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Summer is a perfect season to do home repairs and maintenance. A few simple summer maintenance tips for your garage door can go a long way towards making your door last longer and saving you the trouble of getting an expensive replacement.
In fact, with just a few small changes to your garage door’s maintenance routine, it’s possible to keep the door in top shape all year long, and its benefits during the summer months.
Here are nine things that you can do:
Follow a Maintenance Schedule
If you’re unsure of how to maintain your garage door properly, you may need to consider calling in a professional company for maintenance services.
Most companies will have a set schedule that can be used to determine when your door needs to be serviced and checked. It’s important to always follow this maintenance schedule.
Discount Garage Door offer garage door repair in Tulsa, so if you live in the area, you can contact their professional services for maintenance assistance and other garage door issues.
Here’s how a professional garage door service company can help:
- They assess your garage door problem using their expertise and the right tools.
- You’ll learn expert advice on the best practices on how to troubleshoot minor garage door problems.
- They repair all garage door problems, both existing and potential.
- Ensure that your garage door is working in its best condition, most especially during harsh seasons. You can expect long-lasting use of a garage door that is fixed by a professional than somebody who repairs it DIY without a background on how to repair garage doors.
Check the Spring Regularly
It’s best to check the spring regularly for signs of wear and tear. If you see that the springs are worn out, replace them as soon as you spot the signs. If the springs are not worn out, or if the signs are present but appear less than noticeable, they can be replaced without a lot of hassle.
Regular maintenance tips for your garage door include changing out the springs at least once a year. The springs are one of the most crucial parts of your garage door and therefore need to be replaced periodically.
Here’s how to change garage door springs:
- To change the springs, you should remove the old door opener, as well as the screws at the top of the door, which connect the springs to the door.
- Then, you will need to unscrew each spring so you can slide the old door on. Take the old door opener and place it on the garage door. Make sure the spring is tight and secure, and that the door is turned off. Now, you should slide it back into place and put a flat steel rod under the spring to hold it in place.
- Next, attach the new spring to the new door and screw it onto the opener. Now, screw the new door opener on the door with the new spring. If the door is made with a roll-type mechanism, you may need to tighten the nuts to prevent the door from coming off.
- Finally, lubricate the moving parts of the door, as well as the parts between the door and the tracks before you re-install them. Also, check for any wear and tear before changing the oil to make sure everything is running smoothly.
Spring problems are best entrusted to professional garage door specialists to avoid an accident, most especially if you don’t have any background in repairing garage doors.
Check Tracks
Most garage doors are made with three parts: the tracks, the springs, and the doors themselves. The garage doors actually pull the tracks to open and close, which is why they often wear out.
To repair them, you must replace the springs and tracks. The garage door parts that tend to wear out quickly are the tracks and the rollers.
It’s very easy to forget about the rollers while you’re working on the door, but they play a very important role in the way your garage door opens and closes. The rollers move up and down as you open and close your door. If they’re rusty, they may not work as well as they should.
You should also pay special attention to the rollers when they’re covered in rust. To avoid rust from forming, replace the tracks if possible.
If you have young children or dogs and other pets, you should inspect the tracks for cracks and chips in the metal.
Check the Locking Mechanism
One step to ensure your garage door is in good condition is to make sure it’s locked when not in use. Some owners mistakenly think that when the door is in use, the locking mechanism will stop working.
This is usually not true, and you should ensure that the locking mechanism is operating properly before opening the door to let out any air.
Here’s how to check your garage door’s locking mechanism:
- You should always close the garage door completely. It should never come open more than a half an inch or a quarter of an inch.
- If the garage door is opened more than half an inch, you should consider changing the door opener if you have one. Most opener parts are made of plastic and break if exposed to excessive heat or extreme cold.
- Always turn on your garage door from the side that has the garage entry. If you open the door from the opposite side, it will be easier to locate the spring and other parts of the door if it breaks.
Washing Your Garage Door
Keeping your garage door clean will also make your house look nicer. Here are some tips for cleaning your garage door:
- Be sure to always use a scrub brush to apply a cleaning solution to all sides of the door. This will help loosen up all the dirt and debris that are stuck underneath. Make sure that you work the solution in very thin layers, as this will help get rid of any debris that was missed.
- When scrubbing the door, try not to apply too much pressure since this can cause damage to the motor.
- Be sure that the garage door is completely dry. If there are any cracks or leaks in the door, they should be repaired immediately.
It may be necessary to have the door repainted, but this shouldn’t be more than a month’s worth of work. If it’s only a small crack, it may be best to have the door repainted after the repairs are complete.
Clean Your Garage Door Entry
Clean up your garage entry at least once a year. Use a mild soap solution, and then wipe up any debris. If you must use a commercial cleaner, make sure it’s made specifically for cleaning up garage entry areas.
Lubricate Your Garage Doors
Lubricating your garage door is important, like any machinery or moving part, for them to function properly with frequent use and avoid easy wear and tear.
For one, you need to regularly lubricate the lock to make locking a lot easier. Also, lubricating the rollers, bearing plates, and springs are important.
The tracks are attached to the door frame via four screws, which are fastened to the rollers using more screws. While they may appear to be pretty simple pieces of hardware, the tracks can be a lot more complex than you think.
There are actually several types of tracks available, all of which need lubrication to perform properly.
Garage door springs work on the same basic concept as the tracks, but instead of extending up into the doors themselves, they actually rest on the ceiling of the garage.
This type of mechanism is easier to lubricate than the tracks. As you may expect, garage springs must be replaced periodically for good performance and safety reasons.
Check the following tips when lubricating garage doors:
Choose Between Oil Or Grease:
When it comes to lubricating garage doors, you can choose between oil and grease. Oil is much cheaper than grease, especially if you have a very expensive piece of machinery on your hands. You can use the oil for your lawnmower and other high-end equipment instead of grease.
Grease tends to wear down the tracks and rollers much faster, and it will also cause rust to occur under the garage doorway.
Frequency:
Good quality garage door hardware should be oiled once a year for the tracks to operate properly. Take care when storing your garage door hinges as well.
For older garage doors, one of the most important things you can do to help ensure it functions properly is to lubricate them at least twice a year.
Check Instructions:
Before you buy a new garage door, it’s a good idea to check if they come with instructions on how to lubricate them. If you don’t find this information somewhere with your door, then it’s a good idea to look online to see whether they come with instructions for doing this yourself.
Insulate Your Garage Doors
You need to ensure that all garage doors are properly insulated. If you don’t place your garage insulating material in the right area, it will not provide the protection that’s necessary for your home.
Garage doors are made up of aluminum or steel, and if you fail to properly insulate these types of doors, you could potentially be damaging them.
If your door is made of wood, then you should also make sure that the wood is properly treated to prevent termites from entering your home.
Insulating garage doors are not hard to do and can be completed by anyone who knows how to use a hammer and some nails. Here’s how to insulate your garage doors properly:
Measure Temperature:
To determine how to insulate garage doors properly, you will need to know the temperature of the garage and how long it will take for the air to reach the doors.
Some of the most common methods to measure temperature are the Fahrenheit and Celsius systems.
The Fahrenheit system is probably the easiest to use, as this is what you will find in books that offer information on insulating a garage.
Insulation Steps:
When making your insulation, make sure to cut holes in your material to allow the air to flow through. This will help increase the insulation value of your material. The holes you make will need to be at least 6 inches deep.
Wash Your Garage
Once you’ve taken care of the maintenance of your garage doors, the next step is to think about washing your garage. Here’s how:
- Washing your garage can be done by using a simple solution of vinegar and water. You should also consider using dish soap or even dishwashing liquid if you have one handy.
- Make sure that you wear gloves when you’re working around anything that can come in contact with the motor, such as your hairdryer. Some cleaners may also be hazardous when it comes to this particular area.
There are several other things that need to be taken into consideration if you’re planning to clean your garage on a regular basis.
For example, if you leave a door open while the car is parked overnight, the dirt and debris could build up and damage the motor or even become trapped underneath the motor and cause it to wear down over time.
If you have any concerns, however, you may want to call a professional to do the work for you. The garage door repair technician will also tell you what the proper steps are when it comes to painting the door.
Conclusion
When you take the time to maintain your garage door properly, it will be easier to do the job yourself in the future, especially if you need to replace the door.
Make sure to check the springs and tracks, clean, lubricate, and reinforce your garage doors during summer by following the tips above. It will be easier to fix your garage door if something does break in the future.
