Nothing else in your home experiences as much wear and tear as your garage door while also being largely ignored in terms of maintenance. Think about it; you’ve got a 500-pound door going up and down several times a day, literally thousands of times a year. It’s easy to understand why regular maintenance can help cut down on your garage door costs.
There are many moving parts to a garage door, its opener and its infrastructure. Maintaining your garage door well means longer-lasting door and less service calls because of broken garage door parts. What’s cool is that regular garage door maintenance can mostly be done yourself, as long as the door’s springs or cables aren’t damaged.
Maintaining Your Garage Door Yourself is Simple
Things you should do to maintain your garage door are all about keeping parts clean, lubricated and rust-free. Your garage door, its automatic opener, all its moving parts, and its tracks and trolley are basically a huge machine. Every part needs to be working in tandem for your garage door to stay balanced, on-track, and working properly. Some essential tasks you should regularly do yourself are:
- Check and tighten all nuts and bolts once or twice per year, but be careful not to overtighten. These garage door parts need to have just a bit of give so that the garage door can still move smoothly. Overtightening the fasteners on your overhead door can strip them, make them more susceptible to rust, and can even cause the door to come off track if it’s struggling to move correctly. You’ll probably notice your garage door is quieter after you do this.
- The chain or cable needs regular lubrication. You can get a spray-on lubricant to make it easier. Garage door lubricants should be lithium-based – don’t use WD40. Proper lubrication makes it easier for the door to go up and down, extending the life of both the chain and the garage door opener’s motor.
- Inspect and lubricate the garage door’s rollers, too. These can get rusty, damaged or worn, which makes the door’s opener have to work way harder because there’s too much friction in the tracks. We recommend replacing any metal rollers with nylon ones, which are hardier, quieter, and can’t corrode.
- Clean the tracks and trolley, but don’t lubricate them – it will have the opposite effect you want it to. Lubricating the tracks and trolley on your garage door can cause them to collect dirt and grime more quickly.
- You’ll also want to periodically test the balance of your door. Disengage the garage door from the opener by pulling on the release rope. Lower the door halfway. A properly balanced door will stay in this position without any help. If it starts to go down on one side or another, you need to get a professional to balance it. It’s generally the result of too much tension in the springs.
- Speaking of your garage door’s springs – they should be included in your regular DIY inspection and maintenance routine as well. Are they rusty? Deformed? Do they just seem off? Adjusting garage door springs is a dangerous procedure, and so is repairing and replacing springs. Whether you need a garage door torsion spring repair or a new extension spring, don’t try to do it alone – call a SACS professional for help.
Don’t Forget an Annual Garage Door Safety Inspection!
If you’ve already completed your garage door maintenance, great job! But don’t rest just yet. After properly lubricating and caring for your garage door parts, it’s important to test the panels for safety. To check your garage door’s reversal mechanism, place a new roll of paper towels under the door, stand back, and attempt to close the door.
Your door should immediately reverse upon contact with the paper towels. It should not crush the roll nor should it bend the middle cardboard piece. If it does, then the reversal mechanism on your garage door is not functioning properly. The first place to look for a solution to this is at the sensor eyes at the bottom of your overhead door. Many times, they’re not communicating correctly. But if you’ve cleaned them and the garage door still isn’t reversing correctly, you should immediately seek repairs from a local garage door service company (like us!).
A Local Garage Door Repair Company that’s Always Within Reach
Even though we do love a good garage door repair DIY, there’s a reason professional garage door installers exist. Sometimes, the problem with your garage door is too complicated or too dangerous to deal with yourself. Or sometimes it’s just too inconvenient and you’d rather not deal with the bother.
Feel free to call the professionals at SACS GARAGE anytime of the day or night to get your garage door repaired. We’re a local company serving the Rocklin and Greater Sacramento area, as well as the Greater Seattle metropolitan area, with a complete 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. We offer scheduled appointments as well as 24/7 emergency repair services from local, insured, skilled technicians.
Garage Door Repairs You Should Never Do Yourself
Speaking of broken garage door emergencies, let’s talk about messed up springs and cables. As a rule, any garage door repair involving broken springs or cables should be left to the professionals. These cables and springs are under incredible tension and can cause serious bodily damage if suddenly released. They can even kill you. A professional garage door repair company has the tools, expertise, and training to repair the broken springs or cables on your garage door safely.
If you noticed your garage door’s cables are frayed or springs are compromised, give us a call ASAP and do not operate your door. At all. We’ll be out in no time to safely replace your garage door’s springs and cables, rebalance your door, and have you back about your day knowing that when you get home at the end of the day, your overhead garage door will work correctly and safely.
You also shouldn’t do any repairs you don’t feel absolutely 100% confident doing. If anything feels too complex or beyond your knowledge or skill level, leave it to a professional. And we don’t mean a YouTube professional. Doing a garage door repair yourself that you’re not super sure of can seriously damage your door and require more expensive repairs. Improperly repaired garage doors can also be a serious safety issue. Know when to call a professional.
Call us any time of the day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even if you just have a question. We’ll be happy to help. We offer emergency garage door repair as well as inspection and new garage door installation. We also offer emergency locksmith services.
Is It Time to Consider Installing a New Garage Door?
When your garage door is giving you trouble, 9 out of 10 times it’s a fairly simple repair you can either do yourself or hire a professional garage door service to repair for you. But if your garage door breaks often enough, or is just beat up and looks terrible, it may be time to start thinking about a new garage door.
- Your average garage door goes up and down at least a thousand times a year. It weighs hundreds of pounds and can be a serious safety hazard if not kept in good repair. Eventually, it’s going to wear out and not be safe.
- There’s also curb appeal to consider. Installing a new garage door can dramatically improve the resale value of your home. Experts consider it one of the best home improvements when it comes to return on investment.
- New garage doors are more energy-efficient, come in endless style selections, and have automatic openers with smart features that improve your home’s safety and security.
SACS GARAGE DOOR REPAIR specializes in all types of new garage door installation, maintenance and repairs, and we also install and service all the major brands of garage door openers. We’ll help you decide the best one for your budget and needs. All of our technicians are insured professionals, and all our work is certified and guaranteed.