Like any other door, a garage door is meant to keep your house—and the valuables in it—safe. But a defective or broken garage door exacerbates risk factors.
A garage door can weigh anywhere between 130 and 400 pounds! This means that an accident involving a garage door can be fatal. The good news is that regular upkeep can decrease the likelihood of mishaps and increase the life of your garage door.
Here are four techniques you can use to keep your garage door in tip-top shape.
1. Inspect and Service the Hardware
The hardware inside the garage door undergoes wear and tear as a result of regular movement. Every six months, you need to inspect all the hardware, including the nuts, bolts, sockets, rollers. Using a wrench, tighten any item that’s loosened over time.
Safety tip: Some maintenance tasks are best left to the professionals. So don’t attempt to modify or tune any piece of hardware—such as the torsion springs or bolts—that’s painted red.
2. Check The Mechanical Reverse Feature
Most modern garage doors come with a safety auto-reverse feature. This means that if something comes in the way of the door closing, it will immediately rollback. Here’s what you should do to test it in a secure manner:
- Place a brick or wooden block in the path of the garage door
- Press the button to close the door
- Check whether the garage door reverses upon impact with the brick
- If it doesn’t close, call a professional.
3. Use Garage Door Lubricant
To minimize wear and tear and corrosion on moving parts, keep them lubricated. Greasing the door every few months will add years to its life.
For the best results, coat the opener’s chain with white lithium grease and the overhead springs with spray lubricants that are designed especially for garage doors.
4. Clean The Door Regularly
In general, you should clean your garage door every time you wash your car. Clean it with an all-purpose cleaner, spray down with water and wipe with a clean, dry cloth. Depending on the door’s material, apply a protectant to protect against weathering. Inspect your door for the following:
- Insect damage—especially wooden doors
- Water damage
- Chipped and peeling paint
- Small holes or scratches
Additionally, check for any debris on the hardware and clean those parts every six months or so. Wipe down the tracks and rollers for smooth operation.
If you’re looking for professional garage door maintenance in Nashville, Tennessee, then choose Easy Fix Nashville. Our technicians excel at garage door installation and maintenance for residential and commercial clients.
To hire a skilled garage door repair and maintenance technician, call us at +1-615-560-8948 or drop us a message.
