On the list of most useful garage door repair tips, getting regular professional maintenance is tops. Considering the average garage door goes up and down literally thousands of times every year, it’s easy to understand how parts can wear out. Your garage door is a huge installation, and all the parts of the door work together; if you’re not mindful about caring for the smallest of the door’s parts, the largest ones, and even your garage door, may end up failing.

Important Garage Door Hardware to Inspect Seasonally

The moving parts of your garage door should be looked at every couple of months, just to make sure everything is in working order. Most will only need tightened or lubricated a couple times per year, but monitoring them takes just a couple minutes and will be worth it in the long run. The faster you spot an issue, the lower the cost of the repair:

• All roller brackets and bolts should be tightened with a socket wrench at least once a year. However, do not overtighten; that will hurt more than it will help.
• Look at the rollers themselves. They’ll likely need wiped down every few months and lubricated, but just a little. Never lubricate the tracks, though, it just gunks them up. Pro tip: If your garage door has metal rollers, switch out to nylon. You’ll thank us later.
• Garage doors can also become unbalanced, causing the opener to work harder and not last as long. This can be tested by disconnecting the release handle (the red cord hanging from the trolley), and manually positioning the door halfway up. If it doesn’t stay up, you’ve got a balancing problem.
• Look at the cables and the tracks. Any bends? Are the tracks still secured to the wall? Re-anchor any pieces of track that need it, and provided the track is just bent, that’s a pretty easy garage door fix to do yourself.
• Look at all the garage door’s hardware and panels for signs of rust and corrosion. Switch out any corroded hardware, fill any holes where they damaged the garage door, and seal any areas of the garage door panels that are rusted. Eventually, you’ll need to have that door panel replaced.
• Never forget the weather stripping! If you notice it’s gotten brittle, has started to crack, and/or is starting to fall out, replace it. It’s an easy and low-cost garage door repair you can do yourself.

You really should have a professional check the rollers at least twice a year, and replace them about every 7 years, depending on use. All moving parts should be regularly lubricated- a 10 minute job that will add years to your garage door. Regular maintenance can minimize expensive garage door repairs and will help your garage door last longer.

How Are Your Springs/Cables?

Did you think we forgot about the garage door springs? Nope; we just thought they deserved their own section. You should always include your garage door’s springs in your visual inspection. If your garage door has a torsion spring, it will be at the center top of the door at one end of the trolley track. If you have extension springs they are at either side of the garage door’s frame. 

You should visually inspect the springs yourself every few months. Shine a flashlight and look for any rust, brittle or damaged areas, any fraying or other cause of concern. Do not touch the springs or cables themselves, especially if you notice excessive wear and tear.

Both springs can cables are under an incredible amount of tension. It’s this very tension that makes raising and lowering a several hundred pound door so easy for the garage door opener. But if the cables or springs should suddenly snap, they can cause serious bodily injury, even death. Always call a professional garage door repair company if you see anything with your garage door springs that concerns you.

Neglected Garage Doors: A 500 Pound Safety Hazard in Your Home

Neglected garage doors can be serious safety hazards. They are often used several times per day and weigh hundreds of pounds. Just like all the other appliances and security equipment in your house, your garage door needs regular maintenance, care and updates. 

If you’ve failed to properly pay attention to your garage door, you could be at risk of everything from someone breaking in through a compromised panel to your overhead door coming crashing down on something or someone after a track comes loose. This is one thing on your house to-do list that you should never skip.

Not into bothering with the legwork? That’s totally cool; it’s always good to have an experienced set of eyes on it anyway. Contact the professionals at SACS GARAGE DOOR REPAIR to schedule an inspection. We provide local repair, maintenance and inspection garage door services to the Roseville and Greater Sacramento areas.