All You Need to know About Garage Door Servicing

Garage doors are one of the most used features in your home. Nearly every day your garage door is opened and closed sometimes 2 ,3 ,4 or more times a day. With constant wear and usage your garage door needs regular maintenance and servicing to ensure, like any other product, its longevity and continued functioning.  

With many homes now opting for automatic garage doors, making sure your garage door is serviced correctly will keep it running smoothly and safely, protecting your home and those who use it.

What should a Garage Door Service Include?

First and foremost, a garage doors service should include checking all parts for wear and tear. As your garage door gets regular daily use, it is inevitable that parts will wear and need replacing from time to time. Replacing a part before it breaks is always going to be more cost effective than waiting for it to break down, this often results in further parts being damaged and much more costly repair bill.

The last thing anyone wants is a dangerous malfunction of your garage door due to a worn-out part that gives way mid-way through closing. A good garage door service will check all working parts before they become dangerous. Its best to use a trusted local business such as Canberra Garage Doors.

Parts that need checking include hinges, tracks, roller wheels, screws and cables. The first step is to check each of these parts for rust or damage. Secondly watching the motion and movement of the garage door to check for any grinding, screeching or other scraping noises which may indicate a further problem. The movement will be observed by watching whether it is slow, jerky or not closing properly.

Checking of the motor is a very important part of garage door servicing. Firstly, the motor will be unplugged for safety. The motor should be checked to ensure all connections and components are securely attached and functioning.

Spring tension is the next part to be checked during a garage door servicing. Older springs have been the cause of many accidents, especially as they are tightly wound and under high tension. All springs will eventually wear out, and its important these are checked regularly to prevent injuries and damage to your garage door.

Checking the tension on all springs is important, even if only ones seems to need replacing. Each part of a garage door serves a purpose and the door works as a whole unit to function correctly. Sometimes it may be recommended to replace both springs at the same time to ensure even wear and tear and overall functioning.

Garage door hinges may seem small and unimportant; however, they are an essential component related to the proper open and closing if your garage door. The hinges allow the garage door to follow the track accurately. When your hinges wear out, the garage door may not open or close at all, keeping your hinges checked and working is part of a good garage door service.  

Often the cause of many automatic garage doors malfunctioning is to do with the remote and linking between the motor and remote. If you have tried replacing the batteries and the remote is still not working, it may be a case of resetting both the garage door motor and remote, or an interference issues with your remote and motor. If you have home security or lighting, gaming consoles or other types of radio interference this can affect the signal between the remote and your garage door motor.

So far, we have discussed automatic garage doors and servicing requirements. Your manual garage door should also be maintained to ensure its parts are running smoothly and safely. Without a motor or remote control to worry about, a manual garage door may function for decades with regular maintenance and servicing.

A Few Things You Can Do Between Services

There are a handful of things you can do between servicing to help ensure your garage doors maintenance.

1. Watch and listen- if you notice a noise or find a loose screw or bolt you may be able to just tighten this up on your own.
2. Check your door is balanced- if you disconnect the motor and manually move your door up and door the door shouldn’t move on its own. If it does it is in need of a service from a professional.
3. Replace the batteries in your remote regularly. The average garage door goes up 1000 times a year, that’s a lot of battery power.
4. Replace the weather seal- that bit of rubber along the bottom of your garage door you may be able to replace yourself.
5. Lubricate moving parts-you may be able to spray the springs, chain and hinges to help them move freely.
6. Test the auto reverse feature- make sure your safety mechanism is working by checking this yourself. Ensure little ones and cars are out of the way and use a broom or something else to reach under and see if the door automatically reverses instead of continuing to close.
7. Clean your tracks- don’t attempt this one until you have asked your garage door specialist for advice, you must not use an all-purpose cleaner or lubricant on the tracks
8. Wash your garage door- if your garage door has excess dirt and grime on it, its more likely to make its way into the moving parts are cause issues with movement. Hose down your garage door regularly.

Regular maintenance and servicing of your garage door will save you money and untimely hassle in the long run. Like any product that is well used, your garage door needs maintenance to ensure its safety and efficiency throughout its life. A well maintained and regularly serviced garage door will save you money in the long term.

Lastly to ensure your garage door is in good hands, use a trusted local business. In Canberra, Canberra Garage Doors are the local experts who can service and repairs almost any make and model garage door, automatic or manual to ensure it’s running smoothly and efficiently every time.