7 Regular Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Garage Door Functioning

 

Replacing your garage door can cost several thousand dollars, depending on what kind of quality you choose. But maintaining your garage door costs a fraction of that, and it helps to prolong the life of the garage door for years.

This will save you money on replacement and on (what would otherwise be) unnecessary repairs.

 

 

Garage door maintenance does not have to be time-consuming or expensive, but it does need to be consistent. Here are seven regular maintenance tasks you should be doing (or hiring a professional to do) to keep your garage door functioning:

 

1. Tighten the Hardware

The hardware on any moving object will get loose over time. When the hardware on your garage door gets loose, the panels may shake, the other components may rattle, and the door can wear down more quickly over time.

You’ll also deal with a lot more noise.

Take the time to tighten the hardware regularly. Any nuts, screws, bolts, or other items that can be tightened should be.

But be careful, you don’t want to over-tighten anything and strip out any of the fasteners. 

 

2. Lubricate Hardware

Any moving parts on your garage door should be lubricated so that there is not friction when they rub together. When parts start to rub together harshly, they wear down faster, and they can break. And, again, you’ll be dealing with a lot of noise.

Some parts need an oil-based lubricant, like the springs, while other parts need a silicone-based lubricant, like the PVC framing. You shouldn’t have to lubricate often – usually just once a year or so.

 

3. Inspect the Rollers

The rollers help your garage door to function smoothly. If they are damaged or need to be replaced, your garage door will not open and close properly. The friction could even cause further damage to the door.

Your rollers may be nylon, steel, or plastic. No matter what material they are, you need to hire a local garage door repair service to inspect them regularly and to replace them as needed.

Typically, the rollers should be inspected and lubricated twice a year. They should be replaced if they are cracked, chipped, or generally worn.

Even with good maintenance, standard quality rollers will need to be replaced an average of seven years.

 

4. Test the Door Balance

When hardware becomes loose, springs become weaker, or parts are damaged, the door will feel heavier and become unbalanced. An unbalanced garage door will cause the opener to work harder, which will shorten its life.

Other parts can also be damaged because the door is not balanced.

You can check to see if the door is unbalanced by disconnecting the door opener (just pull the release handle when the door is in the down position) and then manually pushing the door about half way up on the tracks.

The door should stay where it is.

If it doesn’t, the springs are no longer balanced properly. You’ll need to call your garage repair professional to tighten the springs and rebalance the door.

Warning: Garage door springs are under extreme tension and can cause serious injury or death, and should only be installed or adjusted by a trained garage door technician.

 

5. Inspect Cables

Springs, hardware, and high-tension cables hold your garage door in place and make sure it moves properly. If any of those parts is too loose, too tight, or unbalanced, it will cause problems with your door.

Don’t try to repair the cables yourself, or you risk injuring yourself. Just inspect them visually to see if there are any broken cables or other damage. If there is, call a Gilbert garage door repair service for help.

 

6. Test Auto-Reverse Features

Newer garage doors have a safety feature that detects any obstacles in the path of the door and automatically reverses the door when items are present. If this feature isn’t working properly, your garage door could crush your car, your pets, or even your children.

Test this feature regularly.

Put a brick or something else that is inconsequential in the path of the door and close it. The door should touch the brick and then back up again.

If your door has beams to detect objects, simply wave your foot in front of the beams when the door is closing to see if it goes back up again.

If your door fails either test, call a professional for repair immediately.

 

7. Replace Weather Stripping

Weather stripping lines the bottom of your garage door and helps to keep your home better insulated and to keep pests out of your house. When it becomes cracked or damaged, it fails in both of those duties.

Inspect and replace the weather stripping regularly. This is a job you can potentially do yourself.

Most hardware stores offer a universal seal that can fit in most garage door bottom seal retainers. 

Pro Tip: Apply some silicone spray in the bottom seal track and it will help install the seal much easier!

  

That’s it!

Performing these and other routine maintenance tasks can help your garage door stay in better shape for a longer time.

Not only will you spend less on repairs over the years, but your garage door will also last longer, which will save you money on a new Gilbert garage door installation.

Same Day Garage Services offers garage door maintenance, repair, and replacement in Gilbert. We are a highly trusted Gilbert garage door repair service with a proven reputation in the community.

Call us to set up a plan for your routine maintenance, to inspect your garage door for needed repairs, or to discuss your options for getting new Gilbert garage doors or having them installed.

 

Same Day Garage Door Services, LLC
Email: samedaygaragedoorservices@gmail.com

 

Gilbert Location
1176 East Warner Road #117
Gilbert, AZ 85296
Phone: 480-573-2359

Tempe Location
6100 S Maple Ave #107
Tempe, AZ 85283
Phone: 480-750-7975
ROC # 308754

 

 

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