The Ultimate Guide to Garage Door Maintenance

Who hasn’t experienced rushing to work or taking the children to school and getting stuck due to our garage doors malfunctioning? The scenarios vary. It may refuse to budge or, even worse, get jammed halfway through.

It’s normal – there are some of us so busy that we overlook how important garage door maintenance is. But regular upkeep can do so much to prevent these problems. Even better, it can even extend the lifespan of garage doors. This, in turn, saves us time, money, and all that frustration.

Simply put, scheduled garage door maintenance is more crucial than some think.

Understanding Garage Door Systems

Sectional Overhead garage doors have some common key components, like:

• Springs: These mechanisms let the system lift and lower the door.
• Cables: Work in tandem with springs to move the door.
• Rollers: Help the door glide smoothly on the track.
• Tracks: Guides the movement of the door up and down.
• Sections: The main body of the door.

With you knowing the basic types and parts, it’ll be easier to implement garage door maintenance. Make sure to check how to locate, remove, and maintain these components safely.

Basic Garage Door Maintenance Tasks Everyone Should Be Doing

These doors are similar to the other parts of our home – they require regular care for optimal performance. Prolonged neglect of garage door maintenance can result in inconvenient (if not hazardous) scenarios.

The good news is that you can prevent these problems by performing regular do-it-yourself maintenance.

Lubrication

Garage door maintenance is nothing without a well-lubricated system.

Apply a high quality spray lubricant to the roller and hinges, ensuring your garage door can operate smoothly, quietly and with minimal strain.

Checking the Balance

If your garage door is off balance, it can put significant weight on the opener and other components, leading to premature wear.

One simple way to test is by disconnecting the garage door opener and manually opening the garage door halfway. If it stays put, the door is good to go. If it tilts to either side, adjusting can be risky, so call a garage door maintenance professional.

Inspecting and Replacing the Rollers

You should check steel and nylon rollers every six months, even though they last up to twelve years.

If you use the door many times daily, you can inspect and replace the rollers more often. Note that chipped or cracked rollers can affect the other parts of your garage doors.

Examining the Cables and Pulleys

The last step for your garage door maintenance routine is to check the high-tension cables – these are the ones that lift your door, so you shouldn’t see any damage.

You can also check for broken strands, kinks or rust. The presence of these issues would most likely require a professional due to the high tension, which can cause serious injuries if they break.

Final Thoughts

While most of these maintenance steps are easy, there’s still a chance that you can’t perform one or two of them. Whether that’s the case or you think it’s better done by a professional, don’t worry; The Door House can take care of everything you need for your garage door maintenance.