The garage door is obviously the largest moving object in your home and is used several times daily. So it's crucial to ensure that safety measures like automatic reverse are functioning correctly to prevent major accidents.
The experts at State Line Door Lift, a leading garage door repair and replacement company in Kansas, have outlined the following tips to service and repair your garage door to ensure its longevity.
1. Check out or listen to how it runs
Observing your garage door carefully while it is in motion is the first step in maintaining it. Analyze how the garage door rises and falls. Is there a smooth ascent? Is there any sticking? If you hear scraping sounds or observe jerky movements, it’s a sign that your garage door requires repair.
A garage door in good shape should be quiet and move up and down without pause.
2. Check for damage to the door
You’ll have to inspect the door for any evident physical damage. Look for dents, fractures, dings, scratches, and rusty areas as you inspect the panel.
Dents can make the door slide or drag when opening or closing if they are large enough to prevent the door from sitting correctly on the tracks. It's advisable to replace the panel if you can't get the ding out.
Don't wait until cracks become larger; if they are small, they can signal that you need to replace your garage door panel soon. Your entire door can fall out of its tracks if there are cracks in the panel, as it weakens it.
There is no improvement to a rusty door panel. Keep an eye on it to ensure it is replaced before endangering the reliability of the panel and resulting in worse issues.
3. Check the sensor if your door isn't closing
The sensor is one of the primary causes of doors not closing correctly. It might just be a location issue. Check the place and area where it is located first. Keep items away from the sensor as the sensor being blocked can be the root of several problems.
4. Grease any moving parts
Lubrication is one of the best garage door maintenance practices that will relieve all moving parts' stress. You can avoid an expensive garage door replacement with regular lubrication.
Lubricate your garage door at least twice a year using a good lubricant like white lithium grease. A spray lubricant is also perfect if you want to coat overhead springs.
5. Repair or replace weatherstripping
The rubber weatherstripping that runs the length of the bottom of the door helps keep water, filth, and dust out of the door. Check it twice a year to ensure it's in good shape.
The Weatherstripping on wooden garage doors is often fastened with nails. Check the quality of the Weatherstripping that runs the length of your door if it has it. If it is severely worn or damaged, replace the entire length or replace any loose sections.
6. Sand and paint the door
Pay attention to the door itself when examining the other parts. If the door is made of steel, search for rust spots that need to be primed, painted, and sanded. You can clean fiberglass doors using an all-purpose cleaner.
Wood doors should get special attention due to the prevalence of water damage and warping. Sand the area and repaint after removing damaged and flaking paint. If your wooden garage door does not already have Weatherstripping along the bottom, make sure it is well sealed or painted before adding the Weatherstripping.
7. Check for balance
Check to see if the springs are balancing the garage door appropriately. When balanced correctly, a garage door can be raised and lowered with little effort. The electric motor has to work twice as hard if it's not balanced correctly.
Make sure the door doesn't move after it's halfway open. If it does, it may indicate that the springs are out of balance or worn out. Adjusting or changing springs should only be done by a certified garage door technician.
8. Change worn-out rollers
Your garage door's rollers will see a lot of wear and tear over many years. Damaged rollers are a common cause of doors coming off their tracks.
Ensure to look over each of the rollers for signs of damage, and even if just one or two are worn out, make the minor expenditure to replace all of them at once.
9. Adjust the Hardware
The standard garage door vibrates and goes up and down hundreds of times per year, which can cause the door and track hardware to become loose. Examine the bolts securing the garage door opener unit to the structure, the brackets that hold the tracks to the ceiling and wall, and the brackets holding the door to the wall, and use a wrench to tighten any exposed loose bolts.
10. Schedule a consultation with a garage door expert
Garage door maintenance is ultimately best left to an expert. You can hire a garage door specialist to care for the operating system and its numerous components each season.
The above-listed maintenance procedures should be done by a technician, especially if you see any indicators of deterioration.
Get professional garage door maintenance and repair in Kansas
State Line Door Lift is the go-to garage door maintenance company in the Kansas City, Missouri area, from Independence to Grain Valley, Blue Springs, and Lees Summit. They specialize in the installation and repair of garage doors as well as tune-ups and maintenance to help you reduce the need for door or opener repairs.
Their professionals can advise you on the best options and provide free estimates for everything from a door track repair to replacing a spring or completely upgrading your old, outdated garage door.
The company always works with cost in mind and will do whatever it takes to get your garage door operational without charging you more.
Don’t delay your garage door maintenance. Call State Line Door Lift today at 18166168352 to get a free quote.
