Most people do not think about their garage door very often. They only think about the door when they need a new one or when something has gone wrong with the one that they have. Many never stop to think about providing proper maintenance for the door. However, the maintenance is essential if you want to keep the door in good shape and reduce the number of repairs and the cost of repairs. Keeping your garage door in shape is not something that should be an afterthought, so we’ve compiled some information below to help you get started and to understand why it is essential.
Safety for you and your family
Each year, many accidents occur because a garage door malfunctioned for one reason or another. There were more than 18,000 accidents in 2014 in the United States alone attributed to garage doors. In some instances, the accidents occurred because there was an imbalanced spring system, the two automatic reverse systems were not calibrated correctly, or there was a component failure.
With proper maintenance and inspection of the garage door, it will help to reduce these risks immensely. Let’s get a closer look at what you will want to do.
Make it a point to inspect the door
Do not keep putting off inspecting the garage door. Do it now. The sooner you do it, the better. Add it to your schedule and make sure that you are inspecting it at least twice per year. The entire inspection that you do should not take more than half an hour. The work that you need to do on the door is minimal – you need to inspect it, add lubrication, and test the safety systems. You can do it all on your own.
While inspecting the garage door twice a year is a good idea, if you use the garage door more than four open and close cycles a day, you will want to inspect more often. This is simply because there will be more wear on the parts.
Visually and audibly inspecting the door
You know your garage door’s normal sounds by now. You will want to listen carefully to any potential issues that you hear when you open and close the door. Is there any grinding or other alarming noises? It could indicate a problem, and if lubrication does not fix the issue, you will want to get in contact with a professional.
In addition to listening, you need to look at the various parts of the door. You will want to look at the lifting cables to see whether they are cracked or frayed. Check the drum with the cable around it, ensuring it is aligned properly. You should also check the spring system. There are two types of spring systems – extension and torsion. The extension springs are over the horizontal tracks, and torsion springs are placed above the door. The torsion springs will be in a steel tube. Whichever type of spring system you have, look at it to see whether it seems like it is about to break or if it is okay.
You will also want to check the rollers to see if they are in good condition and rolling correctly, as well as the hinges. Check to see the bolts are tight and that the bottom brackets are in good condition. You should also check the weatherstripping to make sure it is still able to keep your garage protected. Make sure the photoelectric reversal system is not covered by dirt, as well.
Lubricating the door
There are a lot of moving parts on the door, and you will want to make sure that you are adding lubricant to the metal parts. Make sure you are using the right lubricants, though. Two different types of lubricants are needed. One, such as 5W30, will be used for all of the metal parts. Silicone‑based lubricant can be used for the weatherstripping that you find at the bottom of the door, between the sections, and on the exterior frame. You can buy these lubricants at Car‑Wal Garage Doors, so you can start lubricating the important parts.
The metal parts of the door that need lubricating include the spring system, the rollers, hinges, and the tracks.
Testing the garage door for safety
Your garage door system should feature two automatic reverse systems for safety. It is a good idea to check these systems more than twice a year. Since it only takes a few minutes, you might want to check them each month.
For the first test, you will use a piece of wood – a 2 x 4 – and place it under the garage door where it closes and meets the ground. You will then close the door. When the bottom of the door touches wood, it should reverse automatically.
For the second test, you will close the door with the remote, and then place an object between the sensors located toward the bottom of the door. You want to break the invisible beam, which should cause the door to reverse in direction.
If you find that the garage door safety systems are not working, whether it is one or both of the reversal systems, you will want to get in touch with Car‑Wal Garage Doors.
When you take the time to go through these simple inspections regularly, you can save yourself from a lot of heartache and trouble. You will notice when there are issues with the garage door that need to be fixed earlier than you would have otherwise. This will reduce the risk of accidents, and it can also help to reduce the cost of repair bills in some cases.
Need help with the inspection?
Even though the inspections themselves tend to be quite easy, this does not mean that you want to do them on your own. You might not have the time or the capabilities to do the tests, and you would rather have someone else do it for you. This is where we will be able to help. All you have to do is contact us at these numbers:
London: 519-685-9797
Mount Pleasant: 905-304-9700
Guelph: 519-821-4400
Goderich: 519-482-3251
We can provide you with a tune‑up service that is convenient and affordable, and we can provide you with repairs if needed.
Perhaps you are at the point where you need to replace your garage door system. We can help with that, too. We can send you a quote by email.
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