Garage Door Maintenance

A garage door may look like one of the various other types of doors. Is there any complicated thing in the opening and closing the door on some rollers or arms? Not apparently. If this is your idea about a garage door, then probably you are not right. The door moves smoothly because there are a lot of springs to neutralize its weight and make movements soundless. You will feel the actual weight of the door when one of those springs gets faulty. Here comes the repair issue. A defective garage door must not be repaired by an inexperienced person as there is a significant chance of getting injured by those heavy components.

However, like most other things, Commercial Garage Doors  door will undergo wear and tear as time passes. You need to do some regular maintenance work to keep that door functioning. If you ignore minor issues, they may soon turn up critical and cost you a fortune. While you should not handle major fixing such as replacing panels, rollers, or springs; you can certainly do some routine maintenance jobs.

Lubricate to keep it quiet

As most components of a garage door are of metal, they would produce cracking sound while moving one on another. A good lubrication can minimize the noise and allow you to enjoy noise-free movement. Choice of lubricant is a crucial factor. An ordinary lubricant like WD-40 may offer a temporary solution, but the effect will wane very soon. Instead, lithium and silicon spray will work longer and seamlessly.

Clean the track

Rolling parts of the door are the sources of noise, and the track is the housing of those parts. So you might want to keep the track clean. While you apply lubes to make the parts smooth, lubes, in turn, absorb dust and create a jam on the track. That dirt and dust may cause the rollers, springs, and bearings to fail early. Take a damp cloth and clean the track as much as possible. You may need a solvent metal cleaner to remove any sticky residue. In the winter, the trail should be kept clear of snow or ice.

Inspect weather seals

As the term denotes, weather seals are meant to keep your garage safe from harsh weather conditions like rain, snow, etc. Usually, the seals are composed of plastic or latex materials. Any minute gap between the door and floor/walls is sealed which prevents moisture or water from entering the garage when the door is closed. Weather seals are made of durable material so that they last 5-10 years. However, as they are subject to friction and slides, regular inspection is required to find any potential damage that might create a gap or hole between the door and the floor. If any replacement or repair is needed, cut a small piece of the seal, and take it to the garage door accessory store. They will be able to provide you the right type of replacement seal.

Adjust the garage door sensors

The main function of the sensors is to detect anything blocking the path of the door when it closes. It is a safety measure so that nobody gets hurt during door closure. Modern sensors are equipped with an infra-red signal that can activate an electric motor which in turn opens or closes the door. The sensors are mounted on either side of the door wall, one or two inches above the floor. Several factors can cause the sensors to malfunction including misalignment, accumulation of dirt at the sensor eye, etc. The indicator light will start to blink if the sensors fail. To realign the sensors, just move them gently until a direct line of sight is noted. If this fails, clean the sensor lens and try again.

Adjust the door opener

The door opener may be wired to your house or remotely controlled. As it is an electric device, sometimes the circuit may fail to work. In other instances, replace the batteries of the remote controller to see if the problem is solved. Next, try to reset the opener if you are familiar with the process. You can check the manufacturer’s guide to understand the mechanism of door opener. Or, you can read this article.

More complicated issues obviously need professional hands to solve. Nevertheless, regular inspection and maintenance will extend the lifespan of your garage door significantly.