How To Maintain A Garage Door Unit

Installing a gorgeous, custom built garage door adds beauty and value to your home, though it might feel like it also drains the wallet. Luckily, garage doors are not intended to be disposable. They are meant to remain beautiful and functioning for years and decades- meaning, they are more of an investment than an expense. Investments must be protected, and this takes a little work. Garage doors and openers should be maintained annually to ensure continued, safe, and reliable function. Generally, this little bit of yearly attention is easily done by the homeowner. However, if you come across something questionable during the process, it is important to call a garage door professional. Safety is a definite consideration where garage door openers are concerned, and if you are unsure of something it is best to have a professional check and make necessary repairs.

The purpose of annual maintenance is to avoid needing repairs. Begin the maintenance routine by cleaning out the tracks that the garage door sits in with a clean cloth. Use a bristle brush and degreaser to remove built-up dirt and debris. Often, these tracks become greasy over the course of a year. Go ahead and wipe this grease out- it shouldn't be there and you will be oiling the parts that need it later.

Once you have cleaned out the tracks and around the rollers, pulleys, springs, and other moving parts well, lubricate all the moving parts with garage door lubricant or lubricating oil. Don't forget hinges, pins, axles, and wheel bearings. Now the mechanical parts are clean of dirt and debris and newly lubricated, you will likely notice quieter operation.

To help keep it quiet, check all the bolts that hold it all together, and make sure they are all appropriately tightened. Pay careful attention to the bolts and screws that hold the tracks to the walls. If these bolts come loose, from either the wall or the track, it can throw the entire operation off balance and pose a safety risk. This is a good time to check that all the tracks are properly aligned. If adjustments are needed to track alignment, simply loosen the connecting screws, make the necessary adjustments, then retighten the screws.

A simple check of bolts and screws, a bit of cleaning, and a touch of lubrication a couple times a year is a small amount of effort to ensure safe, continued operation of your garage doors and openers. Of course, aligning tracks and tightening bolts minimizes jarring of the door, and lubricating moving parts will make the mechanical parts operate much more quietly. If the door openers seem loud, performing annual maintenance will likely help quiet down the operations.