Most homes these days will have a nice and spacious garage for one or more than one of your cars. As a home owner, it is your responsibility to maintain proper function of your garage doors.
You can either hire a reputable company, like AAA Garage Door Pros for this and get everything done professionally, or you read up on how to do it yourself.
Keep in mind, that a company will get the job done swiftly, while a DIY approach will probably take up quite a bit of your time.
Anyway, here are some tips on how often you need maintenance on a garage door.
Cleaning
Garages are not just for storing cars; it’s also a place where you keep your tools, or there is extra space to store building materials, furniture, and even friends and family. Like any other part of your home, you should clean the garage annually. It means that you must remove items from the garage that are not in use and make sure all garage areas are free from clutter.
Lubricating Moving Parts
Some sliding panel doors have rollers that house the garage door. These rollers work in conjunction with the tracks to allow the garage door to move up and down. Over time, these rollers will become dirty and dusty, which may prevent them from rolling properly. It would help if you cleaned these rollers at least once every six months, so they can work in conjunction with your door tracks as they should.
Checking The Screws
Whether you have an automatic or manual garage door, there are some parts that you must check regularly. These include the screws of the springs and mechanisms that open and close the door panels. If you fail to check them annually, you may lose those screws.
Lubricating Mechanisms
Even if your garage door is broken and not functioning properly, there are still some mechanisms that you can maintain by keeping them clean and lubricating them. Both the plastic and metal mechanisms must be in lubrication regularly.
Safety System
A safety system is an extra security feature built into the garage door. It means that if there is some malfunction that prevents you from opening your garage door, there will be external alarms that communicate to our emergency services for assistance. We can never afford to ignore these kinds of repairs, which are necessary for emergencies or power outages.
Springs and Rollers
These are the two most important parts of your garage door. Without the springs, your garage door will not be able to stay open, no matter how hard you try. When you lubricate these parts, it will make sure that they do not become rusty and begin to rust.
Mechanism
As a safety precaution, you need to identify whether they have become loose over time or need any repair work done.
Battery
Even if you have an automatic garage door, there are some parts that you need to inspect regularly. These include all the pieces connected to your battery. Like any other part of the house, you should ensure that your batteries function properly and are not too low on charge.
Door Tracks
These are important because they are the only parts that keep your door open. If they become loose or begin to wiggle, this can be dangerous for you to use and cause accidents.
All Seals
The garage door seals must be in contact with the door at all times so it will function properly. If it’s not, it will allow dust and other elements to seep into your garage and cause problems for you and your car.
Cables
The cables are a safety precaution, so you must check them regularly to ensure that they are in good condition. A loose cable could cause serious injuries to you and your family members.
Hinges
These are not always something you notice, but when they are worn or rusty, this can cause safety issues for you and your family.
All-Weather Strips
The weather strips prevent rain from seeping into your garage when the doors are open. They are a safety feature that you need to maintain annually.
Torsion Springs
These are useful in keeping your garage door from cracking or breaking. You must lubricate these parts of your garage door every six months, so they can work properly with your tracks and allow the panels to stay open.
Rollers
Sometimes, the rollers can become worn out and cause problems when raising or lowering the doors. It would help if you lubricate and regularly check these parts of your garage door to ensure they do not break or begin to rust.
Track
These are important because they hold the door panels open. If they are rusty or worn out, you should look for a replacement part as soon as possible.
Door Panel
The door panels protect you from external elements when the garage door is open and also prevent light from seeping in at night. They are a safety feature maintained on an annual basis.
Magnet
This is a safety feature of your garage door, so you must keep it clean and lubricated regularly to prevent rusting and starting to break down. It’s important because it provides the power to close the door when you want it to, so you should always check this part on an annual basis.
Shutter
They are just like the rollers of the door panel, but only for the panel itself instead of for both the internal and external sides of your garage door. Like the rollers, you must lubricate them every six months to ensure they work properly and keep the door panels open.
Conclusion
If you can make all of these repairs regularly, then you will have the most efficient garage door that is fully functional and safe for your family to use.
These 19 steps are important because they ensure that your garage door will be safe in emergencies and power outages. If you want to learn more, please read reviews online or ask an expert at your local hardware store.
