Preventive maintenance prolongs the life of your garage door. Even if your garage door works fine without it, simple routine maintenance at least twice a year can extend the life of your garage door.
You may need frequent maintenance if your garage door or opener is older and suffers from heavy use. Call a professional garage door company right away if you have any safety concerns and refrain from using the door. Be on the lookout for signs that indicate your garage door may have a problem. This guide to garage door maintenance will help you prevent surprise repairs in the future.
Benefits of Regular Maintenance on Your Garage Door
Regularly maintaining your garage door ensures that your cables, springs, openers and rollers are in working condition. They must function together to lift your garage door up and down. Keeping these parts in good condition increases the life span of your garage door.
Maintaining the components of your garage door and making minor repairs is much more affordable than replacing your existing door. It can help catch problems and avoid costly repairs.
Regular maintenance increases your home security, preventing any unauthorized access from intruders or thieves. If your garage door breaks down, they may have easier access to your possessions and home.
A faulty garage door system can potentially destroy your home and vehicle. Most of the time, garage doors stop working or break while they’re in motion. Your vehicle could be directly under a failing garage door.
A garage door malfunction can negatively impact your home because of its heavy components. This can damage the structural integrity of the garage constructed surrounding it. Following this garage door servicing guide will help keep your system running safely.
How Often Do Garage Doors Need Maintenance?
Performing preventive maintenance twice per year helps extend the life of your garage door. The change of the seasons can help you remember when to service your garage door. Checking your garage door in the fall ensures that it can seal out snow and freezing temperatures. When springtime comes, you can check your garage door again for any damage caused over the winter.
There are common signs to look out for that indicate there may be an issue with your garage door. These may require a repair or sometimes a full replacement:
- The garage door isn’t opening or closing — or is only opening and closing halfway.
- The garage door is very noisy when operating.
- The garage door doesn’t operate even when the motor runs.
- The garage door has broken glass — if it has any glass windows.
- The garage door won’t open manually from the outside without an opener.
It’s good to perform your own monthly check to make sure that none of these issues have occurred. Reporting any recent changes can help your service technician figure out how to fix your garage door faster.
Garage Door Maintenance Checklist
Most people use their garage doors several times a day, which adds up to thousands of times per year. You rely on your garage door and need it to work properly every time.
It takes only a few hours of maintenance to ensure that your garage door runs efficiently throughout the year. You can follow this simple checklist to inspect your garage door:
- Check rollers and hinges: It takes an intricate system of rollers and hinges to lift your heavy garage door. Check to make sure that each piece is secure and functioning properly. Over time these parts can wear and crack. If you notice any damage, you can contact a professional to replace these parts.
- Tighten up the hardware: A garage door relies on dozens of small parts to open and close properly. A large amount of movement and vibration can cause its hardware to loosen. If you have a socket wrench, you can tighten all the bolts and screws yourself.
- Lubricate: Garage doors have a lot of moving pieces that rub together multiple times per day. Too much friction can cause unpleasant noises while the garage door is in motion. It’s important to reapply lubricant to keep these parts functioning smoothly. You can use white lithium grease on the opener’s screw or chain and a spray lubricant such as WD-40 to coat the overhead springs.
- Replace weatherstripping: At the bottom of your garage door, there is a long piece of weatherstripping that seals out pests and keeps your garage door insulated. Over time, it can wear out or become loose. Make sure that there are no gaps where your garage door meets the ground. If you notice your weatherstripping is brittle or cracked you should have it replaced immediately.
- Check the cables: Check the condition of your garage door cables so you know when to hire a professional. You should never mess with the high-tension cables that lift your garage door because they have enough force to cause serious injuries. Check for damage and broken strands near the bottom of the roller bracket.
- Test the safety sensor: Modern garage doors come standard with a photo-eye sensor that prevents your door from closing on your child, pet or belongings. It prevents accidents by reversing the door if someone or something wanders below. You can check the sensor by placing a scrap piece of wood or another inanimate object under the door while it closes. If it fails to reverse, you should contact a garage door specialist right away.
- Examine the alignment: Garage doors must be balanced to function properly. You can check the alignment of your garage door by disconnecting the opener and trying to lift it by hand. It should open easily with light force. When you open it halfway, it should stay in place on its own. If your garage door is hard to open or falls back to the ground, you should call a service technician for an alignment.
Who Should Service Your Garage Door?
With the help of a regular garage door maintenance guide, homeowners can service their own door and make minor repairs. Although, not everyone is comfortable with fixing the opener or replacing the tracks. A garage door repair professional can assist you with these tasks as they have the necessary knowledge and experience to handle all types of installation and repair services. Here are some of the benefits of hiring a professional garage door service provider:
- Expertise: Professionals understand the working of a garage door and can easily identify its issues. Timely repairs help increase the life of the garage door.
- Appropriate tools: Garage door repair projects sometimes require expensive tools that can only be appropriate for a specific job. A garage door repair professional has the right tools to cater to different projects.
- Avoided injuries: Garage door service providers use tools that are safe and can complete garage door repair and installation projects correctly. They work in teams to prevent accidents and know when to hold the door while it’s in service.
- Affordable: Professional garage door maintenance can save you money in the long run. Hiring a professional gives you peace of mind that the work is completed on time and of the best quality. That way, you can avoid a full replacement if there’s damage.
Receive Garage Door Maintenance From the Experts at Quality Door Company
It’s essential to maintain your garage door’s condition for your financial and physical well-being. Whether it’s residential or commercial, caring for your door with regular maintenance by expert professionals protects your investment and prevents major issues from occurring. Taking care of your door prevents injuries and property damage.
Our crew at Quality Door Company can catch common issues in residential and commercial settings. We provide affordable maintenance services to ensure that your garage door is reliable and efficient.
For more information on services or rates, contact Quality Door Company online today or schedule a service appointment.
