Garage doors are an essential part of keeping your home safe and secure. They serve as an additional layer of protection to block strangers and intruders, so you have to make sure that they are working correctly to avoid possible problems, especially threats to your safety.
Here is everything you need to know about garage door maintenance, and how to keep a balanced, and healthy garage door.
Is Garage Door Maintenance Necessary?
The simple answer is yes, garage door maintenance is necessary. Every part of the home needs repair and maintenance every once in a while. On average, garage doors open and close five times a day. That’s 1,825 times a year! The only way for your garage door to continuously open and close is with routine maintenance.
Professional maintenance services are essential, as having all of these components working correctly will ensure you get the most out of your garage doors. Additionally, you may not be able to notice serious issues no matter how closely you look at your system. Having garage door experts thoroughly inspect your door will help you catch issues early, avoiding serious problems and potentially higher costs later on.
How Often Should You Schedule Garage Door Maintenance?
According to experts, you need to service your garage doors at least once every 3,000 cycles or at least once a year. If you use your garage door as the main entrance into your home, you may need garage door maintenance more than once a year to prevent issues.
Aside from frequent usage, another thing you should consider is the weather in your area. If you are in a location with harsh temperatures, make sure you schedule your maintenance before the weather takes a turn.
Then, when the weather improves by spring, have your garage doors inspected again, as the temperature and moisture levels might harm specific components like gears and springs.
Necessary Garage Door Maintenance
If at this moment your garage door is perfectly fine, that’s great! For as long as you do a routine check-up and maintenance, the lifespan will be practically infinite. Here are some ways to stay on top of your garage doors, and tips for any possible concerns that can be solved with a quick fix.
Pay Mind to the Tracks and Rollers
The door track and rollers are some of the most critical components that ensure that your entire garage can be accessed and secured at will. These parts of the garage door system are susceptible to collecting dirt, though. When too much build-up gets into these crevices, your garage door can become inoperable.
Don’t wait for your garage door system to slow down or allow the debris to build up. Organize a schedule for cleaning the tracks and rollers to dust away anything that might be hindering their functions. With a quick squeeze, your garage door should be opening and closing with no issues at all.
Double-Check if Nuts and Bolts are Intact
When observing your garage door installation, an obvious feature is that it consists of moving parts, including nuts and bolts. If you use the door daily because you constantly leave the house and drive your car, the door’s metal parts can go through wear and tear over time.
After a while, a garage door’s nuts and bolts could come loose and possibly risk the safety of anyone using the door, including your car. What you can do is to take a closer look at your garage door’s metal parts and check to see if nuts and bolts require modifications and tightening solutions to guarantee your door remains intact.
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Lubricate the Springs and System
Aside from the tracks and rollers, you also need to pay mind to the springs, hinges, brackets, and more. A garage door system is normally made of metal, which can develop rust. No matter the air quality, rust is bound to make a lot of noise and slow down your garage door. The worst-case scenario is that your garage door gets stuck while opened or closed.
Be sure to provide each part with the right grease or lubricant to avoid that. A generous amount of lubrication can also prevent the friction that would’ve otherwise affected the longevity of the garage door’s system.
Assess the Balance of the Garage Door
When it comes to your garage door, take note that operating it involves balance to get it to open and close each time you enter and exit your garage without problems. Since the last thing you want to witness is your garage door not functioning properly, you need it to operate right every time.
You can check if your garage door is working as you expect it to by testing its balance and pulling the opener’s release handle to let it open wide, at least until it’s halfway up. If you stop the garage door, but it still moves, it indicates that its springs are faulty and will require the necessary garage door repairs.
Inspect the Door for Anything Unusual
If you leave your house every day and drive your car to work or other places, you may fall into a routine that involves entering and leaving your garage without showing concern for the door. With all the priorities you have to put forward and tasks to accomplish, it’s normal to forget to pay closer attention to things that may not seem too important.
However, your garage door requires your attention, too, even before it starts to break down. The next time you operate the door, it will help to be observant and check if any unusual sights or sounds occur, such as slow rising sounds, straining or jerking, squeaking, or scraping. Those sounds could mean there’s a bigger issue involved with your garage door.
Repairs are inevitable, but they certainly aren’t a walk in the park. Moving your schedule around to accommodate fixes on your garage door can be frustrating, especially when dealing with major repairs. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid these situations, and it all starts with a regular assessment of your garage door’s functionality. Having maintenance checks conducted by a garage door service is essential to keep your garage door in tip-top shape to avoid expensive and time-consuming repairs. With over 60% of Americans unable to produce emergency funds for repairs up to $500, these regular garage door repair assessments are crucial. Here are ways that regular maintenance can prevent any unwanted garage door repairs for you.
How Regular Maintenance Can Prevent Unwanted Garage Door Repairs
Prevent any Delays or Interference
A malfunctioning garage door could be the very reason you’re late to work as it opens slowly or jams halfway through. Interferences like these can really cause frustrations in your daily routine, but taking the time to identify these problems before they crop up is possible. Even if your garage door isn’t exhibiting any signs of wear and tear, schedule adjustments at your soonest convenience to catch any issues early on.
Rather than having a stubborn garage door interrupt your daily life, getting a minor garage door repair from qualified professionals can save you a whole lot of trouble later on. A garage in good condition will also add value to your home when it comes time to sell it. Communicating how you maintained your home regularly, including your garage door system, will make your house look more attractive to prospective buyers.
Avoid Inconvenient Repairs
Putting off regular checkups on your garage door may increase the likelihood of massive remodeling projects later on. Whatever inconvenience you might encounter during maintenance checkups and minor repairs is nothing compared to a major garage overhaul. When spring coils fail or remote openers stop working, you might find yourself unable to come up with the funds for the required repair. By doing the checkups today, you’ll save yourself a whole lot of grief and unwanted damage tomorrow.
Have Room for Storage and Clear Parking Space
Studies have shown that many middle-class families ended up using their garages as storage space to the point that there was no more room for parking. While garages don’t have to be exclusively used for car parking, keeping their primary function is helpful to daily living. It will also prevent having to rearrange possessions for garage door re-installation.
Schedule Garage Door Maintenance Near You
For the most part, garage doors are no fuss. However, they’re still quite formidable; they’re incredibly heavy, up to hundreds of pounds at a time. It’s important to make sure that they are properly maintained—or replaced when needed—-to avoid possible accidents. After all, you and your family deserve only the best and safest. When it’s time for a repair or replacement, going the DIY route may do more harm than good. Leave the job to the experts to ensure that your garage doors are handled properly.
With so many moving parts to your garage door, including torsion shafts, coil springs, cables, and more, getting the right professional services to perform a full assessment of its condition is essential to your home. Knowing what to look for in your garage door is equally important to ensure that minor repairs don’t develop into major problems that may cause unwanted repairs. Preventive maintenance is key, and it will save you time, money, effort, and convenience by practicing this for your valuable garage door.
For a trustworthy garage door service in Birmingham, AL, reach out to Dodson Garage Doors LLC! We look forward to helping you maintain one of the most convenient parts of your home. If a replacement is necessary, we’ll be able to help you with that too!
We offer services to Oneonta, Trussville, and Springville AL! Contact our team today!
