Knowing that your garage door will always work properly is something that many homeowners take for granted. But when your garage door doesn’t work, you realise just how crucial this part of your home is. If you’d like the comfort of knowing that it will always work correctly, especially when you really need it to, here are some tips from Garaga that should help.
Inspect your garage door regularly
Be sure that you are paying close attention to any noises out of the ordinary whenever you open or close your garage door. A snap or thump could indicate that a part has broken or is about to break.
Regularly perform a visual inspection of your garage door. Are torsion springs intact and in one piece? Do you see any parts hanging down or loose? Do you notice a roller that is almost falling off because it is so worn? Is the chain or belt of your door opener so loose that it’s hanging abnormally low?
Be sure that the system is working correctly. If you have an electric garage door opener, disengage the trolley of the opener by pulling on the emergency cord and try to open the door with just one hand, using the lift handle. If you have difficulty doing this and the door feels very heavy, you’ve located a serious problem. Reattach the trolley and call a garage door technician without delay!
Perform maintenance on the garage door twice every year.
We advise that you have regular maintenance performed two times a year on your garage door: once before winter begins and then again, after all that cold weather is done. This means having lubrication, tightening of a few bolts, and especially checking your two automatic reversal systems, performed, either by you or a professional.
If you are checking your door yourself, be sure that all hinges are tightly secured and the horizontal tracks are aligned correctly. Tighten the bolts holding the perforated angle irons, forming a right triangle, that support the horizontal tracks and the electric garage door opener. If you have a 3‑piece trolley on your door opener, tighten the bolts concerned. Vibrations from the motor can cause these bolts to loosen more easily.
When we say lubrication, we mean that there are certain moving parts, like the metal components that move (hinges, rollers, and springs) that need attention. Use a petroleum‑based lubricant for this task. As well, this is the time to take care of parts made of PVC, like the exterior frame weather stripping. Use a silicone‑based lubricate for this task. Don’t forget to apply it to the bottom weather stripping as well as the stripping between the door sections.
Be sure to check the automatic reversal system regularly.
It is very important for the safety of everyone who lives in or visits your home that you verify your automatic reversal systems on a regular basis. If your opener was manufactured after 1993, you have two systems: one is mechanical and the other is photoelectric. For the first system, you just need to place a piece of lumber, like a 2 x 4, flat on the threshold of the door. Then close your door. When it touches this piece of wood, the door should reverse direction automatically and reopen.
The second system is photoelectric. This system uses two small units, one on each side of the door, with a light beam transmitted between them. It is very much like the technology used to open doors at supermarkets. To test them for safe operation, simply press the button to close the door and then pass your hand in front of one of the two units. By breaking the beam, the door should reverse direction and open automatically.
Let the professionals take care of everything!
Of course, you can always have the pros take care of all these vital safety tasks for you. Don’t hesitate to contact us at 905-569-9133. We are garage door experts and can provide you with our 28‑point tune‑up program that includes inspection, adjustment and lubrication.
However, if you feel that the time has come to change your garage door, we can also send you a detailed quotation by email. If you prefer, we will gladly visit you at home and present our whole line of garage doors. You can also use our Design Centre, or browse our image gallery, to see more examples of dream garages that we can create for your home.
Add new comment