Garage Door Maintenance and Inspection Tips You Need To Know

A property with a garage.

Regular garage door inspections and timely maintenance checks can be a great way to save money. Regardless of how often you use your garage door, a routine maintenance check should always be kept in mind. Before you schedule a check however, there are several questions you should ask yourself. Do you live somewhere that has temperatures of up to triple digits or below freezing? Does it snow heavily every year? Does your garage remain shut or is it used often? And what tools and appliances do you keep in your garage and how do you fetch them? It’s important to take these questions into consideration when you look to examine your garage door. Identifying key problem areas is the best way to start maintaining the health of your garage door.

Maintenance Is Key

1) High Priority Areas

There are several areas of your garage door that will need more immediate attention than others. Garage door hinges can break and cause sections to fall out of the track, so it can be important to keep the fasteners tightened if door hinges or track hardware become loose. The spring in your garage door is vital in helping lift your garage door. If this is damaged, your door will not rise and will feel very heavy. Door tracks can also become misaligned, causing your door to no longer lift or close properly. Springs and tracks can be dangerous to repair yourself so always call on professional garage door repairs in Adelaide where you can.

2) Allocate Sufficient Time For Maintenance Checks

Maintenance checks can be fairly straight forward but it’s important not to rush through them and be sure that every part has been thoroughly inspected. Dedicate at least an hour or two to each section of your garage to check each part is working properly.

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3) Perform Seasonal Maintenance

Preparing your garage to brave the elements throughout the year can greatly impact the health of your garage door. Heavy winds can damage your garage door with severe weather conditions that cause rusting or damage. Prepping your garage door before certain weather conditions come around is a good preventative measure. Be sure to check that the weather stripping around your garage door isn’t cracked or loose, as they keep moisture and cold air out, preventing mould from building up.

4) Keep Your Garage Doors Clean

It’s important to clean your garage roller doors at least once a year to make sure it stays in top condition. Use a rag and some mild soap with water to prevent a buildup of moisture and dirt on your garage door, which can cause your door to warp or bend over time.

A property with a black garage door.
garage

5) Beware Of Pests

Wooden garage doors can be more susceptible to pests compared to metal doors but it’s always a good idea to check for any evidence of pests with any holes or tunnels in the area. If you do find any indications be sure to use pest repellent or contact your local pest control professionals to help remove them.

6) Budget

It’s always important to put aside an emergency fund with enough money for garage door repairs at any time. Always having a budget in place can save you a lot of stress in the event of any emergency repairs.

7) Tools At The Ready

Keeping important tools on hand for maintenance and inspection tasks can make sure that you’re always prepared. Be sure to do your own research into what garage tools or replacement parts you may need and obtain them to ensure you’re on top of all your maintenance jobs. Heavy duty cable cutters and winding bars for garage door torsion springs are just a couple of useful tools that can come in handy when the time comes for inspection.

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A house with a brown garage door.
garage door

Garage Door Routine Inspections

  • Visual

As soon as you open your garage door, be on the lookout for any unusual sounds or obstructions. Proceed to then check rubber seals around the bottom of the door to make sure nothing has been cracked or damaged. Any damaged areas should be repaired or replaced immediately.

  • Reversal

It’s important to inspect your reversal safety feature to make sure it’s working. The best way to do this is to place a small object underneath the garage door before hitting the garage door opener. Your garage door should reverse immediately when it hits the object. Ensuring that your reversal safety feature is sensitive enough that it reverses as soon as it comes across an object can protect the safety of you and others.

  • Balance

Inspecting your garage doors with the balance test helps determine whether your garage door springs are in good condition or not. To do this, pull the emergency release cord on your garage door opener and lift the door to a midpoint level. Once the door is in position, attempt to release it as long as the door doesn’t feel too heavy. The door should remain in that position once you’ve let it go and should not go up or crash down. This indicates that your door is completely balanced and your springs are in good working order.

  • Photocell

Testing your photocell feature is similar to the reversal tests. This time however, photocell sensors are used to detect any objects that break the light beam paths of your opening garage door. To test this safety feature and make sure it’s working properly, place an object below your garage door and start your garage door to begin closing. If your sensors are functioning properly, the photocell sensors will detect the object and your garage door should immediately start reversing.

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Garage door inspections should ideally take place every few months, if not sooner depending on the amount of wear and tear. When inspecting your garage door, be sure to keep in mind these routine tests to perform.

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