If you have to regularly drive out of your house, then there’s a good chance that your garage door is one of the most used doors in the house. It’s also one of the most important doors out there but not many people see this. The common misconception is that the garage door’s only purpose is to protect your car but that’s far from reality.

Garage doors are functional doors that you need to care for as much as it cares for you and your property. While they are built to last, you shouldn’t be surprised why garage doors are very prone to issues.

You most likely use it on a daily basis. The gears that make your garage door work undergo a ton of wear and tear over time and this is just one of the reasons why you need to maintain it well. Another challenge that garage owners face is having their garage door exposed to harsh weather and natural elements as well.

Taking care of your garage is essential unless you want to have it repaired again and again. Mind you, the average cost of getting your garage door repaired can be around $150-$350 depending on what you want to fix. That’s money out of your pocket which can be avoided if you know what to do.

We’re going to share a few tried and tested tips on how you can properly maintain your garage door so that it lasts as long as possible. Here are a few things you can do to ensure that your garage door is always in good shape.

Quick Checking

There are a few things you can do to inspect your garage door for problems. The first sign of issues isn’t with what you see. Instead, it’s about what you hear. Your garage door does make some noise as it opens or closes. You’re probably familiar with the sound it makes too.

If at one point, your garage door suddenly makes a noise that’s new to you, that might mean that something is already amidst. Some sounds that a garage door shouldn’t make include rumbling and loud humming. This usually means that there could be something stuck within the contraption.

Another quick check to do is by inspecting your garage door itself. Look for any holes on the door, check if the parts are still well-lubricated, and most importantly, check if the garage door closes fully. If your garage door is having issues with the pulley system, then the doors won’t fully close.

It’s also good to check whether or not the garage door is closing too fast or too slow as compared to what it did before. This is a more serious matter that often calls for immediate fixes such as calling professionals to check on it.

Checking your garage door regularly is one of the best things you can do for it. It not only allows you to see problems before they get worse, but it also lets you know whether it’s time to do some actual fixing or maintenance work on your garage/.

Inspect The Brackets And Bolts Regularly

There’s no telling exactly how many times your garage door closes and opens annually. However, if we consider that it does at least twice a day for an entire year, we can safely assume that the number of times it moves is around 500 a year.

 

As it moves regularly, this might make your garage door’s nuts and bolts prone to loosening up through wear and tear. While this isn’t a problem most of the time, it does tend to cause some issues if you let the bolts and brackets loose for a long time. As such, it’s important that you check up on it regularly too.

Ideally, you’d want to check every contraption or tool that makes up your garage at least once a month. If you see that there are nuts, bolts, or screws that have started to loosen up, simply tighten them once again so that they work as properly as possible.

If you let the components of the garage door stay loose, they’ll eventually fall off which can result in more serious problems.

Inspect And Replace The Rollers

The rollers that go alongside the edge of the garage door is one of the most important parts of the contraption behind it. Simply put, the rollers allow the door to close and open as smoothly as possible. Since it’s such a big task, your garage door rollers can become prone to damage as well.

The rollers should be inspected at least twice a year. Check if they are still attached properly and if there aren’t any cracks along with them as well. According to handymen from https://www.portesdegaragemb.com/reparation-residentiel, the rollers should also be replaced at least once every 5 to 7 years. This of course depends on your usage of it.

If some of the rollers on your garage door are chipped or too worn out, it might be time to replace them. Rollers can be replaced simply by removing the bracket that holds them in place. However, whatever you do, do not replace the bottom roller bracket yourself. It’s under a lot of tension so the bracket could fling off once detached from the door.

For this, it’s best to get professional help as they know how to handle it best.

Clear The Tracks

It’s a very common issue for your garage door to have trouble sliding up or down. This is because the tracks on the side that allow the door to move are prone to getting debris and foreign material stuck on them. Things as simple as dust build-up, or even dried leaves on the tracks are more than enough to cause issues.

It’s very easy to clear the tracks of your garage doors. Simply get a broom or anything to scrape the debris with. If there’s a solid build-up of dirt, you should wash it down with a hose instead. This should clear up any problems with your garage door when it’s operating.

After the debris has been cleared, you should test the garage door. Look if it’s finally moving as properly as possible. If it’s not yet operating well, then the problem may be in some other parts of the garage door. This calls for an immediate check-up on other parts of the garage door.

Lubricate The Essential Parts

Your garage door can work properly, not just ensuring that each part of the piece is not broken. It will also work at its best if the moving parts are well lubricated. Since this is a contraption that relies on a series of pulleys and chains, lubrication is the key to smooth moving.

You should invest in high-quality lubricant sprays you can buy from hardware stores. Simply spray them directly on the chains, rollers, and door openers. It’s better to get lubricants in a spray form so that you no longer have to manually spread the lubricant yourself.

Proper lubrication doesn’t only ensure that your garage door is working properly, it also protects your garage doors from damage.

When the chains or other parts of the garage become dried up, they move a lot rougher than usual. The unnecessary friction on the garage door can cause cracking and other serious problems that often require a complete replacement to fix in the future. Ideally, you’d want to lubricate the parts at least once every other month but checking on the garage door manually is recommended too.

We recommend getting white lithium grease which comes in a spray can form. This is one of the best lubricants for garages as they are long-lasting and safe on metals. If some of the parts seem stuck or are too hard to work even after being lubricated, use a penetrating liquid-like WD-40 to loosen it up.

Check The Cables

The cables on the garage door serve a very special purpose. Simply put, they are responsible for allowing your garage door and its components to stay attached and to move automatically as well. These are high-tension parts of the garage that most professionals will advise you to avoid touching because if they snap, they could lead to serious injuries.

What you’d want to look for are loose or broken strands on the cable. This is often the start of a serious problem with your garage door.

What can happen when the cables break is that they will cause your garage door to abruptly shut with force because the cable holds the piece together. When there are strands that begin to appear on the cable, the best solution is to have the entire cable replaced entirely.

Look For Warping/Rusting

Garage doors are typically made up of either wood or metal. There are benefits to both types of materials for garage doors but there are also a few downsides between them. Particularly, we are referring to how they get affected by their exposure to the elements.

 

It really can’t be helped if your garage door becomes damaged over time. It’s exposed to rain, sunlight, and many other things. If your garage door is metal, it can rust over time. While it’s not a big problem at first, rusting can make matters worse for your garage door.

The worse the rusting gets, the more fragile your garage door is going to be. Over time, you’ll see that the rust will result in holes in your garage door. A good way to prevent rust is by having your garage door painted and sealed. This protects your garage door while giving it a nice look.

Now, if you have a wooden garage door, what it’s most susceptible to is warping. Warping happens when there’s too much moisture on your garage door. This causes the wood to expand or bend, thus resulting in gaps in between the panels of your garage door.

A good solution to this problem is to have your wooden garage door finished with a coat of polish at least once a year. What polish does is give your door a layer of protection against the rain. It can also prevent the build-up of moisture from within the wood.

Why It Matters That Your Garage Door Is In Good Condition

One of the first things you need to understand is that your garage is a wide opening for your home. If your garage door isn’t as durable or as properly functioning as it used to, break-ins and even intrusions from animals become very possible for your home.

Garage doors that are not working properly can be easily pried open. Worse, they could simply break it open to get to your house.

This not only makes your garage vulnerable to break-ins, but it’s also your entire house that’s put at risk as well. Garage doors are built to be sturdy and near impenetrable. However, if they do get some issues, then there are going to be setbacks on the garage’s capacity to protect your home from intruders.

Another reason why you’d want to make sure that your garage door is working perfectly is that it can damage your car or it can even result in injuries. A broken garage door can open and close abruptly and without prompt. This could result in your car getting smashed or someone getting hit by the door through the sudden movement.

The good news is that most garage door problems are easy to remediate as long as you address the problems as soon as possible. If you let things get worse over time or if you don’t check up on your garage regularly, you’ll end up with a broken garage door that takes quite the time and money to fix.

With these tips we’ve shared, you can at least ensure that your garage is properly well-taken care of. If serious problems do arise, make it a must to contact professional contractors to fix the garage door for you. With fast action, however, your garage door problems won’t be as big as you think.