People often overlook garage door maintenance. And while you don’t need to do that regularly, inspecting your garage doors to ensure they are in good condition and working well is important for your garage maintenance.
Garage door maintenance isn’t just about checking whether the door opens and closes when you press the remote buttons. You need to conduct a thorough inspection that covers the sensors near the door closing, the circuit board, the door openers, the remote, and other elements.
If you want your garage doors to be safe and operate well, here are a few maintenance tips you should know.
Watch the Door Closely
Do you hear a harsh and unpleasant sound (more like rating or scraping) as your garage door moves up and down? Well, that indicates a problem. If these doors are in good condition, they won’t produce any noise when they are in operation. First, see if the components of the door—the spring and cables—look good.
Usually, a garage door produces these weird sounds when it’s improperly installed, or the nuts and bolts have come loose. If you hear rattling, squealing, or any unusual sound from your garage doors, have it checked by a professional technician immediately.
Check and Clear the Tracks
Garage doors are equipped with sensors located on the floor near the closing. These sensors detect objects in the way of closing and activate a reverse mechanism (that signals the garage doors to re-open). The doors won’t close properly if these sensors detect something on the floor.
These safety sensors protect people and animals from getting injured due to the garage doors closing on them. However, these sensors can be a nuisance sometimes. Even small debris or invisible dirt on the floor can trigger the safety sensors, leaving your doors partially open. To prevent this, you must keep the floor clean. Check it every few weeks and remove the dirt and debris buildup. While you are checking the track, inspect the sensors too. Place a small object near the closing to see if the sensors detect it and activate the reverse motion.
The sensors play a vital role in preventing injury to your pets or kids. If your pet, for instance, rolls up when the garage door is in motion, it might end up getting hurt. That won’t be an issue if the sensors are working. They will push the door back up if they detect something in the way of closing.
Tighten the Loose Bolts and Hardware
Since your garage doors are opened and closed hundreds of times a week, it’s obvious that the hardware will loosen from the vibration. Check the hardware to see if they are in good condition. Start with the brackets that connect the tracks to the wall. Likewise, loose bolts can make it difficult for the doors to operate normally. With the help of a socket wrench, tighten these nuts and bolts or other loose hardware.
Replace the Rollers
The most used and important part of your garage doors is the pair of rollers. These wheels signal the doors to move up and down. The rollers fasten the tracks to the doors, enabling smooth movement. The regular motion and unpleasant weather can cause the rollers to wear out. Ideally, you should check them every 1-2 years. They need replacement every 5-7 years (more frequently if they appear damaged due to heavy use). Get the rollers out by removing the brackets that connect them to the garage doors. Remember, the damaged, loose, worn rollers must be removed and replaced immediately.
Lubricate the Garage Door
One way to keep the rollers and other moving parts of your garage door in tip-top condition is by lubricating them regularly. You can use spray lubricant to lubricate your garage doors, especially the moving objects. Do it every six months. Your rollers, door openers, brackets, and other moving objects have to work harder when they aren’t lubricated. If anything is stuck, use a penetrating solution first and then apply lubricant.
Test the Balance
An improperly balanced garage door or the loose springs will put extra pressure on the door opener. Check if the springs are working properly by lifting the door. Ideally, the doors must be balanced well by the springs. It shouldn’t need a lot of force to lift the door. Open your garage door manually until it’s half open. Check if the door stays in place.
If the door is pulled down or remains unstable when you take your hands off it, the springs are loose and need replacement. Never operate a garage door with damaged or worn springs, especially if you are lifting them manually. Call a professional immediately.
Check Weatherstripping
Every garage door has weatherstripping that runs along its bottom, keeping the dust, dirt, snow, water, and other weather elements out. They are either glued to the doors or nailed (in wooden doors) to the surface. Either way, they might get worn and damaged from continuous exposure to rough weather. Check the weatherstripping twice a year to ensure they look good. You can find weatherstripping at home improvement stores or retail stores. Or, you can order them online. If you have installed weatherstripping on the sides of the garage door, check if they are attached well. Nail the loose spots in place or change the entire weatherstripping if it looks worn.
Paint the Door
A steel garage door must be sanded and painted once in a while. While you are looking at the moving parts and other elements of the door, inspect the door too. It should be cleaned and painted. Check if there’s any rust. If you notice peeling paint, repaint the door. If you don’t have weatherstripping, clean and paint the area first and then nail the weatherstripping at the bottom and sides to prevent weather damage.
Hire a professional garage door inspection team to check these doors and fix the damaged parts. Keep your garage doors in good condition by following the above maintenance tips. Hope it helps.