Garage Door Maintenance Tips

A garage door is one of the most crucial parts of the house and must be secured. Every homeowner understands that regular maintenance ensures the garage door’s proper functioning and long life. Fix Garage Doors CA is a local garage door services company providing necessary season diagnostics and maintenance on garage doors the same day in Toronto and GTA areas.

Garage Door Maintenance: Why It’s Important

Performing routine overhead garage door maintenance will help ensure your garage door is safe and in working order, prolong its lifespan, and keep it good-looking. Based on the experience of our garage door technicians, we would like to point up what is preventative maintenance on a garage door and the following reasons why it is necessary:

1. Safety – means to work properly and prevent different accidents and injuries;
2. Efficiency – means to operate efficiently by reducing wear and tear of doors and garage door openers and, of course, energy costs;
3. Reliability – means to prevent malfunctioning and unexpected breakdowns, which are very inconvenient and may result in expensive repairs;
4. Longevity – means to extend the garage door and its parts’ lifespan and to save money on replacements and repairs;
5. Appearance – means to keep good-looking of your door and improve the curb appeal of the garage door.

We are sure that all these points will convince you to use regular garage doors and garage door opener maintenance services.

Seven Basic Garage Door Maintenance Tips

Maintaining assures the longevity and proper functioning of the steel garage doors as well as wooden garage doors. We have prepared a garage door maintenance checklist on the basic features:

• Lubricate Moving Parts

Moving garage door parts of any door include hinges, garage door rollers, and springs. Their regular lubrication will enable the garage door to operate smoothly and eliminate grinding or squeaking noises, especially when you have an older garage door.

Besides, this will reduce wear and tear due to decreasing the amount of friction and rust spots between door parts and will extend the door’s life and the necessity for repair. Thus, it will result in preventing accidents and improving safety features.

And the door, which is operating smoothly, requires less energy and increases energy efficiency.

• Inspect and Replace Weatherstripping

Weatherstripping is the special material strips that create a seal between the garage door and the surrounding frame. There are different weatherstripping types: vinyl, rubber, or foam. And you should choose the best for your climate zone. But over time, rubber weatherstripping and other types can become worn or damaged. This will cause air leaks, dust, drafts or insects to enter the garage.

Check weatherstripping visually for any signs of tear and wear, for example, gaps, cracks or missing sections. Then, check for drafts staying inside the garage and closing the door. If the weather stripping is not tight, replace it with a new one.

Checking and replacing weatherstripping as needed will help keep your garage more comfortable and energy-efficient and prevent drafts and pests from entering your home.

• Inspect and Tighten Hardware

The other important step is to check and tighten hardware, such as loose bolts, nuts, or screws. You should look for loose on the garage door and components, i.e. hinges, rollers and roller brackets, tracks and torsion springs.

You can tighten any loose hardware using a wrench or a screwdriver (that will be quicker). But be cautious and not over-tighten. Otherwise, it will cause damage. If the hardware is damaged, attempt to find it, this can be a stripped screw or a broken hinge, and replace it as soon as possible.

Then, check the track alignment to ensure the bolts are tight and in place.

After that, let’s look at springs. Check them for any damage or wear signs, including rust and cracks. But if you find the problem, contact a professional garage door technician to have the springs replaced.

Lastly, check cables for any fray or damage and replace them if needed.

Do not forget to lubricate garage doors and their parts, such as hinges, rollers and springs.

Inspect and tighten hardware regularly to keep its safety features and smooth operation and to avoid more serious problems. If you are unsure you can do this, trust this overhead door maintenance for a garage door professional at Fix Garage Doors CA.

• Clean the Garage Door and Tracks

Cleaning is also important as a constant maintenance step to keep your garage door operating smoothly, looking great, and like a new one.

You will need the following supplies: a bucket of warm, soapy water, a soft bristle brush, a sponge or rag, and a hose or pressure washer. After washing the door and tracks, dry them thoroughly with a rag or towel. Then, use spray lubricant to grease moving parts. If you notice cracks or debris on the doors or tracks while cleaning, call a professional to assist you in getting repair or replacement services.

Cleaning the garage door and tracks regularly will help to prevent dirt and debris from interfering during the operation, and your doors will look perfect for years to come.

• Test the Safety Features

Testing the safety features of any garage door can help ensure the doors’ safe operation. Thus, check the photo-eye sensors that are located near the bottom of the garage door tracks to ensure they are free of any debris or dirt and aligned properly. To do this, you may use any object to break the beam when the door closes. It must stop immediately and reverse direction.

After that, put something like a piece of wood on a place where the door is expected to close and push the remote or wall button, and the door should detect this object and reverse direction. It will test the auto-reverse feature.

Then, try to check the manual release by pulling the release handle or cord. When the door is disconnected from the door opener, you will open or close the door manually.

Do not forget about force settings that should be adjusted when the pressure sensor malfunctions. That is, if the setting is too high – it will damage the door or opener- or if too low – the door won’t close properly.

And the last thing, check emergency release. You can do this by turning off the power or unplugging the door opener (try to open and close the door manually).

Checking these features will ensure the safe and correct work of the doors and prevent injuries or other uneven accidents. If you face any problems, call a professional for qualified and quick assistance.

• Strange Noises

We recommend considering all the strange noises you can hear from the door. They may be grinding or squeaking; you should try to find the problem. But if you have any concerns about what is going on with your garage door, contact a professional door technician to investigate and repair it as quickly as possible.

• Door Balance

Garage door balance is crucial for efficient and safe operation. An unbalanced garage door may cause such problems as uneven wear and tear, damage to the door opener, safety failure resulting in unexpected closing or opening, drafts and air leaks. Thus, test the door balance by disconnecting the opener and manually opening and closing the door. It must move smoothly and stay in place without falling or rising.

Garage Door Season Maintenence

As we have already mentioned, performing door and garage door opener maintenance regularly on your garage door will extend its lifespan and prevent costly repairs down the road. Follow these easy steps to keep your garage door in proper working condition during the year:

Lubrication of moving parts	(such as the rollers, hinges, and tracks) will guarantee the door’s smooth operation.
Checking the hardware	will confirm a good condition (such as the nuts, bolts, and screws for tightening). But replace them immediately when you notice any damage.
Testing the balance	will help to ensure your garage door’s springs do not need to be adjusted and the door is in its place.
Checking the weatherstripping	will help you to ensure it is intact and provides a good weather seal.
Cleaning the door and the tracks	will help avoid accumulating dirt and debris.
Testing the safety features	It will help you to ensure that you won’t miss anything that can be on your way, and nothing or nobody won’t be damaged or injured.

Following these steps regularly as a small guide will keep your wood doors in proper condition and avoid costly repairs. However, if you notice any issues with your garage door during maintenance, contact a professional to address the problem.

Professional Garage Door Maintenance and Repair at Fix Garage Doors CA in Toronto and GTA

All moving parts, including rollers, hinges, tracks, and a garage door as a whole, require maintenance from time to time. This will keep your garage door functioning, ensure long-lasting and prevent you from spending money on expensive repair services.

If you encounter any garage door issues, feel uncomfortable with any DIY projects or fix on your own, you are welcome to contact Fix Garage Doors CA for maintenance and repair services in Toronto and other GTA areas. Many years of experience in this field help us to define the problem as quickly as possible and solve it.

Our technicians are ready to explain how to maintain a garage door and help you the same day when you call us at 905-247-6699 or leave a quote online. In most cases, we have all the necessary replacement parts with us in the truck and can repair them if necessary.