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You undoubtedly use your garage door and opener daily, so you should schedule regular maintenance to always have them in top shape. Postponing garage door maintenance may be costly to repair. A damaged garage door can be a danger to homeowners. Keep these tips in mind if you care about the condition of your garage door.
Arrange for Regular Checkups
Most people don't think about their garage door until something vast and expensive goes wrong. Garage door maintenance should be treated no differently than an oil change for a vehicle. To keep the garage door working with springs, cables, rollers, hinges, pulleys, and panels, perform a check twice a year. Having a professional garage door inspector look it over every so often is also a good idea.
Lubricate
Maintaining the rollers and the door opener by lubricating the moving parts is essential. You should spray the rollers and hinges with lubricant twice yearly and wipe out any excess. Dust builds on moving parts and causes clattering as it rubs against them. Dissolving rust and corrosion was the original purpose of WD-40.
Clean Tracks and Retighten Bolts
Remove any rust or debris from the garage door tracks. Ensure the garage door opener is securely attached to the wall or ceiling and the brackets holding the tracks are secure. Bolts could become untightened due to the door's vibration, so tighten them with a socket wrench. Don't try to fix the garage door without the right equipment. Customers must shop for the right tools and better yet engage a professional.
Test Door Balance
The door stays reliably open and closed thanks to the springs. An uneven garage door makes the opener work harder, shortening its lifespan. When the garage door is closed pull the release handle to deactivate the automatic opener. Then, physically push the door up until it's halfway open. The door, once installed, should not move more than a foot in either direction. The door is unbalanced, or the springs are worn if it sags unevenly. Professionals best handle repairs.
Clean and Paint
Take care of your garage door because it receives a beating from the sun and the elements. Sanding, priming, and painting steel garage doors can fix rust areas. Consider professional Excel Builders who will do a complete job that includes painting that leaves your home protected from the element's damage. After a while, you may maintain your garage door by scrubbing the fiberglass with an ordinary cleaning agent. Any paint that is peeling or chipping should be scraped off before sanding. Repainting a door made of wood that warps easily or becomes water damaged is essential.
Test Auto Reverse
The garage door automatically reverses its direction if it senses an obstacle, such as a vehicle, animal, or person. The door opens when a pressure sensor or photocells on both sides detect motion. Put a 1-1/2-inch block on the floor under the door once a month to activate the auto-reverse feature. The door should immediately reverse after it hits the block. The photoelectric system sensors are positioned four to six inches above the floor on either side of the garage door frame. All you have to do is start the garage door lowering and move your leg in its path to activate them.
Most incidents involving damaged garage doors can be traced to broken springs or a malfunctioning auto-reverse mechanism. Everyone hates it when their garage door stops working properly. An annual checkup is essential to know that your automobile will always start when needed.
