Things You Can Do Yourself
When it comes to garage doors most things should be left to the professionals because there are so many different components. Altering those parts in a negative manner can cause problems through the whole system. But there are things that you can do at home that will prevent the need for repairs.
Twice a year you should inspect and provide maintenance on your garage door. This isn’t hard and doesn’t take a long time but it does save you a lot of time and money in the future. Whenever you are doing yearly household chores like spring cleaning, mowing or winterizing the yard; you can easily add garage maintenance to that list. Performing this routine will let you know if you’re in need of professional garage door repairs.
What to look out for during garage maintenance
The first step in your semi-annual garage door maintenance routine is to watch and listen. Open and close your garage door; as you do this you want to watch and listen for any possible issue. Your door should move up and down with relative ease. There shouldn’t be any jerking or scrapping. And your door should be level, meaning one side isn’t higher than the other. If you see or hear any of these symptoms you should call a garage technician and have them inspect and repair any issues they find.
Paying attention to your hardware and tracks are important as well, they help to ensure everything runs smoothly. Make sure there is no debris in the way of your tracks otherwise when your rollers go over it there can be issues. Tightening your hardware is a great maintenance tip . Because your garage door opens and closes many times a day, hundreds of times a year, the vibrations over time can cause your screws and brackets to become loose. Tighten these up with the proper tools and you’re good to go. But if there are any issues with your tracks not lining up you should call a technician because those need to be adjusted properly and by someone with training.
Maintaining Your Springs
You’ve probably heard and read about the dangers of replacing your own garage door springs. And this is true, you should not try to replace and install your own torsion or extension springs. They hold an immense about of tension in them in order to move the heavy garage door up and down on a daily basis. Without the proper training you could risk injury to yourself, your garage door system and other members. Always call a professional for spring repair and replacement.
But just because you shouldn’t replace your springs by yourself doesn’t mean you can’t maintenance them by yourself. During your semi-annual garage TLC you should tend to your spring system. Lubricating your springs makes their job a lot easier. Your entire garage system consists of a lot of moving parts and most of those parts and metal which means proper lubrication is essential. It is fairly easy to tell when your springs or rollers aren’t lubricated because you will hear a very annoying squeaking every time you open and close your garage door. If you aren’t sure what kind of lubricant to use on your springs you can talk to your local garage door company and they can recommend a good brand for your system.
Testing The Other Features Of Your Garage Door System
If your garage was built and installed after 1996 you have safety features in place that should be checked annually to ensure they are functioning properly. If you don’t have these features you should have a technician come and install them and provide any other repairs and maintenance that might be needed. Testing these features is fairly simple and if they don’t pass the test a technician should be called to repair them ASAP. The first feature to test is the auto-reverse. This is put in place to prevent the garage door from closing on anything like a car, a pet or a bike. To test this feature simply place something like a 2X4 or something else sturdy on the ground where the garage door will be closing and if your door does not automatically stop and go back to the open position after touching the object you should call a repairman.
Photoeyes are also newer safety features that are installed on all garage doors. These are the two little sensors at the bottom of your garage on either side of the door. They send a signal to each other and when the garage door is closing if something breaks that signal by crossing in front of their path, the garage door will stop and reverse to the open position. To test this feature start to close your garage and wave a broom or your leg in front of one of the sensors. If the door continues to close anyway you should consult with a garage door technician right away. Having your photoeyes repaired is important in preventing injuries and damage to property.
Other Small Maintenance Tips
Living in the rainy, Pacific Northwest your weatherstrip at the bottom of your garage door is pretty important. Without this little rubber strip your garage would most likely food during the rainy season, which is all the time. Checking your weatherstrip is super simple, just visually inspect it for any damage or wear and tear that might compromise its effectiveness. If it looks old and worn out or had cracks developing, you might consider replacing it with a new on. You can get this at the hardware store and are fairly easy to replace by yourself. But feel free to call a garage door technician for any assistance or further repairs you need.
Don’t Wait To Call
If you are performing your semi-annual garage maintenance and any of these things seem to be out of order or in need of more serious repairs you should always call your local Beaverton garage company. John’s Custom Garage Doors is always here to help you. If you need assistance with anything, you know who to call. Our team installs, repairs and maintains all garage doors for our Beaverton residents. Even with the proper maintenance year round sometimes parts and pieces just break and that’s why we are here! Give us a call today!