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PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE TIPS TO KEEP YOUR GARAGE DOOR RUNNING SMOOTHING FOR DECADES

The garage door is the largest moving part in your home and you use it multiple times each day in all seasons and at any hour. In order to make sure that your garage door keeps operating smoothly for many decades, you need to take some time for its regular preventive care and maintenance. Buy DIY garage door parts to keep your garage door in perfect working order. Here is a list of 10 preventive maintenance tips to help homeowners take care of their garage doors.

1. Keep your eyes and ears open

Carefully observe the garage door in action every single time it is used. Notice whether it is moving smoothly or if there are some jerks when it's in motion. Carefully listen for any grinding or scraping noise. It should operate silently. Also, take a close look at both sides of the system including the cables, pulleys and springs. Both sides should look symmetrical.

2. Hardware tightening

In a typical home, a garage door moves up and down at least a thousand times each year. Simply put, there is a lot of vibration and movement and it can lead to loose hardware. Routinely check all the roller brackets. Tighten them with a socket wrench.

3. Balance check

If the garage door isn't balanced properly, it will put extra load on the opener and that will lead to reduced service life.

To test the balance, pull the release handle (usually a red cord) to disconnect the opener. Move the door halfway up manually. It should stay put but if it doesn't, it means that the counterweight system of your door (springs) isn't properly balanced. Call in professionals to adjust the garage door spring.

4. Check the rollers

Rollers in the garage door are made of either steel or nylon. You need to inspect these at least twice a year. Also, rollers should be replaced every 7 years. You might have to replace them earlier in case your garage door is used multiple times a day.

It is recommended to replace cracked, chipped or worn-out rollers as quickly as possible. Replacing the roller involves removal and reinstallation of roller brackets that are not directly attached to the cable system.

5. Weatherstripping replacement

There is a rubber weather seal strip at the bottom of garage door. Check it and in case it is cracked or brittle, you need to replace it right away in order to prevent elements from getting into your house. You can buy weather stripping at the hardware and home improvement stores by the foot. Just buy the size you need and insert it into the grooves. Make sure the wide angle of flange remains inside the door.

6. Lubrication

If you want to ensure years of seamless operation for your door, remember to lubricate moving garage door parts regularly. After all, it will cost only 10 minutes in a year. White lithium grease should be used on the opener’s screws or chain, and use a spray lubricant for coating the overhead springs. These lubricants should be easily available from the garage door specialist.

7. Cable check

Do not ever think of playing with the high tension cables responsible for lifting the garage door as there is enough tension in these cables to maim and kill. However, nothing is stopping you from checking their condition. You should check it in order to figure out whether you need the services of a professional. Take a close look at the cable for any damage or broken stands near the bottom roller bracket.

8. Check the auto-reverse safety features

Your door has mechanical as well as photocell mechanisms. For testing the mechanical feature, take a piece of wood or a brick and place it on the ground in the path of garage door. Your garage door should reverse direction on touching that object and should go back up again. In order to test the second feature, which is the photoelectric system with beams on either side, you need to close the door and place your leg in the path of the door, and the door should reverse direction.

In case your garage door opener is more than 2 decades old, these basic safety features might be missing. If that is the case, you should seriously consider buying a new garage door opener.

9. Keep tracks clear

There are tracks on both sides of the garage door and there shouldn't be any debris on these tracks. It is also recommended to use a level to check the plumb of the door. In case any major adjustments are required to be made to the tracks, call in a professional garage door technician to do the job.

10. Garage door grooming 

Remember to take care of the door itself. In case you have a wooden door, check it for warping and water damage in addition to chipped and peeling paint. In case it's a steel door, check it for any rust spots and make sure the spots are sanded, primed and painted. Use a mild all-purpose cleaner to wash the garage door regularly. In fact, do it when you wash your car.

 

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