10 Tips for a Long-Lasting Garage Door

The garage door is a significant component of every home that many homeowners overlook and neglect. Dysfunctional SoCal garage doors can cause accidents or death and expose the home to security issues. Moreover, it will require you to spend a lot of resources to repair or replace it. To avoid all these issues, ensure that you take care of this vital part of your home through the following maintenance guidelines.

1. Lubricate the Moving Parts

Lubricating your garage door’s moving parts reduces friction and protects them from tear and wear. This strategy is more significant during winter. The low temperatures during this season reduce the lubrication and can easily prevent the door from opening and closing freely. You can apply oil or spray lubricant on the hinges, tracks, and rollers.

2. Tighten the Hardware

The garage door moves up and down hundreds of times. This frequent motion and vibration are likely to loosen the door and its tracks. Therefore, it is vital to inspect various parts, such as the fasteners connecting the door’s opener to the framing and the brackets anchoring the door tracks to the ceiling and wall.

Loose bolts and nuts can cause accidents and severe injuries because the door will not be in place. Therefore, the Pasadena garage door repair technician should tighten them with a socket wrench.

3. Inspect the Rollers

Inspecting the rollers along the garage door’s edge at least twice a year is another effective garage door maintenance technique. During the inspection, focus on the rollers and replace those that are chipped, fractured, or worn out. However, homeowners should leave the bottom roller brackets to professional technicians because they are connected to lift cables that are often under extreme tension.

4. Test the Garage Door’s Balance

An imbalanced garage door strains its opener and shortens its life span. The springs of a standard door should support it in such a way that a person requires few pounds of force to lift it. You can test this balance by moving the release handle on the automatic opener and manually opening the door halfway.

A well-balanced door will automatically remain in place even without any assistance. If it closes or opens, you should know that it is improperly balanced or its springs are old and damaged. Homeowners should hire professional technicians to repair or replace the springs.

5. Clean and Repaint the Garage Door

A clean garage door functions perfectly and makes your home more appealing. The entry is likely to collect grease stains, rust, and dust due to the regular movement. This simple garage door maintenance tip will eliminate these elements and give the door a new look. If your garage door is steel, check whether it has rust spots and then sand, prime, and paint them. If the door is made of fiberglass, wash it with water and an all-purpose cleaner.

Homeowners should avoid washing wood doors to prevent water damage. If the paint on such doors is peeling off, ensure that you sand and repaint it. Additionally, install, seal, and paint a weatherstrip along the wooden door’s bottom. The weatherstrip prevents various elements, such as water and ice, from entering the garage through the bottom section of the Pasadena garage doors. Ensure that you replace it when it starts decaying.

6. Clean the Area around the Garage Door

Many people leave greasy tools, junk, and dirt in the garage. However, this behavior exposes the door to damage. For example, the sticky iron tools can cause the door to rust. Moreover, most dust settles on the garage door’s parts and interferes with their performance.

Homeowners can maintain the excellent performance of their garage door by sweeping any dirt near the door and removing the cobwebs on its corners. They should remove the debris, clutter, and leaves from the inside and outside the door. Tidying this area will also clear the drainage and prevent water from entering the garage.

7. Inspect the Weather Seal

The weather seal on your garage door is essential because it contributes to the door’s efficiency and ensures that it closes tightly. It also keeps debris, critters, and pests out of the garage and prevents water and air from leaking inside the room.

Therefore, a significant component of a garage door’s maintenance routine is checking whether this seal is functioning correctly. Ensure that you check it after every season. For example, you should check whether it is preventing hot air from entering the garage during summer and the cold winds during winter.

8. Examine the Cables, Springs, and Pulleys

Inspecting the mechanical parts of the door is part of its maintenance. However, homeowners should allow a professional to adjust these parts to prevent accidents and further damage. Cables and pulleys are usually made of steel or nylon and have a coating to prevent rusting. These parts help the garage door to open and close smoothly.

The technician should run your fingers through these cables to check if they are worn or have broken strands. Broken cables need immediate garage door repair SoCal or replacement because they can affect the system’s ability to support the garage door’s weight. The pulleys attached to the bottom roller brackets connect the springs and garage door. They should be in perfect condition for the homeowner to move the door safely.

The garage door’s extension and torsion springs provide the force and tension required to lift it. You should consider examining them regularly to ensure that they are free from kinks, rust, breaks, tear, and wear. Faulty springs are dangerous, and the technician should replace them as soon as possible.

9. Clear the Tracks

The tracks on the garage door’s edges tear and wear down due to regular movement. Inspect and clean them to remove rust, cobwebs, and debris. You should also hire a professional technician to ensure that these parts are perfectly vertical. He or she can tighten and replace them if the metal sections have cracks. According to professionals, using rollers or the garage door’s tracks is better than lubricants because it prevents oil or grease build-up.

10. Do a Safety Test

Faulty garage door systems are dangerous and can cause serious accidents. Examining various safety features, such as the auto-reverse and photoelectric system, can prevent such issues. For example, the auto-reverse feature the door to reverse if it detects an obstacle when closing. On the other hand, the photoelectric system senses motion and reverses the garage door.

In conclusion, homeowners should consider maintaining their SoCal garage doors. Practicing a garage door maintenance routine will save you money and increase the house’s value. It will also prevent the disappointment and stress associated with garage door replacement and repair.