Rated Proper Garage Door Maintenance
Repairs for a malfunctioning garage door can be expensive, leaving a massive dent in a homeowner’s budget. Routine garage door maintenance will help increase the longevity of your garage door and reduce the chances of it breaking down. Proper maintenance routines involve tightening up hardware, testing the door balance, and a close inspection of its moving parts. In order to help make sure that you perform all the necessary actions to improve the health of your garage door, follow this proper garage door maintenance guide.
1. An Inspection
Inspecting your garage door at least once a year is extremely important in catching any potential problems. When starting your inspection, you are going to what to pay close attention to the way your garage door opens. Garage doors should open smoothly without jerking around too much, and it should remain relatively quiet and free of any kind of grinding sounds. When you are looking at the inside of your garage door, you will want to pay particular attention to how the system looks. If everything is set up and tightened properly, springs, pulleys, and cables should be symmetrical with each other.
Finally, you will want to check the outside of the garage door for signs of damage such as dents, warping, or rust. If you notice any of these signs, it may be time to talk to a garage door technician about the health of your garage door, and whether or not it should be replaced.
2. Tightening Up
Over time, the constant vibrations from the garage door opening and closing can result in some of the hardware coming loose. If not monitored closely, these problems can remain unnoticed and result in a malfunction with your garage door which could potentially lead to an accident. You will want to check and tighten all roller brackets and bolts with a socket wrench to ensure that they are secured properly.
3. Testing the Garage Door Balance
The opener for your garage door is normally under a fair amount of stress. A garage door that is not properly balanced can increase this pressure, resulting in the opener working harder which will eventually cause it to break down. You will want to test the balance of your garage door at least once a year to ensure that the balance is spot on.
To do this, you will want to disconnect the opener by pulling on the release handle. On most garage doors, this handle is usually a red cord. Once the opener has been disconnected, manually move the door halfway up. If the door doesn’t stay in place, then the counterweight, which is the springs, are not balanced properly. If this is the case, you will want to contact a garage door technician to balance them for you.
4. Inspect Rollers
Rollers should be inspected at least twice a year to check for signs of wear or damage. You will want to be on the lookout for any chipping or cracking, as these can be potentially hazardous. If your rollers are damaged or they are over seven years old, you will want to get them professionally inspected immediately to avoid a potential accident or serious damage to your garage door.
5. Weatherstripping
Weatherstripping is essential for improving the energy efficiency of your home, keeping out the elements and insects, and maintaining a dry garage. If the rubber weatherstrip is cracked, you will want to replace it as soon as possible. New weatherstripping will help keep you mice, rats, and other varmints.
6. Lubricate Any Moving Parts
Moving parts that are grinding together is never a good sign, as it can increase the amount of wear they receive. If you lubricate the moving parts at least once a year, the longevity of your garage door will significantly increase, saving you money in the long run. For the best results, you will want to use garage door lube on the opener’s chain or screw, as well as on the overhead springs. For the overhead springs, you will want to make sure they are thoroughly coated.
7. Test the Auto-Reverse Safety Features
All newer garage doors are installed with an auto-reverse safety feature to lessen the chance of accidents. This safety feature operates by using two different mechanisms, the mechanical and the photocell. In order to ensure that your auto-reverse safety feature is working properly, you will want to test both of these mechanisms, on a regular basis.
The Mechanical Side
To test the mechanical side of your garage door’s auto-reverse safety feature, simply place a 2×4 block or similarly sized object in the path of the door. As the door is coming down, it should touch the object and immediately reverse in direction. If it doesn’t, it means that the mechanical side of the auto-reverse safety feature is malfunctioning and needs to be fixed by a garage door technician as soon as possible.
The Photocell
The photocell is the sensor that tells the garage door that something has moved underneath its path and it should either stop or reverse (depending on your model). To test this, close the door and quickly pass a broom handle underneath the door. The sensor should pick it up and force the door to stop or reverse in direction. If it doesn’t, you will want to contact a garage door technician to either fix the sensor or replace the auto-reverse safety feature on the door.
Maintaining your garage door is the best way to ensure that you and your family can take advantage of its many benefits for years to come. If you are experiencing any problems or are noticing something is not right about your garage door, you need to contact the professionals at Action Garage Door. Our team is dedicated to improving the safety and longevity of your garage by providing high-quality service.
