Most homeowners neglect the importance of garage door maintenance. This is a shame since you need to respect a seasonal maintenance and inspection routine that is done 2 times per year. Whenever garage doors are neglected, way too much stress is put on the automatic garage door opener. Just a couple of hours will be enough.
Proper maintenance ensures that the safety features of your garage door and opener are working correctly, which can help prevent accidents and injuries. A balanced and well-maintained garage door will operate more efficiently and smoothly, saving wear and tear on the opener and reducing energy consumption.
Additionally, cleaning and maintaining the exterior of your garage door can improve its appearance and keep it looking new. Also, check if your garage doors still fall under warranty; in that case, some repairs needed to be done might be covered by it.
Remember the fact that maintenance is vital for both your car and the garage, including all parts. When you own a vehicle, you opt for an extended insurance policy, like olive’s Hyundai extended warranty solutions. You do this to protect yourself against how much money you would have to pay for future repairs. Fortunately, with garage doors, you just need to follow some simple maintenance steps.
Investigate The Door For Problems
You want to listen to your door when it operates and watch it as often as possible. As you notice jerky movements, scraping sounds, or grating, just get the garage door checked. The well-tuned, well-maintained garage door is quiet when it moves down and up. No jerkiness should be seen. Analyze cables, pulleys, and springs. Every part needs to look symmetrical.
Aside from the noise it makes, you need to check for rust on the hardware, tracks, and rollers. Rust can weaken the metal and cause the hardware to malfunction or break. It would help if you also made sure the safety features of your garage door opener, such as the automatic reverse and safety sensors, are working correctly. Test them by placing an object, such as a block of wood, in the path of the closing door and ensure it stops and reverses when it comes into contact with the object.
Clear Garage Door Tracks
Look at both door sides and inspect tracks. You want to be sure they are completely free of rust and debris. A level can be utilized to make sure garage door tracks are perfectly vertical, together with all their vertical sections. Small adjustments can be made by you. However, the major track adjustments should only be carried out by an experienced technician.
Tighten Garage Door Hardware
A normal garage door will move up and down hundreds of times per year. This creates vibration and the motion can end up loosening the door or the track hardware. Due to this, make sure you check brackets securing the garage door tracks to your ceiling and wall, together with fasteners that anchor the opener unit. Socket wrenches can be utilized to tighten up the bolts that are loose.
Inspect Garage Door Rollers
You need to inspect garage door rollers 2 times per year. Every 5 to 7 years, they have to be replaced. As you carry out the inspection, respect rollers whenever you notice they are worn out, cracked, or chipped. Rollers can usually be removed with the removal of the brackets that hold them down.
Check the tracks for dirt, leaves, or other debris that can cause the rollers to get stuck or malfunction. Make sure the rollers are appropriately aligned with the tracks. If the rollers are not aligned, the door may not operate smoothly, and it will cause more wear and tear on the rollers.
Check Pulleys And Cables
Garage doors have pulleys and lift cables. They attach right to the bottom brackets of the roller. As a result, you get a connection between the garage door and its springs, so it makes it easier to both lower and lift your door.
Springs and cables should never be touched by the homeowner. They are dangerous because of the high-tension they are connected to. Whenever you notice signs of wear or broken strands, the best thing you can do is to contact a professional garage door serviceman.
Lubricate Moving Parts
Whoever installs the garage door can tell you what lubrication to use. You have to basically lubricate all the moving parts of the garage door system two times per year. The very common option is lithium grease. After you use the grease, remove all the excess.
