Your Budget-Friendly Garage Door Maintenance Plan
Your garage door does more work than you think. It opens and closes more than 1,500 times a year. Springs, rollers, and cables undergo considerable wear and tear. Regular maintenance and some DIY formulas keep it running well and save you money on repairs in the future. Quarterly Inspections: Things to Look for Each Quarter Examine your garage door for any apparent issues. When tracks are bent, they look like gaps or things that aren’t lined up right. When cables get frayed, they look fuzzy or have wires that are broken sticking out. Unplug the opener and manually raise the door halfway up to check its balance. It shouldn’t fall or shoot up; it should remain in place. You need to adjust the springs if it moves on its own. Pay attention while the door works. Parts need oil or to be replaced if they make grinding or squeaking noises. Smooth doors make little noise. Monthly Chores That Keep Big Problems from Happening Use a damp cloth to clean the tracks and get rid of dirt and debris. Leaves or small rocks that get stuck can make the door jam or bend the rollers. Look at the weatherstripping at the bottom. If you see cracks or light coming through the closed door, you should replace it. It costs about $15 to buy new weatherstripping and takes 30 minutes to put up. Check the chain or belt on the garage door opener. When you push up on it, it should have about half an inch of extra space. Too tight puts a lot of strain on the motor. If it’s too loose, it moves jerkily. Easy Steps for Doing Maintenance Yourself Twice a year, spray white lithium grease on the tracks, hinges, and rollers. Don’t use WD-40 because it draws in dirt. Look at the parts that move where metal touches metal. Use a socket wrench to tighten screws and bolts that are loose. Hardware gets looser over time because of vibrations from everyday use. This only takes 15 minutes and stops bigger problems from happening. When the batteries in the remote control start to die, change them. When the batteries are dead, you might think the opener is broken when it just needs new power. When to Get Professional Help Some repairs require special tools and skills. Garage Door Installation Cockrell Hill, TX professionals replace springs because broken springs hold dangerous tension. You also need a professional to fix cables. The cables on the garage door hold up the whole door. If one cable breaks, the door can fall all of a sudden. If the motor on your opener runs but the door won’t move, you should call for help. This usually means that the motor coupling broke or the gears inside the motor have broken. Smart Repair for Less Don’t wait until your garage door stops working altogether. When you catch problems early, Affordable Garage Door Repair Cockrell Hill, TX, costs less. A squeaky hinge that was fixed today will stop a bent track from needing to be fixed next month. Now that the rollers are worn out, replacing them will stop the track system from getting damaged. Even if everything seems fine, hire a professional to do maintenance every two years. Technicians can see problems that homeowners can’t see yet. Final Thoughts It only takes about 30 minutes every few months to keep your garage door in good shape. This small amount of time spent now will save you from having to make most major repairs and will add several years to the life of your door. Your back and your wallet will thank you for not having to deal with those heavy garage door problems.
