Like every other asset in your house requires maintenance, a garage door is also one section of your house that requires some maintenance every once in a while. However, its maintenance is often overlooked just because people do not tend to see a garage door getting wrecked very often.
But what they do not realize is if garage doors are not maintained properly, they can very easily lose their grip and overall strength.
For such several reasons, it is suggested that we give seasonal maintenance to our garage doors in order to avoid big losses such as an unfixable problem.
Here in the list below, we mention five important tips for seasonal garage door maintenance that keeps your garage door brand new.
Watch and Listen to the Operation of Garage Door
Keep check of noise, if there is any. If your garage door has been frequently noisy while operating, it is a sign that there is something wrong. Those garage doors which are in good condition do not make any sound and are relatively quieter as compared to those of the messy ones. Regular lubrication can avoid any mishaps and keep garage door operations much smooth.
It is suggested that while keeping a check on these factors – make sure you look at the springs, pulleys and cables and ensure that they are symmetrical.
Test the Door Balance
If a door is balanced properly then it is very easy to lift it. The way to test it rightly is by manually lifting the door – when you do that, the door becomes halfway open. You do not have to balance it with your support but it remains like that without you giving it a hand or help.
If the door does not lift up properly without your support, the door is improperly balanced or that can also mean you have to replace the springs now as they have grown old and worn out. To set this up or balance your garage door again, do not rely upon your own skills but call a professional for help.
Tighten the Hardware
Since a garage door moves up and down many times in a day for almost a year without any maintenance or check & balance, the hardware that provides it a grip and support loosens up the hold.
Keep a check on the brackets that hold the garage door tracks to the wall and ceiling and notice if the hold of it has weakened – if it has, then make use of a socket wrench that strengthens up the loose bolts.
Tightening up of the hardware should be a practice that must be carried out every once in a while as it helps keeping the entire garage door properly aligned.
Inspect and Replace the Rollers
Along the edges of a garage door we have rollers that should be inspected twice in every year and replaced in every six to seven years. Inspect these rollers and see if you find any rollers chopped or worn in any aspect, in case you do – replace them. It is not that hard to replace a broken roller, you can even do it yourself as most of these rollers can simply be removed by removing or dislocating the brackets that hold the garage door.
One important advice given by a great garage door repair Portland contractor – they suggest you to make sure to not dislocate the bottom roller bracket attached to the sides of the door as lift cables are attached to them and also, they have extreme tension that can make the entire door to fall apart and a major incident can take place with just a slight error in your action.
Oil and Lubricate the Moving Parts
Overall movement of a garage door depends on the smoothness of hinges, rollers and springs – hence they have to be oiled every five times a year in order to ensure smooth movements. A nice lubrication applied by a high-quality spray lubricant – for example, white lithium grease does a garage door greatly in terms of making its rolling smooth so at any time, a roller or hinge becomes stuck – you can lubricate it using an oily solution by just spraying them or simply attaching grease.
Final Thoughts
Follow the mentioned points and keep your garage door in a great condition – as mentioned before, like every other important asset of your house, a garage door is also one important aspect of your house that is largely seen or noticed every time a visitor visits your place. Your garage door has a long life and it cannot wreck for almost a decade if you take care of its maintenance and lubricate the moving parts every once in a while.
You do not have to invest much on its maintenance but smartly. This means a frequent gradual small investment done in such as every four to five months will help your garage door stay in good shape.