How to properly maintain your garage door over the years

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Not only is your garage door the largest door in your home, it’s also the single largest moving part as well. So hopefully it makes sense that you should want to take care of it as much as possible. That’s one big part to need to replace, for one thing. Plus, if it stops working, you’re going to have quite a hassle on your hands. So we have compiled some basic tips that you should follow to properly maintain your garage doors over the years easily.

  1. Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open

One of the easiest ways you can take care of your garage door is simply by staying alert. Whenever you open or close it, watch to make sure it functions smoothly. The entire door should go up and down without any jerking. It should also be perfectly symmetrical. There should be very little noise and especially no alarming sounds like grinding or scraping.

  1. Tighten Your Hardware

The average garage door is used well over 1,000 times each year. That’s a lot of mileage on all those small parts your system relies on to work properly. This means plenty of vibration is working its way toward loosening up everything from bolts to roller brackets. Fortunately, as long as you have a socket wrench and a few minutes, you can tighten everything up so that it works properly and without issue.

  1. Test the Door’s Balance

A garage door that isn’t balanced stands very little chance of working correctly. This imbalance will eventually become a big enough issue that your garage door simply breaks because of all the stress put on the opener. To check the balance on your door, pull the red cord (or whatever your door uses as a release handle) and then manually move the door halfway up

  1. Inspect and Replace Any Broken Rollers

Whether you rely on steel or nylon rollers, they should be inspected at least twice a year to ensure they haven’t become worn down or otherwise damaged. On average, they’ll need to be replaced once every seven years, but if you use your garage door more than most, you’ll probably need to replace your rollers sooner.

This is an easy replacement to make as you can simply remove the brackets, slide the old rollers out, and then slide the new ones in.

  1. Check Your Weatherstripping Too

Weatherstripping runs along the bottom of your garage door so that, when it’s shut, a secure seal is made. Check the stripping regularly and look for any areas where it may have become brittle, cracked or otherwise broken. If you do need to replace it, we have everything you need for this easy project, so don’t hesitate to contact us!

  1. Apply Lubrication

All it takes is about 10 minutes a year to make sure your garage door is properly lubricated and working smoothly. Your home improvement store will once again have the supplies you need which is just some lubrication spray for the overhead springs and some white lithium grease for the chain or screw your opener uses.

  1. Inspect the Cables

The high-tension cables used to lift your door are nothing to mess around with. You could be seriously injured or even killed. However, there’s no harm in checking around the bottom roller bracket to make sure they’re still intact and working well. If you do spot a problem, just call a professional.

  1. Test Your Safety Measures

You should also look into your garage door’s safety features. This means sticking something like a brick or piece of wood on its threshold to ensure the door will back up once it hits this material. Most garage doors should also have a photocell component. If yours doesn’t, that probably means it’s quite old and you should think about replacing it.

With the photocell component, shut the door and while closing, put your foot through the invisible beam. This should trip the system and send the door moving back up again.

  1. Clear out the Tracks

The tracks of your garage door can become encumbered with all kinds of debris and other materials. So, now and then spend just a little time inspecting these tracks and cleaning them out as necessary.

  1. Clean Your Garage Door

Check out your garage door regularly to look for places whereit has become chipped, warped, or if the paint has peeled. For steel doors, ensure there are no rust spots or other issues. Whenever you wash your car, get in the habit of cleaning your garage door too.
While it may not be the most glamorous part of your home, your garage door is no less important.

Use the above tips to make sure you get the best performance from yours, year after year.

To be safe and lower risks, it is best to hire a professional garage door specialist.  The specialist can determine and address the problems of your garage door and propose a feasible solution.  Feel free to contact us any time for help.  Call Yuval at (215) 805-9209 or visit SecureGarages.com – don’t forget our Awesome Amazon Local Deal!  Garage adjustment, reconditioning + safety inspection. and for another $34 we will replace up to 8 rollers!  Mention Code: Secure4Sure10 to get another 10% off your order!

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