7 Maintenance Tips for Garage Door Owners
When you stop and think about the many facets of your home, many of them are only used on occasion. Coffee pots are only used to make coffee in the morning. Your shower is only used when you need to wash. The washing machine is used when there is laundry. Most of things these things are used once per day, and there are other facets such as your heat and cooling system that are only used during specific seasons and sit dormant the remainder of the year. Your garage door, however, is used many times each day without a break. If you park in the garage, that door is opened and closed several times per day, and that means you need to keep it in good working order. Are you aware your garage door requires some preventative maintenance to ensure it works well?
1. Tighten the Door
As many times as your garage door is going up and down throughout the day, imagine how often it does this every year. That’s a lot of movement for an item with so many little pieces, which means you’re looking at loose hardware. It’s a good idea to maintain the door by checking your hardware every other month or so. If it needs tightening, tighten it so you can ensure good working order remains a constant in your life.
2. Replace Your Rollers
You needn’t replace these too often, but it’s something you want to do every six or seven years. In the meantime, it’s recommended you check them bi-annually to see that they’re working correctly, that they’re in good condition, and that there are no problems. Sometimes you’ll replace them sooner than anticipated if there are other issues at play.
3. Get New Weatherstripping
This isn’t going to affect the way your garage door works, but you don’t want bugs and poor weather coming into the garage. This strip is located at the bottom of your door, and it’s something you should replace every few years or when you notice it’s cracked or falling apart.
4. Check All Cables
Keep in mind this is not a job for you. This is a job for a professional. It’s in your best interest to never check these cables on your own because they are powerful enough to seriously injure you if you do it incorrectly, according to New England Overhead Door. Hire a professional to come out once per year to check these cables for proper use.
5. Listen for Noises
One of the simplest and best maintenance tips for your garage door is to listen. You know what it sounds like regularly, so you’ll know when it’s not working properly. While noises come and go and change regularly, you’re going to want to listen for them. If something seems off, it’s because your door isn’t doing something properly. It could be a loose part, a missing piece, or another sign something is not as it should be.
6. Keep Tracks Clear
Your door opens and shuts on tracks. It’s not uncommon for these tracks to become filled with dirt and debris or other issues, especially if you leave your doors open regularly throughout the day. Inspect them every few months for dirt, for weather-related issues such as leaves, and to be sure no bugs have created a home in them. You want clear tracks.
7. Routinely Check Safety Features
Your garage door should immediately stop closing if it senses anything in the way of the sensors, but those can break. Be sure you are checking regularly to ensure they work by placing something on the ground in front of the sensors and shutting the door. A correctly working door will stop shutting and immediately open back up.
Your garage door is large, and it moves regularly. This means it’s more likely to break than many of the other features in your home. You needn’t go out of your way to inspect it daily, but knowing what to look for and when to look for it is key. You’ll want to find yourself a little time here and there to check for regularly maintenance issues and repair them prior to the onset of a much larger issue.
