Maintaining your garage door is a piece of home maintenance that really is necessary. Maintaining your garage door can save you time, money and headaches in the long run. Think about it, your garage door is the single largest moving item in your home. So that fact alone should move you to spend just a little time and money into maintaining your garage door. This keeps you from having to make those emergency garage door repair calls to a garage door repair company. Yet, it can be a bit of a head-scratcher as to how you keep your garage door maintained, which parts to look at and what you are looking for. We have listed 10 tips for maintaining your garage door, so your garage door works properly for it’s expected life. Observe The Garage Door’s Performance: The first thing you can do to is to keep a keen eye on the performance of your garage door. The moment you close or open it, keep an eye on its functionality. It should move without jerking, and the motion of the overhead door must be symmetrical. If the garage door is making some unwanted noise, it is good to call a Houston Garage Door Repair professional like Spectrum Overhead Door. Tighten the hardware: At an average, a garage door cycles thousands of times per year. With that type of frequent movement and vibrations, the roller brackets, bolts, and many other small parts become loose. It is good to tighten them from time to time, and this task can be done easily and instantly by using a socket wrench at home.


Ensure proper balance: If the garage door is not well balanced, it put more stress on the opener and may also fall causing risk to family, guests, animals, and property. To check your garage door’s balance you’ll have to disconnect your garage door from your opener and check how well the door rests on its own. Run the door up and down a few times to make sure it moves easily within it’s track. With your garage door moving smoothly in the tracks, run it up about half way and let go. Does it hover in place, fall to the floor, or move upward? More than a little movement means your door is out of balance and the torsion spring (also known as a tension spring) may need to be adjusted or replaced. It is recommended to check the balance of your door at least once a year.  If you observe some trouble, it is better to call a garage door repair professional in Houston such as Spectrum Overhead Door.. Replace broken rollers: Whether your door contains nylon rollers, or if they are made up of steel, they need time to time inspection. And in case they are broken, it is important to replace them on time. On average, your garage door rollers will need to be replaced once every seven to ten years. Of course, if you use your garage door at a high day to day frequency, you may need to replace the garage door rollers sooner. This is an easy replacement to make as you can simply remove the brackets, slide the old rollers out, and then slide the new ones in. CAUTION- the bottom roller plate is under immense tension and should not be removed! A slight bending of the track with pliers will allow you to pry them out for replacement.

Check weather-stripping: Weather stripping makes sure that whenever you shut the door, it forms a secure seal. This striping can become cracked, brittle, or may get broken with time. Replace damaged weather strip as needed to keep dirt, leaves, and debris from blowing freely into your garage. Make sure you replace the whole length at one time. Weatherstripping comes in both a slide on version, and one that is fastened with small self-tapping screws. Make note of which style your garage door has and compare it to other products before ordering online, or purchasing from a hardware store. Lubricate the parts: In order to ensure the smooth operation of your garage door, it is important to lubricate it from time to time. All it takes is about 10 minutes a year to make sure your garage door is properly lubricated and working smoothly. Use a clear all-purpose spray, or dedicated “garage door lubrication” on your springs, hinges, bearings, rollers, and any tight spots within the track. Avoid using silicone on any parts with ball bearings. Many DIY’ers use WD-40 to lubricate items around their home, but it tends to dry up quickly in a hot garage. A general purpose lubricant purchased at an automotive supply or hardware store is a great option.

Cable inspection: With regular movements, garage door cables can become worn, frayed, rusty, or kinked. To inspect, look at the bottom roller bracket to make sure they’re still intact and not damaged. In case they are not working efficiently, it is important to call a garage door repair specialist, as the high‑tension cables used to lift your door are nothing to mess around with on your own. Check Garage Door safety features: It is also important to look after the security features of a garage door. Place an object like a brick, or piece of wood where the door would land to test that the door will reverse once the door makes contact. Most garage doors should also have safety sensors located at the bottom of the tracks. If your garage door safety sensors are not located at the bottom, then your operator is quite old, and you should think about replacing your operator unit. To test the safety sensors, operate the garage door to close, and pass your foot through the path of the infrared light. This should trip the system and send the door moving back up again.
Clean the tracks: The garage door tracks need to be checked and cleaned at least once per year. Greasy roller tracks will attract dust and dirt over time, and will ultimately keep the rollers from rolling on the tracks smoothly. Wipe the inside of the garage door tracks clear using multiple rags, warm water, and detergent. Once clean, a clear spray lubricant can be sprayed lightly. Clean the door: You need to clean your garage door to make sure the dust and dirt on the outside of your garage door do not get into other areas, like the roller tracks. Also, it is just good practice in maintaining the appearance of your home. You should wash and clean your garage door at least twice a year. Wash the door to clean away any dirt or debris that could get into the tracks or wear on the door. Do not use bleach as it is too harsh of a chemical and can damage the paint on your garage door. Pro tip- this is a good time to wash and inspect the weather stripping we mentioned earlier. Use a general-purpose cleaner and go over the weather stripping around the garage door’s edges, as well as the rubber seal on the bottom of the door.

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