Your garage door is an important entry point to your home. In addition, it ensures the safety of your vehicles and belongings. However, garage doors are prone to wear and tear over time, just like any mechanical system. Damage or issues with your garage door can disrupt normal operation, compromising the security of your vehicles and home.
By implementing preventive maintenance, you can minimize these issues and repairs. You might wonder about the maintenance a garage door needs to prolong its life. Fortunately, we have several tips for you.
Common Garage Door Problems Homeowners Face
When you install a garage door, you hope that it will serve you without any issues. After years of regular use, you may start noticing damage on the door, especially if you’ve been avoiding garage door maintenance. Here are some common garage door issues many homeowners experience:
- Unbalanced garage door
- Broken spring
- Nonfunctioning rollers
- Slow garage door
- Broken opener
Regular garage door upkeep can help avoid these issues.
Garage Door Maintenance Tips and Tricks
You want your garage door to work whenever you need it. You want the door to operate swiftly when you get home late at night or want to leave home in a hurry. This is why you need to implement preventive maintenance for garage doors.
Lubricate the Moving Parts
Garage doors have many moving parts that facilitate movement when opening and closing. Lubricating these components can prevent premature wear and tear on them and make the garage door last longer. Use silicone-based lubricants to grease rollers, springs, hinges and tracks according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
In addition to being a preventive measure, lubrication can solve some existing garage door issues. For example, if your door opens slowly, lubrication may fix the problem by eliminating friction.
Test Safety Features
Safety features are some of the most critical parts of your garage door. You should test them to ensure they’re always working. Some of these features are the mechanical auto-reverse and photoelectric sensor, which prevent the door from closing on objects.
Clear the garage door’s path, and place an object to test whether the safety features work. The door should automatically detect the obstruction and reverse its motion. If it fails to do so, there may be an issue with the sensors. Call a skilled garage door technician to assist you.
Ensure the Door Is Either Closed or Open All the Way
This is one of the most important residential garage door maintenance tips to avoid repairs and enhance your home’s safety. If the door is midway or partially open, you don’t know which way it will go when you activate it. A sudden movement in an unexpected direction can cause damage, especially if heavy objects are in the door’s path. If your door won’t close or open fully, contact a professional to address the issue.
Maintain Proper Balance
An unbalanced door could indicate faulty springs. If left unsolved, the unbalanced garage door can cause problems with other parts, such as the opener. Test the door to ensure it opens and closes smoothly without any imbalance. You can test it by manually opening and closing the door. When closing or opening, the door should not go up or down over one foot. If the door is unbalanced, call a technician to fix it.
Besides testing for balance, always watch the door when it’s moving. This will help you catch problems early before they evolve into major issues.
Tighten Hardware
The repeated use of garage doors creates a vibration that can cause bolts and nuts to loosen over time. You can use a screwdriver and socket wrench to quickly tighten the bolts, roller brackets and nuts. However, don’t overtighten them because it can lead to damage and faster wear. Avoid tightening hardware located at the bottom roller fixture or red-painted hardware. Adjusting or tightening these hardware parts can compromise safety or damage your door. Leave these components to the professionals.
Schedule Inspections
Schedule garage door inspections at least every six months to ensure they are at their peak performance and avoid damage. It’s even better if you can inspect the door every month.
These inspections will also help you address minor issues promptly. Pay attention to small-scale problems such as a sluggish operation or squeaky hinges. You should keep a garage door maintenance checklist to help you remember crucial parts that need inspection and maintenance.
Set aside time to visually inspect your garage door for signs of wear and tear. Look for unusual sounds, frayed cables, loose hardware and unusual movement when operating the door.
As you inspect, check if the door or any component needs to be cleaned. Wash the door to remove dirt and debris. Ensure the movable parts are clean and free from obstructions.
Prepare for Extreme Weather
Extreme weather conditions like hurricanes and storms can cause severe damage to your garage door. Take precautions to ensure the door is protected in the event of such harsh weather conditions. For example, you can reinforce the door with a bracing kit. The bracing kit will enable the garage door to withstand high winds and impact.
Check for signs of wear and tear that will prevent the door from countering the effects of harsh weather. For example, loose nuts and bolts make the door less effective against strong winds. Additionally, avoid putting items in the door’s path. In cases of strong winds, these objects may act as projectiles against the door.
Avoid Major DIY Repairs
Unless you’re a professional and have experience repairing garage doors, avoid doing any major repairs by yourself. You can lubricate and clean the door, but if the torsion springs break or the door loses its balance, you need to call professionals. While it can be tempting to save money and time, doing major DIY repairs can put you and your family in danger. In addition, DIY repair may further damage the door and void your warranty.
Following these garage door maintenance tips can help you avoid repairs. You can schedule maintenance with a professional technician to inspect every part of the garage door. A professional can spot potential safety threats during the inspections.
Contact American Overhead Doors for Routine Maintenance
Routine maintenance on your door can go a long way in ensuring it functions properly and helping you avoid repetitive repairs. Simple measures like tightening loose nuts and bolts can prevent further damage to the door.
However, you should leave specific types of maintenance work to the professionals. For example, if you notice that your door has lost its balance, you should get it fixed by a professional. At American Overhead Doors, we handle a variety of residential garage door servicing needs, including:
- Door replacement.
- Door opener repairs.
- Spring and hinge repairs and replacement.
- Panel repair and replacement.
- Keyless entry pad repair.
- Routine preventive maintenance.
We have been serving Connecticut customers since 1987 and offer a 90-day service warranty. Please contact us for more information.
