Regular Garage Door Maintenance
Make sure all the bolts are tight, as they support the garage door’s track.
A garage door has many working parts and is used daily in most homes. Regular maintenance can save homeowners money by detecting problems before they become severe or even dangerous. It’s recommended to keep a checklist in mind of which parts are most susceptible to problems and to check them regularly for any issues.
Frequent lubrication
One of the simplest ways to prevent damage to a garage door is to regularly lubricate the moving parts of the door. It’s best to use a spray-on lubricant specifically for garage doors to lubricate the rollers, the joints, and the springs, ideally 3 - 4 times a year. Avoid using any kind of thick grease, as the oil gathers dirt and grime and could tear away the bearings, causing damage.
Check the steel cables and bolts
Check for worn or frayed steel cables. If the cable fixed to the garage door shows signs of wear or fraying, a professional should be contacted immediately for repairs. While not a complicated job, it can be dangerous without the proper tools and expert knowledge of spring systems, so professional work is always advisable.
Additionally, Make sure all the bolts are tight, as they support the garage door’s track. If a bolt is loose, it could cause the door to suddenly fall, damaging any person or object in its path.
Maintaining the spring system
A garage door’s spring system can be a serious safety hazard if not upkept. Examine the spring system for problems, such as rust or issues with the safety cable. Garage door springs run together with a straight track through a lever system. The spring carries no tension when the door is up, yet when the door closes, the springtime extends, causing tension. If the springs are rusty, this could cause them to break when tension is applied. For this reason, all springs should have a safety cable. If there is no safety cable, one should be installed immediately by an expert, as there have been fatalities due to springs breaking and hitting people in the garage. Garage door springs are guaranteed to break at some point, so they must be kept up with regularly to ensure the safety of any nearby objects or people. Garage door companies repair springs daily, so contact an expert immediately if any issues with the springs are detected.
Some garage doors have springs that run through a tube and, therefore, are not visible. In this case, if any issues are suspected, a professional should be consulted to figure out exactly what the problem is.
The most common kind of spring season system is the torsion spring system. This system has the springs on a bar above the door or sometimes in the back of the track through a lever system, yet they’re still on a shaft. These springs should be sprayed with a lubricant 3 - 4 times a year.
To ensure that there is adequate tension in the garage door springs, pull the emergency release on the door while it’s closed and then lift the door to waist height. A properly functioning door should stay in this position on its own. If it falls back to the ground, there isn’t enough tension in the springs. If the door proceeds to open all the way without any extra force, there’s too much tension in the springs. Either way, repairs should be made as soon as possible.
Phoenician Garage Door & Repair offers full-service garage installation, repair and maintenance in Maricopa County. Emergency service available. We are licensed, bonded, and insured. Call (602) 610-0112.
