Garage door accidents range between 20,000 and 30,000 every year. This makes garage door accidents the primary source of accidents in most homes. Some of these accidents are fatal and sometimes lead to death. Unfortunately, most of these accidents result from poor garage door repair and neglect.
Garages are an often-neglected part of the home until it breaks. See how you can avoid a last-minute phone call to a repair company using the following garage door fixes.
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Maintain Rollers and Springs
Rollers and springs are essential components of opening and closing your garage door. Inspect the rollers and springs regularly so that you can open and close your garage door without straining. You don’t want to get stuck early in the morning when you are going to your regular job in cold winter.
The belt drive garage door opener depends on the repair and maintenance of the rollers and springs to perform effectively. If you maintain these components, you can get 15 to 20 years of service from your belt. Make sure you replace any worn-out spring or roller if you are looking for smooth garage operations.
Auto-Reverse Garage Door Fixes
Auto-reverse has been one of the major causes of accidents. It is usually a safety feature expected to reverse the door when it comes into contact with anything. This prevents possible garage door accidents. However, this critical safety feature is likely to fail if it is not maintained.
A simple garage door DIY inspection can help detect some possible challenges in the auto-reverse garage door system. If the auto-reverse system is not responding, you need to look for professional garage door repair immediately to avoid possible accidents.
Clean and Paint the Door
Cleaning and painting the door does not look like one of the standard procedures of ensuring that your garage door operates at optimum levels. However, for steel doors, it is always necessary to clean and paint them regularly to prevent rusting and corrosion. Environmental aspects can also have some devastating impacts on your garage door, especially when cleaning and painting are not done.
If you have a wooden garage door, applying paint prevents warping and water damages. Painting is also an essential method of installing a weatherstrip to avoid water damages, especially at the bottom edge.
Test the Door Balance
A properly balanced garage door opens quickly and will last longer. However, if the door balance slightly changes, you will always have to work harder when opening your garage door and it will not last long enough. Most garage door accidents are also caused by a lack of balance, which forces the door to tilt on one side.
Garage door improvements can help in addressing issues to do with balance. Inspecting the springs and ensuring that they are working seamlessly enhances the balance of the door. If you’re struggling to open your garage door, you need to replace the worn-out springs.
Lubricate the Moving Parts
Many homeowners tend to ignore the lubrication process with the argument that their garage door is not regularly used. However, if you have to open your garage door several times a day, you need to ensure that all the moving parts have been lubricated. There is no way you can have a quiet garage door without regular application of lubricants.
By lubricating the rollers and other moving parts, you reduce the stress and prolong the usefulness of these essential components. Always make use of high-quality lubricants and not the old oil from the car engine, which has some unwanted elements.
Tighten the Hardware
A typical garage door in a typical home will move up and down thousands of times throughout the year. This regular motion and vibration can easily loosen up the door and damage the hardware. Most of the bolts and nuts are likely to get loose, which weakens the entire system rendering it ineffective.
Tightening your garage door hardware helps in preventing comprehensive garage door renovation. Most of the homeowners who have ignored tightening the nuts have been forced to overhaul their garage doors after realizing the whole system is out of shape and cannot perform as expected. You can easily prevent extra repair expenses by tightening all the hardware once in a while.
Clear the Tracks
Ensure you inspect both sides of your door to check whether the tracks are in good condition. Some of the common elements that you should remove along the tracks are debris and rust. Make use of a level to ascertain that the tracks are plumb along their vertical sections. Tracks from a vital section of your garage door and need regular attention to avoid some possible accidents.
It is effortless for you to remove rust and lubricate the tracks. You can also make some slight adjustments if you realize that such tracks are not performing smoothly. However, avoid touching anything complex and call for a professional garage door technician to handle complicated problems.
Check Cables and Pulleys
There are different mechanisms for operating garage door systems. If your garage door is operated by cables and pulleys, you need to regularly check such systems to ascertain whether they are in good condition and whether they are working as expected. If you notice some slight delay in opening, you need to replace all the worn-out cables and pulleys. Note that replacing cables and pulleys is better done by professionals.
Keep Your Garage Door Running Smoothly
Using these simple garage door fixes will ensure that your door stands the test of time and operates smoothly. There are some simple techniques that do not need a technician’s assistance, but they will have some long-standing impacts on your system. A well-maintained garage door will not only make it easier for you to open and close, but it will also not cause accidents to young children and pets playing around.
However, if you feel everything is getting out of hand, it is always necessary to call a garage door technician for professional services.
To read more informative articles about garage door maintenance and other essential topics, please check out our other posts.