Essential Garage Door Maintenance Tips
When it comes to the life and durability of garage doors, a homeowner’s maintenance schedule plays a huge part. The following steps list out some basic maintenance tips that should be followed by homeowners for their garage doors.
Conduct Monthly Inspection
A visual inspection should be carried out every month and should include basic checks on visible garage door parts like hinges, mounting hardware, pulleys, rollers, cables and door springs, et al since these areas are most prone to damage. The cables should be checked for signs of fraying. The homeowner should also check if the mounting hardware is tight and in place. If any of these areas look different than normal (or make sounds), then a professional garage door repairman should be contacted immediately. Since they are important areas, ignoring problems could lead to mishaps.
Test the Door for Balance
This is for doors that come equipped with an automatic opener. First of all, the door should be closed and then, the automatic system should be disconnected. Next, the door should be lifted manually. Two things can happen when this is done – either the door will lift with little to no resistance and its movements would be absolutely smooth; or some obstruction would be felt while lifting it. If the latter is the case, this means that there is some problem with the balance of the door. In such a situation, it is best to call a professional immediately and have the door balance rectified.
Test the Reversing Mechanism
The reversing mechanism of the garage door has an immense importance, especially in terms of safety. It is also required by law to be present in every garage door that has been manufactured post 1st January 1993. If such a mechanism is not present, a professional needs to be contacted so that it can be installed in the garage door. To check the reversing mechanism, the door should be opened and a piece of wood should be laid at the middle, right where the garage door would touch the floor. Now, when the opener is used to close the door and it touches the piece of wood, the door should automatically start reversing. If this fails to happen, a professional should be approached immediately for rectifying the situation.
Test the Electric Eye
The law mentioned in the previous point also states that a photo sensor or photo eye should be present in every garage door. If a photo eye is not present in a garage door, the automatic system should be replaced with a better and legal one. To check the photo eye mechanism of the door, the door should be closed and a broomstick should be waved in front of the eye. In an ideal situation, the door would reverse. If such a thing does not happen, then the photo eye should be cleaned. In case of a misaligned photo eye, the homeowner can attempt to adjust it. Then, the mechanism should be rechecked. If the door still fails to reverse, a professionals should be contacted immediately.
Lubricate the Door Every Six Months
The tracks, rollers and hinges of the garage door can start squeaking and creaking with age. If the door is making noises, a spray lubricant should be purchased. It should be sprayed on the abovementioned parts on a semi-annual basis to keep your garage door maintenance Dunwoody GA at its best.
It is extremely important to have a trusted garage door company on speed dial but the work of a repairman can be made easier if the door is maintained on a regular basis.
Trust All Four Seasons Garage Door Maintenance Dunwoody GA to exceed all your garage door needs, great and small. Call us – (770) 517-7078 or click All Four Seasons Garage Door Maintenance Dunwoody GA