Garage Door Maintenance That A Homeowner Can Safely Do

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Your garage door system is a complex balance of springs, cables and pulleys. This allows you or an electric garage door opener to raise and lower a wooden or metal door weighing several hundred pounds. Because the system is under a lot of tension, repairs should be left to a garage door repair company. But you can extend the life of the system and look for potential trouble spots with regular routine maintenance that you can do.

Garage Door Maintenance

To work on the door itself, you'll need:

• an old rag
• spray can of silicone lubricant
• screwdriver
• small socket wrench set

Your garage door is in sections connected by hinges that allow the door to bend as it travels up and over into the ceiling. On the edge of the door are small rollers that travel in a metal channel to guide the door up and down. With the door closed, do the following maintenance.

1. Wipe any dirt, grease and oil off of the hinges.
2. Check for broken or rusted hinges. These need to be replaced by the garage door repair company.
3. Tighten any loose screws or nuts securing the hinges to the door.
4. Spray each hinge with a little of the silicone lubricant.
5. Wipe each roller off and check for damage. Have any damaged rollers replaced.
6. Tighten any loose screws or nuts securing the rollers to the door.
7. Spray each roller with the silicone lubricant.

Springs, Cables and Pulleys Inspection

There is not much that you can do to maintain these components, but you can look for signs of a problem and have a repair service come out and address it. With the door closed, here is how to do a good inspection of all of the pieces.

1. Look at the ends of the springs where they connect to a bracket hanging down from the ceiling. The bracket should not be bent and the "S" hooks attaching the springs to the bracket should not show signs of being bent out from an "S" shape.
2. Look at the other end of the springs where they connect to a pulley. The attachment to the pulley should not be bent. Use your remote to raise and lower the door slightly and watch that the pulleys turn freely.
3. Follow the cables that run from the bottom of the garage door and up through the pulleys. Look for any sign of fraying.
4. Look for a cable that runs through each spring with one end connected to the ceiling and the other end to the top of the metal rail next to the garage door. This is a safety cable that prevents the springs from flying through the garage should one break. Check that this cable is present and not frayed.

If you spot any signs of damage, make a note and call a local repair company (such as Duncan Door Service Inc). They know how to deal with the high-tension springs and cables in the system without getting hurt.

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28 April 2015