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How To Maintain Your Garage Door

In most cases, garage doors are not a primary entry-exit for the home. This means that many homeowners don’t take the time to perform regular maintenance on their door. This carelessness can be costly when problems arise and can also affect the safety of home occupants. In an effort to discourage neglect, we’ve included this list of do's and don'ts for maintaining your garage door. 

Clear out debris: Regularly remove debris from underneath your door so it doesn't get caught in roller tracks or prevent alignment with the jamb when opening and closing.
• Wipe up oil, grease and other liquids from the floor to prevent damage to the door from corrosive materials.
• Keep your garage door clear of any items that may weigh it down or strain its operation.
Ease Tension: Check the tension on springs about once a month and adjust as needed for smooth operation.
• Make sure torsion springs aren’t overloaded, and tension adjustments are made with care. Don’t overtighten them because they may break while in use, potentially harming occupants or damaging property.
• Adjust spring tensions evenly to prevent uneven wear on the tracks and rollers resulting in sticking or sagging doors.
Check operation: Perform safety checks monthly to ensure your door is working properly.
• Test your lift and tilt mechanisms to ensure they work smoothly and hold their positions correctly.
• Test your safety reversers or limit controls. If your door’s reverse mechanism malfunctions, it may close suddenly, causing damage to the door or injury to an occupant.
• Test all light bulbs and replace them as needed. A burnt-out bulb can cause a fire hazard in the garage since lights are very useful when performing tasks such as working on automobiles or gardening equipment.
• Make sure your door will not reverse when you open it. Over time, your door may start closing on you as the spring and cable wear down, especially if the weight of the door and its contents are heavy.
• Test your emergency release mechanism to ensure that it works in case of power outage or door jamming.
Check for damage: Check for signs of physical damage regularly to ensure that your garage door will continue to operate safely and efficiently.
• Look for stains or rusting on tracks, rollers, hinges and springs as these are common signs of wear due to regular use.
• If your door develops deep dents, take note of the type of material that is denting the door. For example, if you find dents in a sheet metal door, your garage may have an improperly insulated floor or an underground pipe leak.
• Check for cracks in the door’s paint and surrounding structure as these are telltale signs that the supporting framework is deteriorating.
Repair/replace parts: Repair or replace parts as needed to restore your door to proper working order.
• Replace chains or cables if they are frayed or if you see excessive wear from tension adjustments. The garage can be a dangerous place if cables snap while in use because of excessive wear.
• Inspect rollers as they may need to be replaced if they are worn or missing.
• Replace damaged or missing hardware on hinges, locks and safety releases.
• Reset safety reversers if your door suddenly opens into traffic or if it fails to retract when you open it.
Avoid damage: Minimize the potential for damage by following these tips:
– Keep your garage door securely mounted to a wall or a floor that allows for proper alignment with jamb and hinge pins. Do not mount the door on heavy objects like boxes as this can cause the door to sag or bind.
– Don’t overload the door with extra weight by storing items on it.
– Don’t transport chemicals or corrosive materials in your garage as they can damage the door and harm occupants.
• If you are building a new garage, consider making the floor and walls out of non-porous, water-resistant materials to prevent moisture damage.