8 Tips for Preventive Maintenance on Garage Doors

garagedoormaintenance

A garage door is important to protecting your home, your cars and retaining the look of your home. If you want your garage door to be able to do its job, then you need to make sure that you engage in basic maintenance practices that will keep your door functioning properly and looking great.

Insulate Your Door

According to HouseLogic.com, it is simple to insulate your garage door and make sure that the insulation stays intact with occasional inspections. You can install sheets of insulation board on each section of your garage door and help to dramatically improve the energy efficiency of your entire home.

Check the Door Balance

Allstate Insurance indicates that checking the balance on your garage door frequently can help to prevent damage to the door, the automatic door opener and the door track. Simply pull the door release and manually raise the door four feet from the ground. If the door starts to fall back to the ground, then call a technician to have it looked at.

Bring in a Technician Once a Year

There are elements of your garage door system that you cannot easily examine on your own, but they still need to be examined at least once a year. For example, your door springs should only be examined and maintained by a professional as these springs can be very dangerous. By bringing in a qualified technician once a year, you can make sure that your garage door is always in working order.

Lubricate all Moving Parts

At least once each year, you can lubricate the hinges, rollers, bearings and other moving parts on your garage door with a small amount of motor oil or some form of light lubricating oil. If you live in an area with colder weather, then consider lubricating all moving parts at least twice each year.

Paint Your Doors

Your garage doors withstand a lot of weather and other forms of abuse that can cause scratches in the surface. To prevent rust from setting in on your doors, you should paint them at least once every two years with a paint that is designed to protect your doors from the harsh elements.

Check the Weather Stripping

Insulating your doors will keep out much of the inclement weather, but your door’s weather stripping also needs to be intact to offer complete protection. You can replace the weather stripping on your own each year, or you can hire a professional to do it for you.

Replace Broken Windows Immediately

Broken garage door windows allow inclement weather into your garage, and they can also expand to become big enough to allow pests into your garage as well. If you see a cracked or chipped garage door window, then replace it immediately.

Fill Cracks in Panels

Wooden garage doors can crack easily, and vinyl doors can also sustain damage if they are hit by tree branches or other flying debris. In some cases, you can replace the damaged panel and retain your door’s ability to keep your garage warm and dry. If you cannot replace the panel, then use fill-in material to repair it.

Your garage door is the only thing that separates your garage from the outdoors. To protect your possessions and the investment you have made in your home, you need to do routine maintenance on your garage door to keep it in good working order.