When you think about it, your garage door is the single largest moving component of your entire home. Despite this size, your garage door is used every day, at all hours and in all kinds of seasons. All these demands can have a negative effect on your garage door over time if you’re not careful. That’s why it’s essential that you spend time throughout the year performing basic maintenance on it. Here are the 10 best steps you can take to ensure your garage continues working for years to come.
1. Pay Attention
Above all else, always keep an eye on your garage door to see how it’s working. You want to observe if it’s moving smoothly, or if it is jerking or otherwise having problems whenever you use it. Do both sides move at the same pace? Listen, too, for any out‑of‑place noise.
2. Tighten up the Hardware
On average, most garage doors go up and down over 1,000 times a year. All that movement and vibration is bound to cause issues with your hardware, meaning you’d be smart to tighten it up from time to time. All it takes is a socket wrench to go over the bolts and brackets of your door.
3. Test the Balance
Your garage door’s balance is an essential component to its overall operation. If it’s not balanced correctly, your garage door opener will need to work much harder in order to get the door opened or closed.
4. See to the Rollers
Garage doors depend on rollers to travel up and down their rails. Despite being made of durable materials like steel or nylon, you should take a close look at your rollers at least twice a year. For most people, expect that you’ll need to replace them every seven years. Those who use their garage doors more often, though, may have to replace theirs sooner.
5. Replace the Weatherstripping
Your garage door should have weatherstripping going along the bottom of it to provide a firm seal when it’s closed. Keep an eye on this stripping so that, if it begins to break down, you can replace it immediately. Any home improvement store will sell it by the foot, so just cut off the amount you need and insert it in the door’s grooves.
6. Lubricate All Moving Parts
Any moving part of your garage door stands the chance of eventually becoming a problem. So take 10 minutes every year to apply some grease to these areas. While lithium grease on your opener’s screw or chain will work just fine, use a spray version everywhere else like the overhead springs.
7. Inspect the Cables
If anything is wrong with the high‑tension cables responsible for lifting your garage door, it’s necessary to call in a pro. This part of your garage door is extremely dangerous and not something you want to be tinkering with. You can, however, easily inspect the area to see if it needs professional attention.
8. Test Its Safety Features
All garage doors come with certain safety features. Generally they consist of a photocell and mechanical component. To test out the physical aspect, put a piece of wood or a brick on your garage floor right where the door would land. Upon descending, the door should hit the object and automatically reverse in direction.
In order to test the photoelectric system, find where the monitors are that send beams back and forth in your garage door’s path. Then shut your garage door and immediately put your foot in the way of the beams. Again, the garage door should immediately reverse direction. Garage doors older than 20 years may lack this important feature, meaning it’s time to buy a new one.
9. Clear the Tracks
You always want to make sure that there isn’t debris or other matter in the way of the tracks which could become a big problem when you shut the garage door. Use a level to verify the plumb if you want, but know that a pro will have to address any issues with the tracks.
10. Inspect the Door
Never forget about the actual door itself. Wood doors need to be inspected for water damage, peeling paint and other issues. Steel doors are vulnerable to rust spots. Wash your door regularly with an all‑purpose cleaner whenever you do your car. Always remember how important your garage door is to your home and how big a part it plays in its exterior. If you can’t find the time to follow the above tips yourself, be sure to have a professional come out and handle this for you.
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