Garage Door Maintenance

The following tests and related maintenance should be performed in the following order:

• Monthly visual inspection. Stand inside the garage with the overhead garage door closed. Look over the garage door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys and mounting hardware, such as hinges, for signs of wear or damage. Look for cable wear or fraying. Is the mounting hardware becoming loose? If something doesn’t look quite right or sounds excessively loud it could be the symptom of a more serious issue. Have your garage door system inspected by one of our trained home inspectors.
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• Monthly door balance test. If your door is equipped with an automatic opener system: close the door and disconnect the automatic opener at the door arm, this is typically a string with a red handle. Lift the door, It should lift easily with one hand smoothly with little resistance and should remain open when halfway up. If it is difficult to open or does not remain open, the door is likely out of balance and should be serviced.
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• Monthly reversing mechanism test (if your door is equipped with an automatic opener system). Note: garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993, are required by federal law to be equipped with a reversing mechanism and a photo eye or edge sensor as added measures of safety to prevent entrapment. If your system does not have these features, the replacement of your automatic operating system is recommended, especially if you have children in the home.
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• With the door fully open, lay a piece of wood such as a section of a 2 x 4 on the floor in the center of the garage door opening where the door touches the floor. Push your garage door opener’s transmitter or wall button to close the door. When the door strikes the wood, the door should automatically reverse. If the door does not automatically reverse, the door should be serviced for auto-reverse function.
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• With the door fully open, push your garage door opener’s transmitter or wall button to close the door. Wave an object, such as a broom, in front of one of the door’s photo eyes so it “breaks the beam.” The door should instantly reverse.
• If it does not reverse and reopen, pull the broomstick out of the path of the closing door. Close the door. With the door in the closed position, clean the photo eyes with a soft, dry cloth. Gently adjust the photo eyes by hand until the sensor's lights turn green.
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• Open the door and repeat the photo eye test. If the door does not reverse and reopen, the door should be serviced.
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• Semi-annual lubrication. Apply a small amount of spray lubricant to the door’s hinges, rollers, and tracks. Yes, it is a DIY job.

Check out what our friends at Centurion Doors have to say about garage door maintenance.....