Most homeowners do not have time for their garage door maintenance. If you neglect your garage door, it might cost you a lot to replace it. Taking care of your garage door will help it to last long. You need to inspect the garage door track to ensure it has no rust. You can spend an hour occasionally examining your garage door.
Here are tips you can use on your garage maintenance:
- Inspect the door in operation.
When your garage door and automatic opener have problems, you will observe bumpy movements in them, and they produce a scraping sound. If you do regular maintenance on your door, it will make less sound when moving up and down, and there is no bumping when it’s moving. Ensure both sides of the cables and springs look the same.
2. Tighten the hardware.
A regular garage door moves up and down many times. The movement and vibration can make the door and the track becomes loose. You need to assess if the brackets connecting the door tracks to the wall are in a good position. Also, check the ceiling and the fasteners attaching the garage door opener system to the frame.
3. Inspect and replace the rollers.
You should inspect the rollers at the edge of the garage door two times every year and replace them after seven years from the installation date. After checking them, replace any rollers that are chipped or worn. You can remove most of the rollers by removing the brackets that connect them to the wall. Avoid pulling the bottom rollers on every side of the border because they connect to the lift cables in risky tension.
4. Lubricate the moving parts.
When you lubricate the rollers and any moving parts of your garage door, you reduce stress on the rollers and door openers. They will last longer if you keep them lubricated. You should apply a high-quality lubricant on the rollers two times a year. When the rollers and door hinges are stuck, apply a lubricant and wipe it off. If your door opener has a metal screw, apply lithium grease and avoid using oil on the belt-drive garage door opener.
5. Test the garage door balance.
You should ensure your garage door is balanced as if it is not. The door opener will not work for a long time. If a garage door is well balanced, it will require little force to lift it. You should test if the door is appropriately balanced by pulling the release handle on the automatic door opener and manually lifting the door until its half-open. The door should remain open without you lifting it further. If it does not stay open, it means the door is not well balanced. The springs might have grown old and can no longer support the door. You should call for a professional to repair the door.
Bottom line.
It is essential to take care of your garage door to enable it to serve you for a longer time. Inspect the door from time to time to determine if it has problems and solve them early enough. You can clean the door and repaint it. Always look for professionals for your garage door repairs.
