Garage doors are expensive and perhaps the largest moving part in your home. No one wants to keep changing garage doors every quarter and that’s why regular maintenance is important.
To keep that expensive and important part of your home moving fine you need to pay attention to its needs. Yes, it has needs.
The garage door is used several times a day and just like any other machine or treatment used regularly, there needs to be regular maintenance.
It is common to find garage doors being neglected throughout the year. Neglecting your garage door can lead to damage to your automatic garage door opener which is expensive to replace.
Here are tips to keep your garage door working fine.
Check the Tightness of the Hardware
You need to routinely check the hardware tightness of the garage door to ensure loosened parts are tightened. It is not unusual to find loose parts of a moving garage door, your aim is to ensure these parts stay tightened and never fall off.
These parts include bolts and roller brackets. You can handle the tightening yourself if you have the right tools.
Test Your Garage Door Balance
If your garage door is balanced properly your automatic garage door opener has little work to do when you’re opening or closing the door. Inversely, an improperly balanced door will mean too much stress on the opener.
How do you test the balance of your garage door?
First, remove the opener by pulling the release which is usually a red handle. You can then open or lower the door halfway depending on its starting position. If the door stays in the halfway position without your help, then the door is balanced. If however, the door begins to slide up or go down after you leave it, it means it is improperly balanced and the spring tension needs adjustment.
Adjusting the spring tension may require the help of professionals. If you stay around Los Angeles, you can contact a garage door repairing service in Los Angeles.
Watch and Listen
Perhaps the most critical step in ensuring your door doesn’t break down, the ”watch and listen” technique is widely used to discover problems on machines of different types.
When using the door, watch and listen closely paying attention to how it works and the sound it produces. A shaky movement and squeaky sound may indicate a problem that needs fixing urgently.
Lubricate All Moving Parts
The wear and tear on moving parts can be reduced by lubrication. This allows the parts to glide over each other without stress.
Lubricating moving parts takes only a few minutes to complete but its effects will help save you a lot of stress and money.
Use spray lubricants to coat overhead springs and white lithium grease to coat the opener’s screw or chain.
Check the Auto-Reverse Safety Features
These safety features ensure the door doesn’t damage anything under it when it is closing. There are two safety mechanisms to test; the mechanical and photocell safety mechanisms.
To test the mechanical safety, place a block of wood on the floor under the path of the door then close the door. If the door reverses when it touches the brick, the mechanical safety is active.
To test the photocell safety feature, when the door is closing, simply pass your leg under the door. If the door reverses, the safety feature is active.
Some older doors may be lacking these important safety features. Consider changing your door if it doesn’t have these safety features.
Check the Cables and Pulley System
The lift cables and pulleys at the bottom roller brackets of your garage door help to safely lower and lift the door. These cables should be inspected regularly to check for broken strands or signs of wear and tear.
Because of the high tension in these strings, it is advised not to touch the strings or try to fix them and that can be dangerous. You can seek the help of professionals near you if you notice any string damage.
Conclusion
Regular maintenance yearly will save you a lot of stress and money and let you enjoy your garage door for years.
As you can see, these maintenance tips hardly require a lot of time to carry out.