We don’t think much about our garage door beyond it being able to open and close for us. However, you might be surprised to know how important it is to keep up with garage door maintenance. Yet, you may be asking yourself: how do you maintain a garage door exactly? If you don’t know where to start, this article is your first step in understanding how you can best maintain your garage door in three ways!
The Importance of Maintenance
There is a reason why maintenance is important – it can prevent many unforeseen problems from happening with your garage door. If your garage door isn’t working, you might end up in the awkward position of your car being trapped inside the garage with no way out. To prevent this, you need the help of illinois garage door repair experts as soon as possible. If your garage door requires repair, it can pose a danger because regular maintenance was overlooked, and the issue could have stopped in its tracks.
Yet, the beauty of caring for your garage door is its low maintenance to upkeep. You can expect only to need to do maintenance twice a year, which seems so little but does so much to prevent issues from occurring.
Tip #1: Inspection
Inspecting your garage door should be the first thing you should do for maintenance. Generally, a thorough inspection of your garage door can help you find any potential issues. But before you start maintenance, it’s best to unplug the automatic door opener as a means of safety.
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself while inspecting your garage door:
- Has it become louder than normal?
- Does it run smooth, or is it choppy?
- Are parts in alignment?
Once you have ruled out what issue is occurring, you should gather tools like a brake cleaner, safety glasses, and possible garage door parts. If you’re starting to work on maintenance with the door up, ensure safety by affixing a clamp on the track under one roller to prevent the door from slipping down.
Tip #2: Lubrication
Since it’s recommended to lubricate your garage door once a year, the best time to do so would be alongside working on overall maintenance. Yet, why is this an important way to maintain your garage door? When your garage door isn’t lubricated, it can lead to torsion springs not functioning properly after a year – especially during long cold months. As a result, if your garage door remains unlubricated, it can lead to repairs that can cost between$125-$290 on average and reduce its lifespan. Avoid garage door expenses by ensuring your garage door lubricates your garage door’s drive chain, pulleys, and rollers. This simple step can dramatically help eliminate the squeaking from your garage door if it had been a prior issue.
Tip #3: Replacements
Most items are prone to wear and tear at some point – garage doors are no exception. Various parts work towards getting it to function. In which case, you want to ensure your parts are in working order. And if they’re not, it’s in your best interest to replace parts as soon as possible.
A part that needs replacing at the first sign of aging is your garage door rollers. If you have steel rollers, you can see wear and tear through them, looking lopsided, while nylon rollers will crack. Additionally, you want to replace any life cables attached to the door that may have excessive rust, deterioration or broken strands. However, it’s recommended to let a professional handle replacing your garage door cables since an inexperienced individual can seriously injure themself.
Avoid power issues by ensuring you’re replacing your garage door opener’s battery, its door remotes, and any light bulbs. Get the right size and wattage recommended in your garage door’s manual.
The idea of maintenance can seem like a chore. However, your future self would thank you for putting some time into the upkeep of your garage door. If ill-maintained, your garage door can end up causing more problems for you beyond just an inconvenience – it can cost you repair costs if you’re not mindful. In which case, it’s imperative to ensure your garage door is in working order to save you money and significantly increase its lifespan.