10 Annual Tune-Up Tasks for Your Garage Door
An annual service visit can ensure your garage door and its operating system remain in optimum shape. Garage door accidents can lead to injury or death, so a little bit of preventative maintenance is important. From basic lubrication to troubleshooting and repair, your service tech will ensure your door is in top condition.
1. Safety Check
Safety comes first, so your technician may start the visit with an inspection and adjustment of the photo-eye safety system. This system involves sensors near the ground that prevent the door from closing completely in the event that the path is obstructed. These photo-eye sensors sometimes come out of alignment, but your tech can easily readjust them so that the safety systems operate correctly.
2. Balance Adjustment
An out-of-balance door may shake and make noise, get stuck, or appear crooked when in the open position. A balance adjustment requires first determining which side of the door is unbalanced, and then the spring tension for the out-of-balance side is adjusted. Tightly wound springs can be dangerous, so this is a task best left to your trained technician.
3. Roller Replacement
The rollers are the small wheels that rest inside the tracks located on either side of the garage door. Over time, dirt and debris can clog these rollers or the bearings inside them may fail. When this occurs, your garage door may be loud during operation or it may seem to move jerkily. A tech will clean out the dirty rollers and replace any damaged ones so your door moves smoothly again.
4. Spring Inspection
Most garages have two types of springs: the central torsion spring and the side extension springs. A broken torsion spring can lead to a falling door, where extension spring breakage will prevent door operation. Further, it can be dangerous to be in the garage when a high-tension spring breaks. Your tech will inspect your springs and replace them if they look as though they are reaching the end of their service life.
5. Track Repairs and Cleaning
Common track issues include dirt in the track or a bent track. A cleaning removes leaf debris, dust, and cobwebs so the rollers can move along the track unhindered. Your tech will also reshape or replaced warped track, as well as adjust the track to ensure the smoothest operation of your garage door.
7. Lubrication
Lubrication is vital to ensure smooth, quiet operation. Not any type of lube will do, so your technician will use a special garage door lubricant that doesn’t become tacky. Lubrication typically goes on the tracks and rollers, the springs, any pivot points on the door or torsion bar, and to the hinges on the door panels themselves.
8. Motor Tune-Up
A small motor tune-up keeps your automatic opener in top shape. Generally, the tune-up will include lubrication of moving parts, belt replacement if necessary, and a full inspection so any other issues are caught early and repaired before a malfunction can occur.
9. Door Repair
Your tech may also address problems with the actual garage door. On wooden doors, this include testing the door for rot and reapplying a sealant to make sure no wood is exposed to the elements. On metal doors, small dents can sometimes be repaired. You may also need fresh paint to cover any bare areas so rust and corrosion doesn’t occur.
10. Weatherization
The last task involves verifying that weather stripping is still in good shape. Weather stripping gaskets can warp or crack over time, becoming useless. Your tech will remove any damaged stripping and replace it with new. They can also check your threshold seal to make sure it still creates a watertight seal when the door is closed.
Contact Eudy Door Co. to schedule a maintenance or repair appointment today.