Garage Door Maintenance Steps You Can Do On Your Own
Taking care of your garage door can be a daunting task, especially in hot climates like Arizona, where the intense heat can cause warping, splintering, or cracking of your wooden garage door. If you're in Tucson, for example, and are facing these issues with your garage door, seeking professional help is essential. Consider searching online for "garage door replacement tucson" to find a reputable garage door replacement company for expert assistance.
Even then a lot of people think they can get a new garage door, keep using it and not have to worry about maintenance. However, this attitude can very well cost them their new garage door. You have to at least know how to lube the door, how to tighten loose bolts, adjust the sensors and set the motor. These are the basics of garage door maintenance, and if you don’t know what these mean you can find the answer in this article.
And while there are many steps you can take on your own to make sure your garage door last, others are best left to professionals. If you are in any doubt, don’t hesitate to engage the services of an affordable garage door company: https://www.kingsgaragedoors.us/. Some DIY fixes like spring replacement may be too difficult for an average DIY dad. It is just not worth taking the risk, especially because of your family responsibilities. Even worse, it can lead to serious injuries or a fatal outcome. Be aware of the dangers and safety concerns of replacing the springs on your own.
With that in mind, here are several maintenance tips you can safely perform on your own.
Lube the Garage Door
Ever thought your garage door are too loud? Then you most likely simply need to lube the door. This is an essential part of garage door maintenance and if neglected can even ruin your brand new garage door. To lube the door, make sure the tracks are clean from dust or debris. Use the right lubricant to oil up the springs, hinges and rollers. While lubricating springs and hinges comes down to spraying the lube over them, you have to be very careful with rollers, especially if they are made of nylon. Getting lube on the nylon can actually damage the track.
Tighten Loose Screws and Bolts
Loose screws and bolts can prevent your garage door from operating properly. Fortunately, fixing this is as simple as replacing them with screws and bolts with a larger diameter. However, before you do make sure your screws are actually loose since sometimes the problem might not be a loose screw but a damaged hinge. Also make sure to check whether the material around the screws is damaged or cracked, especially if your garage doors are made of wood.
Adjust the Safety Sensors
If everything seems to be screwed tight and your garage door still refuses to open or close, the problem might lie in the safety sensors. Before you start adjusting the sensors make sure to cut the power to the garage door, just in case. Next, loosen the screws on the sensors so you can easily adjust them and move them as close to the ground as possible. Use a string tied to a sensor to properly position the sensor on the other side of the door. Once they are leveled, tighten the screws and take off the string.
Adjust the Motor
The motor is responsible for your garage door’s operation. If it doesn’t work the garage door won’t open or close automatically and you’ll have to do it manually. To make sure your motor fails you when you are in a hurry to work or to take the kids to school, you have to subject it to regular maintenance.
If you find yourself in this situation, you should first check the manual that came with the door. If you don’t have one, try to look up the specs online. Next, find out which dial controls the opener as well as which motor operates the reverse sensor.
Adjust the knob little by little and see if there are any changes until the garage door reaches the top. Adjust the reverse sensor using the other dial while the garage door is open. Prevent the garage door from slamming close with a heavy object that the safety sensors won’t pick up. The garage door should reverse immediately when they hit the object. If not, adjust the motor according to the manual until they do.
If the motor doesn’t reverse the door you are looking at a potentially dangerous situation. This is something you definitely shouldn't handle alone.