As with any home issue, the faster you catch a garage door problem, the less expensive it will be to repair. If you manage to catch problems when they are still small, they will be much faster to repair by a trained technician. If you are on the lookout for potential issues, there are a few easy checks you can do each month to be able to spot problems early.
RUST
Something you always want to catch early is corrosive rust. You will not only want to watch out for it on the door, if you have a metal door, but also on the mechanical components. Rusting or fraying cables can be a major problem as well as areas of heavy rust on the tracks.
DOOR BALANCE
You should test the door balance system by disconnecting it from the automatic system. When you open the door manually, it should be heavy, but otherwise should open smoothly. When in the half open position, it should also stay in that position. If it does not, you will want to call a technician.
GAPS
Do you see gaps under the bottom of the door when it is closed, or worse, in the panels of the door? Certainly this could mean that the garage floor is uneven, but if the gaps weren’t there last month, then it is an indicator of a garage door problem.
SAFETY FEATURES
You should always be aware if the safety features on your garage door are working properly. This means testing the automatic reverse and the force setting. With both tests, the door should reverse back up instead of continuing to close. If it doesn’t, you have a huge safety hazard on your hand.
Has your garage door failed any of these important checks? Then you will want to call a garage door repair company. If your garage door is having problems, contact us today to see what Smokey’s Garage Door can do to help.
