Fall Maintenance to Ensure A Safe & Efficient Garage Door
Your garage door is the barrier between the rugged outdoors of the Arizona landscape and your home's interior. When temperatures finally start to cool down in the Valley you know that we are in store for fluctuating temperatures. Keeping up on your garage door through the varying Arizona seasons is important to keeping your home safe and secure. We aren't trying to add too much to your "to do" list, but here are the top maintenance items to check off this fall.
Inspect All Aspects of Your Garage Door System
Begin maintenance with an inspection of the door’s track system. Take a look at the tracks on both sides of the door and identify if there is anything that could be possibly blocking the opening & closing function of the door.
Be sure to check and make sure that the sensors are working. The sensors are installed on either side of the door at about six inches above garage floor. The safety device prevents the door from closing when there is an obstacle in between. You should ensure the sensor is secure on the side of the door.
Check to see if the sensors are working properly by putting an object in line with the sensors. When you press to close your garage door, it should stop. If for some reason the door continues to close, you know that you may have an issue with your sensor which can be a big safety risk.
Check Your Garage Door Springs
Your garage door spring will typically function properly for about 10,000 cycles of closing and opening. The summer months can be brutal on your garage door system with the kids being home, so checking during the fall is a must.
First, take a good look at the current state of the spring. Often times a faulty spring stretches instead of snapping. This may lead you to notice the door has an imbalance. The top half may appear to be out of alignment with the rest of the frame.
Another sign of a broken spring is when the motor is working and the door is not moving. You may also hear a sharp screeching sound as it struggles to open. It indicates that the spring is not moving with the motor, and therefore, it is faulty. If the spring is faulty, using the opener may lead to further damage.
Take Time For A Regular Cleaning Of Your Door
Once fall has hit, your garage door may have accumulated debris and dust, especially from a Phoenix haboob or monsoon storm. Before cleaning it, visually inspect the exterior of a metallic door for rusting. Wood is prone to warping because it is exposed to excess moisture. If the surface has rust or peeling paint, you should sand it and repaint it for maximum protection.
You can clean a wooden garage door with a dry cloth. For plastic, metal, or other synthetic surfaces, use a soft cloth and an appropriate cleaner.
When cleaning, make sure to be completely thorough. Every part of the door has an important function in its success. Friction on rollers and the tracks can cut down the lifespan of your garage opener. You can apply a high-quality lubricant twice a year to keep it efficient.
You can apply oil on rusty parts of the torsion springs to stop further corrosion. If the opener has a drive chain, you can also spray lubricant on it. Be sure not to lubricate the belt drive, this might be a good time to call in the professionals!
Test Your Garage Door Balance
During your inspection, you should also be sure that the garage door is level. When the weight balances evenly across the springs and pulleys, it exerts less stress on the system. If you continue opening an unbalanced door, it will eventually cause the spring to break prematurely.
A visual examination can tell you if it is level. A slanting door indicates that the force is not being exerted equally on the springs. In such instances, you must call a garage door technician before the door breaks.
Another balancing test is to lift the door until it is halfway open. When you release it, it should remain in place. But if it slams shut, it means that the door is out of balance. You may also notice that it takes longer than usual to shut or close the garage.
Unbalanced doors are noisy, producing strange sounds when you open or close them. After lubricating moving parts, if it still makes noises, you may want to schedule repairs. It is also worth noting that a professional should fix defective parts such as the spring. The internal components of the opener can be dangerous for an inexperienced person. Also, do not attempt to open the door if the spring breaks.
Check in With The Valley's Garage Door Company Garage Door Grunts!
As a veteran-owned and operated company, Garage Door Grunts has been offering top-of-the-line garage door solutions to Valley residents for years. We make sure to provide custom services to your specific garage door situation. Whether it is a new door installation or garage door repair, we have the staff, tools, and know-how to get the job done right.
Call us today at 623-219-8460 or send us a note by visiting garagedoorgrunts.com/contact to schedule an appointment today!