Essential Tips for the Upkeep of Your Garage Doors

Although often under-appreciated, your home’s garage door is used thousands of times each year – no matter the weather or the time of year. Homeowners are responsible for maintaining this largest moving part in their home through regular, preventive care. By following a few essential tips for the upkeep of your garage doors, you can ensure that they continue to serve your home and work smoothly for decades to come.

Perform a Monthly Inspection

Whenever you use your garage door, be sure to inspect it carefully. Check that machinery moves smoothly with minimal noise, in terms of grinding or scraping noises that may indicate issues with hardware. Observe both sides of the system, including the door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and mounting hardware, watching for signs of wear.

• Check cables for frayed or broken strands, especially near the bottom roller bracket.
• Inspect steel and nylon rollers twice a year for chips or cracks.
• Look for hardware like brackets that loosen with vibrations.
• Test photo eyes in automatic systems to ensure doors they reverse and reopen.

While rollers should be replaced approximately every 7 years, simple maintenance steps include tightening brackets and bolts with a socket wrench and cleaning photo eyes with a soft, dry cloth. If issues continue, then you may want to consult a trained service technician for help.

Detail Your Door

Preventive care also includes maintaining the condition and function of your garage door itself. Most basically, checking for water damage, chipped or peeling paint, rust on metal doors, and warping on wood ones will prevent problems from getting out of hand. In addition, you can use the following essential tips for the upkeep of your garage doors.

• Clean the tracks on both sides by wiping first with a damp cloth and then again with a dry cloth.
• Check that the door is plumb with the tracks using a level.
• Wash the door regularly with a mild, all-purpose cleaner.
• Sand, prime, and paint rust spots on steel doors.

Additional measures include testing door balance by disconnecting the automatic opener and manually lifting the door halfway to ensure that it does so easily and remains open. Testing the auto-reverse safety feature is also important; you should lay a piece of wood in the center of the opening and lower the door to ensure that it automatically reverses.

Maintain Efficiency

On top of regular inspection and maintenance, maintaining efficiency is key. Fundamentally, semi-annual lubrication of hinges, rollers, tracks, and other moving parts will add years of seamless operation. White lithium grease should be applied to the opener’s chain or screw, while specialised sprays like lithium or silicone spray work best for coating stems, hinges, metal rollers, nubs, and other parts. However, it is best to avoid WD 40 and application of lubricant onto the door track, spring, or chain rail. One other way to boost system efficiency is to protect your system against the elements. While weather seals will help homeowners save energy by keeping out moisture and maintaining temperature, they have to be applied on the frame, between door panels, and on the bottom. Similarly, weatherstripping should be replaced when visibly cracked or brittle, as that means the elements are likely finding their way inside.

These essential tips for the upkeep of your garage doors will help keep them operating smoothly for years to come. In case of misaligned tracks, unbalanced doors, broken parts, or other issues, a trained service technician is the best option for repairing your system. Contact Garador today to schedule a tune-up or for additional help in installing, repairing, and maintaining your home’s garage door systems.