A well-working garage door and opening system are often taken for granted. This door is used thousands of times a year but often forgotten when it comes to routine maintenance and care. This is the single-largest moving part in your home, and when small things go wrong, they can quickly become big headaches. That is why preventive maintenance is key.
For the most part, your garage door maintenance should be left to the professionals. Inspections should be performed twice a year on average. You may need more frequent inspections depending on your door’s age or frequency of use. Consulting with a licensed technician can help you create the perfect maintenance plan. In between visits, here are some things you can do yourself to keep your garage door in its best working condition.
- Look and listen. When you activate the garage door, watch how it opens and closes. Look for abnormalities, including jerky movements or off-balance doors. Be especially aware of grinding and scraping noises, as well as rattling that could be a sign of loose hardware.
- Test the balance of your door. Torsion spring doors need to be perfectly balanced for peak opener operation. Release the cord or handle on the opener and manually open your garage door about halfway. The door should stay put if it is well-balanced. If not, you should call in a repair technician right away.
- Tighten things up. As mentioned above, loose hardware can become an issue with regular garage door operation. The opening and closing create a lot of vibrations that can cause hardware to become loose over time. Take a few minutes to check all the bolts, screws, and other hardware to ensure everything is tight and secure.
- Apply lubrication regularly. Your local home improvement store has lubrication spray and grease products that are specifically designed to be used with overhead doors and automatic openers. This should be done once or twice a year, or more frequently if your door needs it.
- Clean the door and tracks. The tracks that your door run on can easily become clogged with all kinds of dirt, debris, and rust particles over time. Keep these tracks clean to prevent damage to rollers and other problems that could arise. Cleaning the door itself allows you to find warped areas, chips, rust spots, and other damage that could affect the operation and longevity of your door.
Contact Paradise Garage Doors for a free estimate by calling us at (321) 459-0390or (772) 562-1670 today.
