Fall Garage Door Maintenance Checklist

With the kids back in school, fall is a great time to go through your garage door maintenance checklist before the cold Canadian winter. Apart from spotting any obvious damages or issues needing immediate repair, sticking to a fall maintenance checklist will ensure that any easy, preventative garage door maintenance gets done and that your garage door is kept in tip-top condition. The following are three things to pay special attention to when going through your fall maintenance checklist:

Check Garage Door Weather Seals

Garage door weather seals can degrade naturally over time, become damaged by things like misaligned doors, or can even be eaten away by rodents and other small critters throughout the summer. While the difference may not be noticeable in the summertime, you’ll feel the effects of a bad weather seal come winter so make sure you check and replace weather seals on a regular basis. In most cases, replacing garage door weather seals can be done by the average homeowner using products purchased from local home improvement stores, however if you’re not completely sure what you’re doing or would rather guarantee the job gets done right, it’s best to get in touch with a professional garage door maintenance company.

Lubricate Moving Parts

Armed with a light spray lubricant, spraying all moving parts and making sure they’re moving freely shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes. Pay extra special attention to critical moving parts such as rollers and hinges.  Do not lubricate the tracks as this will only serve to attract dirt.  Consult your garage door owner’s manual for the recommended lubricants as well as any specific instructions to take note of when lubricating components. While your owner’s manual may also contain recommended service intervals, lubricating moving parts is inexpensive and something that should be done twice per year to keep your garage door’s components operating quietly and reliably.

Check Door Alignment, Balance, and Safety

To check for garage door alignment, simply open and close your garage door a few times to make sure it’s running smoothly. Checking your garage door’s balance is as easy as opening your garage door manually and ensuring that it can hold itself open at the half-open point without pulling up on its own or falling back down. You should be able to lift a balanced door with one hand so if it seems like a lot of effort is required to open or close the door manually it should be adjusted.  DO NOT attempt to align or balance your garage door as some components are under extreme tension and loosening the wrong fastener can be extremely dangerous.  Last but not least, make sure your garage door safety reversing sensors are working as they should be by placing a block of wood directly below the open door and closing it with the electric opener. If everything is working as it should, your garage door should immediately reverse and open back up once it touches the block. If you uncover any issues during your Fall inspection, troubleshooting and repair is best left to qualified professionals who have the skill and knowledge to make the adjustments correctly and safely.  If you would like help, contact us today by email or at (403) 543-6900 and we’ll be happy to schedule an appointment with one of our professional garage door technicians.