Extend the Life of Your Garage Door, Tips

A garage door is a hefty piece of equipment, and you want to make sure that when you install it in your home, it lasts as long as possible. There are various ways in which you can inspect and maintain your garage door so that the use of it is extended for as long as possible and it does not have to be replaced prematurely.

Inspect the springs. A garage door is made up of various components which means that each of these components should be inspected and repaired when needed to extend the overall life of your garage door. One of the main components of a garage door is the springs. If a spring is damaged or broken, it can put additional pressure on the other springs, wearing them out faster. Look for damaged or broken springs and replace them as soon as possible. Wear and tear, rust, big gaps in the coils, and elongated springs can be obvious signs that the springs need to be replaced. If no damage is visible, make sure to lubricate them well twice a year to make sure they continue functioning properly.

Look at the way the door opens and closes. If there are problems with your garage door or the opener, you will notice it in the way the garage door opens. You will most likely see the door open in a jerking fashion or you may even hear loud scraping noises. Pay attention to the way your garage door opens, and if anything seems off, it means that you need to inspect the door and identify the problem. Look at all the pulleys and cables and make sure that they are all symmetrical. If anything seems out of place, fix it yourself – if it is an easy fix – or call a professional.

Keep an eye on the cables and pulleys. As mentioned above, pulleys and cables should be inspected to make sure they are working correctly. These cables and pulleys connect the extension springs to the door and they assist in the opening and closing of the door. If any cables seem to be damaged or are broken and dangling, ideally, immediately call a professional since these are high-tension parts that can be risky for someone who does not know that they are doing.

Make sure everything is tightly in place. For your routine maintenance, grab some tools and go over all the hardware of the garage door. If you use your garage door very frequently, inspect the hardware at least 3 to 4 times a year. Constant movement can loosen things up, so go over the brackets that hold the door tracks and also the framing of the door opener to tighten any bolts that might be loose. Loose bolts can be easy to identify since they cause more vibration than usual. Make sure to not tighten them too much since that can cause damage.

Door balance is important. An imbalanced door can cause premature wear and tear. Springs provide enough force for the door to be easily opened and that is also because the door is balanced perfectly. If you want to test the balance of the door, use the release handle, and then manually lift the door halfway up. If it stays there when you let go, the door is functioning perfectly. If it does not stay in place, this means that the door needs to be balanced or the springs are worn out. In any case, you know that a problem needs to be addressed immediately.

Auto-reverse function should work perfectly. Auto-reverse systems allow the garage door to stop closing if something is in its way. Close the garage door and then either put something in the way or just pass your arm or leg in the way, depending on the kind of auto-reverse feature installed in your garage door. In either case, the closing should reverse when it detects something in the way, but if it continues to close, you need to have the door inspected by a professional and obviously move whatever is in its path out of the way.
Clean the tracks and inspect the rollers. Take a close look at all the tracks and clean them out if you spot any debris. This makes sure that no rust forms and nothing gets in the way of the rollers when the door is opening and closing, also maintaining the garage door balance. If you spot any track adjustments that need to be made, call a licensed specialist. The rollers should also be lubricated and inspected twice a year, and if any of them are cracked, chipped or are obviously worn, they should be replaced. Clean and undamaged rollers make sure that the tracks also stay clean.

Weather-stripping should be maintained. A rubber strip keeps the cold out and also keeps the garage clean. Check it twice a year to make sure it is attached properly, and replace it if it is damaged or worn out.

Maintain the garage door. Clean the garage door regularly. If your garage door is made of steel, make sure to sand, prime, and paint rust spots. A wooden garage door should be inspected for warping or water damage, and if the wooden door does not have weather-stripping, seal the bottom edge properly or paint it, and then install the weather-strip.

Going through all the possible inspection and maintenance steps ensures a garage door without a faulty part that puts additional pressure on components that are functioning correctly. Inspecting your garage door regularly and going through a thorough maintenance routine, repairing as soon as a problem is spotted, keeping it well lubricated, and checking any cause for concern can ensure that no premature damage takes place to your garage door, causing it to last you a long time.