Knowing how to maintain your garage door can extend its life and improve its appearance, boosting your home’s curb appeal. This handy garage door maintenance checklist can help you identify when a common garage door problem is occurring, allowing you to take care of your garage doors so they stay reliable.
How to Keep Your Garage Door Working
Ideally, you should run through this garage door safety maintenance checklist every season or four times a year:
- Check your garage door owner’s manual for any instructions and maintenance recommendations specific to your model.
- Visually examine your garage door for anything that seems to be changed or worn since the last time you checked.
- Check your garage door panels, cables, springs, rollers, tracks and other moving components for loose bolts and nuts, frayed cables, broken springs, or other signs of damage and wear.
- Open and close the garage door, listening closely for unusual sounds.
- Check your owner’s manual for lubrication recommendations and treat moving parts such as bearings, springs, pulleys and hinges.
- Release the handle on the opener and lift your garage door partway. Ensure it stays up.
- Stand in your garage with the door closed and check for gaps in the seal by looking for light filtering around the garage door.
- Use a damp rag to wash the surface panels of your garage door, as well as the tracks and any windows present.
- Measure the moisture levels inside the garage and check for mold or pests.
- Place a book on the track and try to close the garage door to ensure the sensors work correctly.
- Test the garage door opener and the batteries in the remote.
- Check for and remove any rust on your garage door or its components.
- If you want a new look or if the current paint is fading, repaint your garage door. Be sure to follow any instructions in your owner’s manual.
- Check garage door windows and panels for signs of dents, cracks or loose parts.
- Ensure items stored in your garage are not putting weight on your garage door or getting in the way of regular operation.
- Check the weatherstripping for cracks, warping or mold. Replace faulty pieces as needed.
- If your last service was more than a year or two ago, contact the professionals at Consolidated Garage Doors for professional preventive maintenance.
When to Call Garage Door Professionals
Garage doors can weigh hundreds of pounds and have springs under high levels of tension, so it’s essential that they stay in good working order to ensure the safety of anyone who uses the garage. Contact the professionals at Consolidated Garage Doors for garage door repair if you notice any damage or strange sounds.
Every two years, contact the team at Consolidated Garage Doors for a professional inspection. Our technicians can find and address issues you may not notice yourself, ensuring your garage door stays safe and continues to work properly.
Request service today to have our team come out to diagnose and fix any garage door issues or conduct a professional inspection. Our family-run business has offered SOLID SERVICE, SOLID SALES and SOLID PRODUCTS to homeowners in the Batavia, St. Charles and other northern Illinois areas for more than 42 years. Turn to us whenever you need help with your garage doors and we’ll be happy to serve you.