Garage doors are as susceptible to damage as any part of your home. But with regular maintenance, you can extend its lifespan and prevent frequent repairs.
In this post, we’ll give you some garage door maintenance tips that you can easily follow on your property. Read on and see how much difference these DIY garage door maintenance can do on your door.
1. Conduct regular garage door safety checks
It’s crucial to perform regular safety checks on your door to avoid injury-causing accidents. This way, you can spot potential weak spots that could lead to damage later on.
For this, you should look for frayed cables, loose hardware, misaligned tracks, or cracked panels. Make sure you get these repaired right away to avoid further wear and tear on your garage door.
2. Perform basic garage door opener troubleshooting
It’s also important to check your door opener and call for garage door opener repair when the need arises. Experts can easily fix garage door opener problems to restore your door’s functionality.
At home, you can easily resolve remote control issues, adjust sensitivity settings, and align safety sensors. However, if there’s a need to repair the garage door opener motor, it’s best to call a professional. The same goes when replacing a garage door opener.
3. Replace a broken garage spring immediately
If you have a door that uses extension springs instead of torsion springs, you should watch out for early signs of damage. Some of the tell-tale signs are slow or partially opening doors, crooked doors, and a loud bang coming from or near your garage.
In this case, you should call for a professional garage door spring repair. A technician can safely provide you with a garage door spring replacement.
Meanwhile, if you have torsion springs for garage doors, you shouldn’t attempt a DIY fix. These springs can cause life-threatening injuries if not handled well.
4. Lubricate the moving parts
You should also apply lubricant to the moving parts of your garage door to ensure smooth operation. This includes the rollers, hinges, springs, and tracks.
Overall, lubrication helps fix common problems like weird noises and it also avoids unnecessary wear on your garage door. This maintenance step alone can stretch your door’s lifespan by a big notch.
5. Always check for door balance
A balanced garage door means that the springs are evenly holding the weight of the door itself. This prevents unnecessary wear and tear on one side and it also keeps your garage door safe to use.
You can try disconnecting your door from the opener and open it manually halfway. Release the door and see if it stays in place. If it does, you have a balanced door.
If not, you may need to call a garage door service to tune up your springs.
6. Schedule yearly professional inspections
Hiring a professional garage door opener service or a door inspection service yearly is a smart move. This way, you’ll have licensed technicians checking your door for possible problems before they come to bite you on a busy day.
7. Prepare for the climate
Above all, you should gear up your garage door based on the climate of your location.
For example, if you get harsh winters and intense summers, insulating your garage door will be a good investment. Aside from keeping out harsh temperatures, the insulation also reinforces the door and shields it from various outdoor elements.
Conclusion
Practicing preventive maintenance for garage doors will help you dodge expensive repairs. Above all, it will keep you, your family, or the occupants of your property safe from freak accidents.
Remember that knowing how to maintain garage doors doesn’t have to be your sole responsibility. You can always call for garage door experts if you suspect damages that are beyond your DIY capabilities.
