DIY Garage Door Maintenance & Tips

Garage Door Maintenance Alpharetta GA

When it comes to automatic garage doors, most of us think little about it and take them for granted. Every time we push the button we expect the door to open so we can park our cars inside and push the button again to close the door behind us to protect our vehicles and other valuables from the elements outside. Not much to think about until you push that button and nothing happens. Worse yet, push the button and you hear a loud snap from the conveyor chain or watch in horror as you watch your garage door fall off the roller tracks and onto your car. It’s when these awful incidents occur that we ask ourselves how we could have prevented it. Luckily, there is a way to maintain your garage door yourself and keep it running longer without handing out your hard earned money to repairmen who can get it fixed in a matter of hours.

The first thing to know about maintaining your garage door is to be familiar with all with moving parts. Check your springs, cables, rollers, hardware and hinges. Give them a monthly inspection to see if all parts are moving smoothly. It wouldn’t hurt to give a squirt of WD-40 to all your rollers, roller tracks, hinges, cables and latches to keep moving parts lubricated and functioning. WD-40 is a better cleaning agent than a lubricant. It cuts through rust, grime and grease and is great for freeing up seized hinges. However, the disadvantage of WD-40 is that after it cleans out the grease and rust, there is no lubricant left. A good substitute for WD-40 is 3 in One Oil, Silicone or Teflon Spray.

On average, people open their garage doors more than 1000 times a year. Each time it opens it causes vibration that could allow your hardware to come loose. Check your hardware and make sure that everything is nice and tight.

Check your springs for rust. Rust can cause cause coil friction on your spring, not to mention the rust will eat away your torsion spring over time. You can prevent this by wiping a little oil on a rag and wiping any rust or grime off the springs. Doing this will also reduce the noise your garage door makes when opened.

Your springs can actually tell you when they need to be serviced or replaced! Simply pull the hanging cord with the red handle. This will release the door from the opener so you will be able to open your garage door by hand. Open and lower the door a few times and listen for any squeaking or popping noises. Squeaking noises indicate that your hinges need to be lubed.

Next, close your door and then raise it up a couple feet off the ground and let go. If your springs are in good condition, they will prevent gravity from pulling down the weight of the door. If your door sags and feels heavy when opening the door, then that is a sign that your springs are getting old and will soon need replaced.

 Another common garage door problem is that they have a hard time opening in the winter. There are a few reasons why this happens. Metal contracts in cold weather which makes it tough on the rollers when opening the door. Solve this problem by spraying WD-40 on the roller track to allow the door to open smoothly. Another possibility is hardened grease around moving parts. Grease hardens in cold weather, just brush away the hardened grease with a stiff brush or a wired brush. Check for any worn out rollers or misaligned/warped roller tracks. If tracks become warped, there isn’t much you can do. A repair like this requires a trained professional.

As you can see, there isn’t much to maintaining your garage door. With only a wrench and some lubricant, you can double your garage door’s life capacity without much effort. The only real effort is taking the time to check it once a month! 

All Four Seasons Garage Door Maintenance Alpharetta GA is a trusted name in keeping garage doors healthy in the Atlanta Metro area. Call us with your concerns at (770) 517-7078 or click on us: All Four Seasons Garage Door Maintenance Alpharetta GA