For many of us, garage doors make up one-third of one side of our house so it makes sense to keep them in optimal working condition. There are some maintenance things you can do to help keep your garage door running correctly and reliably so you can use your garage doors the way they are intended. Working on garage doors can be dangerous, so when in doubt, contact an expert.
- Pay attention to the door. Your garage door should go up and down in a smooth and relatively quiet way. If there are jerks and fits when the door goes up and down then you could have a problem. The best way to prevent these problems is to pay attention while it is working correctly so you can tell when something is going wrong.
- Check the door hardware for tightness. It is not uncommon for us to use our garage door 1,000 times or more a year. With all of that movement, hardware can become loose. Check it out and tighten what needs to be tightened.
- Test your door’s balance. Pull the red cord that will make your door operate manually, then pull it up to the halfway point. If it stays put, your door is in balance. If it falls down on its own, you need a repairman to fix it so the door will last longer.
- See if your rollers are chipped, and replace them if they are. When a roller moves in a “bumpy” jarring way, it puts more stress on the track, which puts more stress on all the hardware, which puts more stress on everything. Check rollers twice a year and replace them every 5-7 years. Your door will last longer.
- Lubricate moving parts. White lithium grease on the chain or screw can make them work better and last longer. Spray lubricant made especially for overhead springs will make them last longer and operate better too.
Five or ten minutes of inspection time twice a year can make your garage door work better and last longer. These simple maintenance efforts can save you a lot of money in the long run. If you need help maintaining your garage door, please contact Smokey’s Garage Door today!
