Garage doors are one of the heaviest hardware in your home. Their proper operation is necessary for your convenience and safety. Garage doors are moved several times daily. As they protect your valuable vehicle and other stuff, you can’t take the risk of any breakage or door stuck in between damaging your car or yourself.
To ensure smooth door opening and closing that is too fast and noise-free, you must follow some maintenance routine to keep everything in check. Here are some tips to make your door function efficiently for years without any noise or accidents.
Why did the garage door stop working correctly?
Garage doors have various moving components that need regular checks and care. The garage door’s weight is divided by each element, and if anyone breaks down, it will affect the whole symmetry and operation of the garage door. Some of the common reasons which cause garage doors to malfunction include the following:
- The door track is misaligned
The garage door is pretty heavy, and as it is tied with screws and cables to lift it, the weight distribution sometimes goes uneven, and the door opens or shuts misaligned. If not corrected immediately, this misalignment will continue applying extra pressure on specific cables and parts, causing the structure to fail later.
- Issues with the transmitter
As most garage doors are now automated, there is a transmitter to receive and transmit signals for opening and closing the door. If the transmitter has dead batteries or issues with the circuitry, the door won’t open properly.
- Photo eyes are damaged or misaligned.
The photo eyes on the garage door receive the light signal to detect an object or person so that it opens or stops closing if someone is moving beneath it. But due to frequent use, either the glass screen of these sensors gets blurred so that they won’t receive the signal, or the alignment on both sides is out. That will prevent the garage door from opening or closing entirely, even when the remote is pressed or detects motion.
- Any object blocking the path
Another reason your garage door keeps on opening or doesn’t close down entirely is that there might be some garbage or any object blocking the path. The sensor will detect the object and keep the door open or stuck in between until the way is cleared.
- Loose or broken springs
If your door opens improperly or closes with a bang, then the torsion springs n the door that lifts the garage door might be broken. These springs play the role of damping the force and making the door open or close smoothly. If these springs are broken, the door won’t open properly or shut down instantly, which can be a safety threat.
- Programmer setting issues
Another reason for improper door operation is that you must set the open and close time limits as you require, making the door available and close frequently as per default settings.
- Cable malfunction
The garage door is lifted through cables and a motor function. If these cables break, the door will crash, crushing everything in between. This can be dangerous for human safety.
Tips to keep your garage door fit and function smoothly
Garage doors work fine until a major failure; thus, you will miss the minor issues until extensive repairs are needed. For careful garage door checking and to keep it fit and fix the problem in the bud, here are some tips to follow:
Listen and observe the door as it operates
Once or twice a week, operate your garage door and observe it closely. If you feel a rumbling or screeching sound or the door opens unevenly or slowly than usual, there might be some issues with the door. Also, operate the door repeatedly with the remote to check for transmitter condition and clear the photo eyes.
Lubricate the moving parts.
Metal parts such as springs, chains, screws, or rollers wear off due to friction and get stuck or locked up. To smooth functioning and minimize the fraction between them, you must apply a suitable lubricant on all moving parts of your garage door. This will also protect them from corrosion and weather effects and make them last longer.
Tighten screws and check springs
The heavy operation of the garage door will cause the hardware holding the door in place to loosen a bit due to vibration and motion. So for safe and secure garage door operation, check all the screws holding the door, the brackets and hinges, the fasteners and anchors holding the door with the ceiling and walls, and tighten up any bolts, hammer the nails, and replace or repair the springs of you feel any issues.
Check the door is balanced as it opens and closes.
Most of the time, the main problem that damages the garage door is that it’s not installed correctly, and the balance is out. The unbalanced door needs more energy for lifting; thus, the opener, cables, and motor work harder. Thai extra pressure will damage all the components in the long run. So you must check that your door is installed evenly and weight balance is correct. To check the balance, you must open the door halfway and leave it in that position for a while. If the door is stationary, then it is balanced. If it moves or wobbles, then you need to get it balanced.
Repair and replace the rollers
With extreme tension on the rollers, they usually get choked or broken often. So it is better to check and repair the garage door rollers twice or twice a year and replace them in six to seven years. The rollers are easy to inspect and replace; you can inspect them for damage or breakage.
Inspect the cables
The cables and pulleys in the garage door do the hard work, i.e., beari8ng a load of the garage door while lifting or closing it down. These are high-tension components, and you need a professional to assess and inspect and fix their health.
Clear any object in the door track.
The door opener works on the sensor input. The sensor can send wrong signals for even garbage or any object. So it’s better always to keep the door track clean so that the opener functions appropriately.
Change the weather stripping regularly.
Weather stripping is the bottom rubber layer of the garage door that keeps debris, moisture, etc., from entering the garage or damaging the stuff. This layer gets torn off quickly, and you need to replace this safety layer to secure the garage door closing.
Check the auto-reverse feature.
You can check the reliability of the Garage door through the auto-reverse feature. This critical function ensures safe garage door operation and avoids accidents. Move your car back and forth to detect that the door opens back instantly, detecting motion or not.
Wash and paint the door.
To keep the door protected and look appealing, you need regular clean-up and paint the door for weather protection and to match your home’s aesthetics.
Get professionals to check and maintain your garage door.
A sleek-looking and smoothly operating garage door will e; elevate your home’s outlook and ensure the safety of your valuables and family members using it. Garage doors are a significant investment; to make them last for decades, you need to pay proper attention to their maintenance. It’s better to hire professional technicians for yearly inspections and fix minor issues to operate and save yourself from significant repairs later.
