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Garage Doors are amazing if you think about it a bit. A large, flat panel is rotated up and down either in sections or one big flat plane at least a few times a day without any problems. Well, that is as long as you do some maintenance on your door.
Are you even aware you should do maintenance on your garage door? Well, you should if you want it to last. The first thing to check is lubrication. Regardless of the type of system and door you have, something does the pivot and pull when the door goes up or down. This means you should lubricate the chain on the opener and the pivot points on the braces that pull up and lower the garage [on the outer edges].
Next, check the springs on your door. Look for signs of rust and sag. If you see them, you are better off replacing the springs before they break. If the break, the door can literally be bent out of shape since one side of the door will be supported by a spring while the other sags. This will knock your door out of shape compared to the frame, which means it will not close or open without rubbing on the frame or at all. Importantly, your springs are under a lot of tension, so have a professional replace them. Do it yourself and you can be badly injured.
The final step is to check the condition of your garage door. Open it and pay particular attention to the bottom edge. This is where rot and what have you can start. Check your weather stripping in this area as well. Keeping water and cold gusts out of your garage is important. If the weather stripping is stiff or cracked, it is more or less useless so replace it.
Maintaining your garage door can add tens of years to its life. Do it once a year and you won’t have to worry about spending big bucks to get it replaced for a very long time.
June is Garage Door Safety Month. Now’s the time to get that garage door check up!