Garage Door Maintenance Tips for the Homeowner

50 percent of Americans never maintain their garage door, don’t be one of them.

In a recent study, half of people surveyed reported that they had never done any kind of preventative maintenance on their garage doors, either on their own or with the help of a qualified professional. This statistic is alarming because maintenance is essential for keeping garage doors in safe and reliable working condition. If you want to avoid dangerous incidents and sudden, costly repairs, and also prolong the life of your garage door, consider following these simple tips for garage door maintenance once per year.

Keep Your Garage Door Clean: Allowing dirt to accumulate on your garage door will obviously make it look less attractive. A dirty garage door also has the potential to grow mold or mildew or become unevenly discolored in bright sunlight. Fortunately it is easy to clean your garage door with mild soap and water.

Inspect All Parts: Watch the door open and close and see if any parts appear to be loose or out of alignment. Also check for any parts that appear rusted or corroded. Pay special attention to the rollers, cables, bottom brackets, and garage door springs. If you see any parts that look like they are overly worn or damaged, contact a professional garage door repair technician to provide the necessary repair or replacement.

Check the Door Balance: Close the garage door and pull the release cord to disengage the garage door opener. Now raise the door about 3 feet off the ground and carefully release it. If the door moves, it needs to have its balance reset by a professional.

Check the Auto Reverse: Open the garage door and put a 2×4 or an object of similar size on the ground in the path of the door. Now close the door using the garage door opener. The door should just barely touch the wood and then go back up. If this doesn’t happen, it needs professional service.

Check and Clean Photo Eyes: Close the garage door and use a soft, dry cloth to clean the lenses of the photo eye sensors. If the sensors seem out of alignment, gently adjust them. When you’re done, make sure the sensors are working waving a broom or similar object between them while the door is closing. If the door doesn’t stop, it needs professional service.