Do you want your garage door to add value to your home for many years? Well, maintenance is critical to long-lasting and worthwhile return on investment. Caring for your garage door can extend its life span and increase your property value.
By following these garage door maintenance tips, you can keep your garage door functional and safe for you and your family.
Listen to your garage door for unusual sounds when opening and closing it. It might have an issue if you hear squealing, rattling, vibrating or slapping sounds. Vibrating sounds can indicate a loose bolt or nut, while slapping noises can signal a loose chain.
Unusual sounds can also mean your garage door needs a tune-up or realignment. Call a professional if you hear strange noises to avoid further damage or safety hazards.
Inspecting your garage door hardware, like cables and springs, frequently for wear and tear is vital.
Cables on the end of your garage door help with opening and closing. While manufacturers make garage door cables from durable and non-corrosive materials like steel and nylon, they become worn over time and repeated use. A damaged or worn cable can prevent your door from opening and closing properly. Inspecting cables helps ensure they are in working and safe condition.
Springs lift or pull your garage door up. Garage door springs can become worn, damaged or jammed, preventing you from opening your door. Damaged springs can also cause multiple safety hazards, so inspect them for wear like cracks, jams, breaks, rust and corrosion. Unusual clicking noises from your springs indicate signal wear, rust and corrosion. While you can examine your garage door torsion springs, you should call a professional for expert maintenance, repairs or replacements.
Weatherstripping is an important garage door component. It seals the open space or gaps around your garage door, preventing air from entering and exiting your garage and living space. Installing and maintaining weatherstripping helps:
Check the weatherstripping for cracks, holes or other damage. If you notice water puddles near the floor of your garage door, your weatherstrips might be damaged. Drafts coming from your garage, increased energy bills and rust at the bottom of the garage door can also indicate weatherstripping wear.
Lubricating or greasing your door components like chains, springs, rollers and bearings is the best solution. Garage door components or moving parts can start to stick or rub against each other, causing friction and unusual sounds and tension when opening and closing your garage door. Your garage door can operate smoothly and noise-free by lubricating or applying grease to these parts.
Apply lithium base grease to your door components like the opener chain screw or belt if you notice straining or squeaking noises when operating your garage door. Here are some tips for greasing your garage door parts:
An imbalanced garage door can cause safety hazards and extensive damage. When your garage door is imbalanced, it adds excess weight and strain to your panels, springs and door opener. This strain can cause your garage door to collapse, leading to harm and costly repairs. You can test your garage door balance by placing it manually, lifting it halfway and releasing it to see if it moves.
A balanced garage door will stay in place and not move up or down when releasing it. Fixing an imbalanced garage door is a complex and hazardous task and requires professional services.
A safety reversal test checks if your garage door will stop or lift while closing if there is an obstruction beneath it like a person, pet, object or car. Garage doors have sensors to detect contact with an obstruction in the way. The test is necessary to ensure these sensors work and you can use your garage door safely. Here’s how you can do the safety reversal test:
Photo eye sensors detect movement like a car pulling into your garage door. They are on either side of your garage door interior. While the safety contact reversal tool stops the door closing when touching an obstruction, photo eye sensors detect motion in front of them and signal to reverse the door closing.
You can test the photo eye sensors by waving an object like a broom in front of the sensors while your door is closing. If the sensors work, they should detect movement and prevent your door from closing.
If the door doesn’t reverse, your sensor might have a build-up of dust and dirt or need realigning. You can clean them by lightly wiping the exterior of the sensors. If cleaning them doesn’t do the trick, try realigning them by following the manufacturer’s instructions. Photo eye sensors should have lights to signal when they are aligned. Call a professional if realigning them does not fix the issue.
Dirt, dust and grease can build up in your garage and impact its functionality. Wash your garage door frequently to keep it clean and prevent dirt and debris from clogging moving parts. Regular cleaning can also improve your garage door life span and preserve your door materials and appearance.
Changing your garage batteries and bulbs is an essential part of maintaining your garage door. In power outages, your backup battery and the light bulb will kick in, enabling you to open and close your garage. Test your backup battery by unplugging your opener and opening your garage door by clicking the wall button. You must change your backup battery and bulbs if your garage door does not open. You can follow your manual for instructions on changing your bulbs and batteries.
The team at Viking Overhead understands the importance of a safe and functional garage door that lasts many years. With 30 years of industry experience, we focus on providing quality and valuable garage door preventive maintenance, repairs and replacements. Trust us for 24/7 emergency services, honest pricing, premium-quality customer service and workmanship.
Contact us online today for garage door services throughout Texas.
