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The easy guide to knowing what needs to be done
Your garage door is a heavy machine that is used almost every day of our lives.
It is opened and closed almost a thousand times a year.
This being said, it certainly needs to be taken care of.
Just like how we maintain our cars, every once in a while, a tune-up must be scheduled for it.
Not only that, but simple preventive maintenance must also be observed.
Doing this will lower the need for garage door repairs in almost every household.
This does not only apply to residential clients but as well as commercial clients.
However, not everyone is equipped with the skills and knowledge to perform proper preventive maintenance on their garage doors.
And with this in mind, We have compiled some of the things you need to know for this activity.
A checklist of sorts for your maintenance needs.
Be Observant
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
Some signs which could impose the wear of your door’s components can be identified via simple observation.
Is the door making noise? Is the noise louder than it should be? Is the garage door stuck? Are the springs, pulleys, and cables symmetrical?
Simple questions as they may be, they can tell you what needs to be done to further improve your door’s performance.
Check for Loose Parts
When something moves as frequently as a garage door, hardware can eventually loosen up.
This is normal as there are factors which could lead to this.
Check your door’s hardware. Examine the tracks if they are still in place, or the rollers and bolts if they are still in place.
If any loose hardware is found, please do make sure to tighten them using the proper tools and equipment.
Examine the Garage Door’s Balance
Garage doors should be properly balanced to evenly distribute the weight on both sides and on the springs.
If you have observed that there is an imbalance, this could mean that there is a problem with your door.
Disconnect your opener and manually lift up your gate halfway.
Check if it can hold its self well and if the door is held in balance in the air.
Check the Rollers
Rollers should ideally be replaced once every seven years due to wear.
However, it is recommended to have it checked at least twice a year.
Faulty rollers could potentially lead to other problems in your garage doors.
If the rollers are a bit tight, you can try applying lubricant on them.
If the rollers are already worn-out, it is best to replace them right way to avoid inconvenience.
Rollers can be easily replaced by removing and reinstalling the brackets that are not attached to the door’s cable system.
Check the rubber seals
Inspect the condition of your rubber seals installed onto your garage doors.
Rubber seals are used to prevent rain and water from coming into your garage by denying it entrance.
This is very useful in keeping your garage clean and dry.
However, rubber seals could eventually wear off and break.
When this happens, replace it right away to keep unwanted elements away from the interior of your garage.
Application of lubricants on moving parts
Greasing your garage door is one good way of taking good care of it. Apply lubricant most especially on moving parts.
This will allow your garage door to operate seamlessly and without noise.
There are a lot of lubricants you can choose from in the market.
Some of those, but not limited to, are oil-based lubricants, lithium-based lubricants, and silicone-based lubricants.
Apply lubricant to your rollers, springs, chains, and etc.
Check the Cables
By all means do not tinker with the high tension cables being used to lift your garage door as they can, by all means, take a life.
Nevertheless, there are other things you can do to make sure that your cable is in good condition.
Check the cable’s surface for any ripped strands or if there is any damage.
Although you cannot perform maintenance on this yourself, knowing when to know your local repair services is a good plus.
Test the Safety Features
Depending on your preference, it is possible to check the safety features that come with your garage door to make sure they are still working.
There are quite a few ways in which you can do this, but by all means, use your creativity for this one.
Most of the time this has no direct connection with the garage door functionality but are still important for other reasons.
Clean the Tracks
Grime and dirt can very easily infiltrate your garage door’s tracks.
Thus it is necessary to clean it every once in a while.
Accumulated dirt might cause your door to have issues during opening or operations.
Small dirt will not do any significant damage but accumulated dirt can hinder your door’s performance.
If you want your door to function as well as it did on day 1, then do not forget to clean up any accumulated dirt on your track’s surface.
Other finishing touches
After checking the above-mentioned areas and aspects of your garage door, also do not forget to check the garage door itself.
Learn to check on your door’s physical condition.
If it is made of wood, check if the wood is still fine – if it is already chipped or worn out due to age, and etc.
Learn to groom your garage doors.
Maintenance does not only attend to the mechanical parts of your door but as well as its physical condition.
Remember, if your door is worn out, no matter how well tuned the rest of the components are, if your door is no good, then it cannot assure your safety and those living with you.
So start treating your doors right.
Conclusion
Proper maintenance of your garage doors is certainly a necessity.
Those who learn to do this well reap the benefits it brings.
But knowing what you can do and what you need to rely on to others is also important.
With 12 years worth of experience in industry, GDR Houston Garage Doors located in Houston sure can be relied on for your emergency repair services and needs.
If there are any repairs or installations needed to be done during your maintenance, you can surely reach out to them.
GDR offers 24-hour repair services to those who need it.
They also guarantee same day repair or finishing the repairs on the same day.
They are certainly fast on their feet and do not compromise quality.
If you happen to be living in Houston, please do not hesitate to contact them.
Let us deal with your garage door needs and maintenance problems together and hand in hand.
Contact us now!
