Maintaining your home's garage door and its opener should keep them in good repair over the years, with less need for professional servicing and less risk of the door outright failing to operate. Very often, there are simple things a homeowner can do to maintain a garage door or even fix minor problems they may be having with the door, so note a few tips to keep in mind and that you can apply to your home's garage door.
Making the door quieter
If your garage door works fine but is very loud, you can do a few things to address this. First, oil the tracks and scrape them with a wire brush, to remove any rust. Also, replace the chain or spring that moves the door with a belt drive. A belt drive is much quieter than a metal chain or spring, so you should then hear less squeaking and groaning as the door opens and closes.
If the door itself seems to vibrate and create noise when it opens and closes, you might replace it with a vinyl or fibreglass door. These materials don't rattle while they move, so the door should be quieter.
Never force doors
If a manual garage door doesn't want to open or close smoothly, never try to force it open. This problem is usually caused by a faulty roller or a damaged track, and forcing the door may snap the roller or cause the track to become even more bent. The door may then get outright stuck in place! Try to note where the door gets stuck and check the tracks in that area, and also check the rollers for rust or other such damage. Have these replaced as needed.
Don't overcorrect maintenance issues
Garage doors usually need a spray of lubricant on occasion, to keep the rollers operating smoothly and to ensure the chains or springs are free of rust and corrosion. If tracks get bent, you can also typically pull them back into place. However, you don't want to overcorrect problems with the garage door; for example, too much lubricant on the tracks or along the chains and springs can allow the door to move too quickly, which might be dangerous. Bending tracks too far out of place can also mean less resistance on the door as it moves, so it might slide to a close too quickly. Don't overcorrect maintenance issues with your home's garage door to avoid these types of risks.
Share16 April 2018
Hello! My name is Roger and this is my new blog. Last year, I had some real problems with my garage door. It kept sticking and wouldn't open when I pressed the button on the remote control. In the end, I decided to have the entire thing replaced. I had never chosen a garage door before. I thought it would be easy but in fact, there are lots of things you need to consider. Thankfully, the garage door contractor I went to was really helpful and explained everything I needed to know. Once I had found the perfect garage door, the contractor installed it. I'm really happy with my new garage door.