It is a dreaded feeling. The moment you go open your garage door and the garage door doesn’t open. Or maybe it doesn’t close. It’s either blistering hot or freezing, yet now is the time it chooses to break? Murphy’s Law. But while it may be easy to automatically assume the weather is to blame, it may be a simple matter of poor maintenance. To be fair, while it may be the hot or cold air, you may still be in need of garage door repair! (Like how we did that?)
Whether you work in the trucking or garage door repair industries, there is one ethos that all must follow: Preventative maintenance is key. Did you know that you can conduct preventative maintenance on your garage door without the help of a garage door repair expert? But if you find yourself in a situation where your garage door doesn’t open, Prestige Door is here for you!
Top Tips for Garage Door Maintenance
When it comes to preventative maintenance for your garage door, you first need to understand that accidents happen. After all, you are not an expert garage door repair man. You are a home owner. Fortunately, there are four critical steps you must take to ensure safe garage door maintenance.
- Be sure to unplug your garage door opener. If there is an opener control, either take the batteries out or put it away somewhere it won’t be easily activated.
- To prevent the door from dropping on your head, make sure to clamp locking pliers onto the roller tracks.
- If you are removing lift cables, the tension must be released from the door spring.
- Never mess with overhead torsion springs, as they could snap and cause bodily harm. Torsion springs must be worked on by a professional garage door repair person.
What if garage door doesn’t open?
You always want to start by first inspecting the garage door hardware. If the garage door doesn’t open, you will want to look for obvious signs of damage to the door or mechanical components. Check for rust or breakage on roller wheels, cables, fasteners, tracks and springs. Remember, if you see obvious signs of damage or something you can’t easily maintain or repair, it’s time to reach out to an expert garage door repair professional.
One of the more obvious places an eagle eye will see a problem is with the nuts and bolts that hold in the brackets and roller tracks. Over time, as the door opens and closes thousands of times, those nuts or bolts may shift or loosen. You will want to ensure all brackets, as well as bolts that connect to any brackets, are tightened up to the rail itself. How often should you check the nuts and bolts? Monthly.
You’ll also want to have a close look at the nylon rollers your door rolls on. Because nylon deteriorates over time, especially in colder climates, this should be at the top of your preventative maintenance list. “But wait!” You’re saying. “I have steel rollers!” Worry not, brave homeowner, simply go back to the nuts and bolts. You will also want to check the bearings. Uneven wheel tilt causes uneven wear and damages the bearings. One thing to remember, however, is to never remove the bottom roller if you decide to repair the brackets yourself.
Lubricate and Seal Up
One of the most important parts of your garage door is one of the most obvious parts: The tracks. So, you will always want to make sure you inspect the tracks and look for bends, breaks, cracks, pinches, worn out parts, or other damage. If you do see major problems with the tracks, we recommend calling a technician out.
If there is one sound that keeps up a garage door repair person at night, it is the sound of grinding metal. It’s nails on a chalkboard for a repair technician. Yet, it is more than just a nuisance. When there are metal components grinding on your garage door, you could be facing imminent failure. That’s why having a lithium grease lubricant on hand to occasionally keep your garage door greased is never a bad thing. Locate the opener screw or chain on your garage door and give it a good spray with the grease at least once a year. After all, don’t they say that a grease spray a day keeps the garage door repair man away?
There are also no problems with you using a cleaner to clean the torsion and extension springs located above the roller racks. Feel free to leave any excess lubricant. The excess helps prevent long-term corrosion and ensure a long life for your equipment.
If there is one big killer when it comes to garage door components, it is moisture. Combine moisture with cold and you’ve got a real double whammy. Always double check the weather seal on the bottom of your garage door. This seal is prone to become worn or brittle, especially in cold Ohio weather, and could be prone to breakage.
We Can Help!
One thing to always remember when conducting your own preventative garage door maintenance is this: If you run into something you aren’t sure about tackling, better to be safe than sorry and contact an expert. Feel free to use the simple, easy form we have created at the bottom of our contact page and we will get in touch. We know how vital a functioning garage door is to you and your family and we are here to help! We are your go-to experts for garage door repair in Akron, Canton and the surrounding areas.