07 Jul 5 Preventative Maintenance Tips for Garage Doors

5 Preventative Maintenance Tips for Garage Doors

Garage doors are an extremely important essential feature to any home. A garage door is typically one of the most used features for many house owners however, a garage door is also oftentimes one of the least-maintained items in a home. One of the most significant jobs of a garage door is to provide security to all you have in your garage and especially when your garage has a connected entry to your household. A garage door is also essential since it keeps wind, rain, snow and other destructive forms of weather from entering your garage and home. People often take their garage doors for granted even though the average person opens and closes their garage door more than one thousand times a year.

Garage doors are complex. Garage doors consist of many parts such as a motor, remote control, torsion springs, extension springs, rollers, brackets, cables, and a magic eye to prevent someone, or something, from being crushed. Every component of your garage door has a specific job to do, which is why it makes a lot of sense to keep up with appropriate garage door maintenance. Taking the time to check the components of your garage door every six months can save you time, money and avoiding any inconveniences an arising problem may cause. Doing some simple garage door maintenance on your own will reduce your need to call out a garage door professional in the time of emergency.

If you happen to come across the day that your garage door happens to sound strange, or is not functioning the way it should, you are not alone. Many people experience garage door troubles at some point. Whatever the issue may be you know that safety, security, and client convenience is a priority for our company. If in need call JD Garage Doors to carry out a detailed garage door inspection, installation, or repair work. Before you call in the professionals, some work is possible to be done independently to save yourself time and additional spending. 

Inspect for Wear and Damage

In order to inspect for wear and tear or any type of damage, begin with the garage door closed, then look at the edges along both sides. While inspecting you should be asking yourself, do the rollers look to be in good shape? Are there any visible cracks or chips along these edges? Are the cables frayed or out of alignment? Do all of the brackets and hinges look as if they are in good condition? Are the roller tracks aligned or do they look dented in any way? If any of the answers to these questions seem to be concerning you may need to call in a professional depending on the necessary repair or replacement.

Lubricate the Tension Spring and Other Moving Parts

The long spring located over the door is a powerful spring that controls the entire garage door. Since this one particular spring has control of the entire door, ensuring this part remains in good condition is critical to performance and to your safety. In order to keep the tension spring running smoothly, put down a drop cloth, then climb up to the spring and lubricate it with WD-40 or something similar. This process should also be done for the rollers and hinges.

Grease the Drive Mechanism

Garage doors have a chain, screw or belt drive. The drive must be kept in good working order to ensure proper functionality. In order to keep up with drive mechanisms, take the time to lubricate your garage doors chain, screw or belt drive with white lithium grease every so often.

Check the Motor

The best way to check the motor of your garage door is to open and close the door to check for a smooth operation. If a motor is running properly you should not hear any grinding or scraping sounds. A damaged tension spring or poorly maintained drive mechanism will damage the motor which will cause the motor to fail.

Completing Safety Checks

One of the most interesting ways you can do a safety check on your garage door is to put a piece of wood on the ground where the door will hit it when closed. Once the wood is placed below the door, close the door, as the door comes down, use your outstretched hands to try to stop the door. The door should continue to close, so make sure to get away so you do not get injured. When the door touches the wood, the safety mechanism should kick in and open the door, again automatically.

It is important to carry out these garage door maintenance checks every six months, as it will keep your garage door working properly, ensure safety is up to date and prolong your doors overall working life. If you are ever unsure, call in the professionals.