When it comes to property management, whether residential or commercial, there is one important rule you must always keep in mind. That is to hire the pros when it is time to repair any structure or furniture. However, there are also a few maintenance tasks that are safe and possible to do on your own.
While major repairs on garage doors should be left to a licensed and experienced technician, the furniture’s basic inspection and maintenance tasks should be the homeowner’s responsibility. You can help maintain the quality condition of your garage door by performing simple and easy routine maintenance regularly.
To see the list of garage door maintenance tasks you can do at home, continue reading this calgarygaragedoorrepair.ca
Lubricate hinges and rollers
To keep your garage door moving smoothly, regular lubrication of all its moving parts is required. For best results, spray a quality lubricant such as lithium grease, on the springs, rollers, chains, and hinges. Lubricating the springs is necessary to prevent rust and corrosion that damages the component. Do this at least twice a year. Remember not to apply a lubricant on a belt-drive opener.
Repair weather stripping
Insulating your garage can help you save on monthly energy bills and preserve the proper working condition of your cars. To ensure no cold air, water, or dust enters the garage, check your garage door for torn, missing, or damaged weather seals. You can cover loose spots or have the entire length of stripping replaced. Weatherseal for garage doors is available in a wide array of colors to match your home design. You can buy it by foot in your local hardware or home development stores. Remember to cut a piece of your old weather seal and show it to your local product distributor, so you get a product that fits your garage door.
Test the door balance
Testing the door balance is one way to check and maintain a properly working garage door opener. An unbalanced garage door forces the opener device to work hard, exposing it to early wear and tear damage. To test the door balance, pull the release handle on the opener and switch it to manual mode. Manually lift the door and leave it open halfway to see if it remains in place. If your garage door maintains its halfway open position, that means the door is balanced. On the contrary, if the door moves, then you need to call the pros to balance the door. Most often, an unbalanced door is associated with spring issues.
Tighten bolts
Loose hardware is a result of constant garage door movement over the years. Overtime door fasteners and track brackets start to go loose, resulting in an unstable garage door. Check the brackets that hold the door tracks to the ceiling and wall as well as the fasteners that anchors the door opener to the framing. Ensure every hardware is tight; use a socket wrench for this garage door maintenance task.
Clean the door
Dirt and dust that stick in your garage door cause early structure deterioration. Prevent this from happening by washing your garage door with a home cleaner and sponge. To rinse off the residue, use a garden hose, then wipe the door surface clean and air dry. It is also important to clear the tracks from dirt and debris that build up and cause obstruction. Garage door items such as sporting goods equipment might sneak their way under the tracks, so be sure to keep them safe and locked in a storage cabinet.
Paint your garage door
If your garage door is starting to look worn out or faded, give it an instant makeover by applying a fresh coat of paint. If you have done some home repainting jobs before, garage door repainting would be easy for you. Depending on your personal preference and home style, there are a lot of color options you can find in the market. Also, remember to gather all the necessary tools before you start with the repainting job. After the paint application process, it would be best to let your garage door air dry overnight before putting it back to use the next day.
When to call a professional garage door technician
Knowing how to do basic garage door inspections and maintenance can help prevent worse structure issues from happening. The routine checkups that you perform on your garage door allow you to spot potential issues and call for professional help earlier in time. Don’t attempt to troubleshoot garage door repairs that you don’t fully understand. It’s crucial that the structure is appropriately checked by experts to determine the real problem and whether a repair or replacement is necessary. Below are the top three garage door malfunctions that should be left to the pros to handle.
- Opener repair
If you do not want to deal with an expensive opener replacement, do not try to fix the device on your own. There are many reasons why your opener stops working, including a damaged transmitter, broken motors, springs, or cables, or a photo eye that is out of alignment. Failure to identify which of these issues your opener is facing will deprive you of a quality result. Hire a pro instead and get your garage door opener back in good shape and functioning in no time.
- Spring repair
If you are having a hard time opening and closing your garage door, a broken spring might be the reason. It is the spring’s responsibility to hold or support the weight of the garage door. Thus, when it breaks, your garage door becomes heavier than usual. Before the problem gets worse, call a licensed contractor to service your garage door.
- Cable repair
Cables are under extreme tension, making DIY cable repairs very dangerous. If your garage door cables break, refrain from using your garage door unless it is checked and repaired by a pro. Wear and tear damage is one of the common causes of a failing garage door opener.