part that's worthy of mention is the basic roller that lets sections freely roll along the tracks of the door. There are many types, such as the steel ball bearings, ball nylons, heavy duties, and standards, just to mention some.
A small window is also built onto the upper part of the garage door (usually a Window Lite). It's basically just a glazed section that's either made of glass, fiberglass, or maybe clear acrylic so as to allow for light to reach into the garage or simply just to provide some visibility.
Materials of garage doors vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some are built with traditional wooden frames and structures and some are made of steel (which is the most popular choice of many garage owners) that can easily be painted to look like wood. Some garage doors are also made from aluminum (lighter and less expensive but prone to dents) and some are the vinyl types. Some are even made of wood composite (which means they are made from recycled wood fibers).
Garage door parts can be easily replaced, but that doesn't mean that you should try doing the work yourself. Hire a professional because only they can guarantee a safe and secure way of refitting those nuts and bolts.
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