Winter is practically here. Here are some preventative measures you’ll need to take in order to learn how to maintain a garage door on your home.
When most people think about preparing their home for winter, the room that may be the easiest to forget is one of the most important: your garage. The average garage door lasts for about a decade.
But just like everything else you own, that lifespan depends on how well you take care of it.
When you are making your list (and checking it twice) for your winter preparations, make sure to add garage door maintenance to the list.
Scroll down to learn some preventative measures on how to maintain a garage door for those chilly months.
1. How to Maintain a Garage Door 101: Look and Listen
This may sound like apparent, but do you remember the last time you stopped to look at your garage door or listen to the sounds that it is making? This is the most important and pivotal preventative step you can take for your garage door.
Check for where it is running smoothly. See if there are any places that jerk. Make sure the door looks symmetrical.
Is it opening and closing quietly? Does it sound like there is a lot of grinding?
The cold weather will only make loud sounds louder and can turn jerking into freezing completely. Take some time out of one of your weekends to check on the door. It could prevent you from having to get repairs in the future.
2. Tighten Up
Think of how often you close and open your garage door. Even if you are just opening and closing once a day to and from work: that is over five hundred times a year.
That is a lot of movement. And over time, this movement loosens the door’s hardware.
When you are taking time to look and listen, bring a socket wrench along with you. Some bolts, and more than likely all of the roller brackets will need some tightening up.
3. Test Your Garage Door for its Balance
If the door is not balanced, it’ll have to work even harder to open and close. In turn, it will wear down, and it will not last as long as it could.
This is a relatively easy task. Disconnect the opener. You can do this by pulling on the release handle.
Then manually move the door up yourself: not all the way, but about halfway up. If it doesn’t stay completely still, that means that your counterweight system is off balance.
You may think that fixing some springs is a quick run to Home Depot. But with over 30,000 physical injuries associated with garage doors every year, you may want to think twice about doing this on your own.
Garage door adjustments should only be done by professionals. Do not put your health in danger to save a few dollars.
Winter is Coming: Be Prepared
The winter affects all parts of your home. But for your household goods that are exposed to the elements, like the garage door, are more vulnerable.
These precautions on how to maintain a garage door may seem small and tedious to you, but they can make all the difference for your door. And in turn, for your family’s safety.
Make sure to make the time to check your door, so you are not left out in the cold.
Do you have any questions about your garage door repairs? Or perhaps you want a new one altogether? Please feel free to contact us 24 hours a day for all of your garage door needs!
