Most people take their garage door for granted. They expect it to work perfectly until the day it comes crashing down on them – quite literally! Then it becomes one of the most frustrating things in your life. By the time you realize how important it is, it has already cost you a lot of money.
Did you know that more than 30,000 people are injured by garage doors every year? This post will show you some amazingly simple maintenance tips for your garage door that will ensure that you or your family doesn’t become a statistic.
Important Note: If your garage door is hit by a car, then you should always have a professional come in and inspect it. This post is for preventative maintenance. Not fixing extensive damage. This would require tools and expertise that only a professional garage door technician will possess.
With that said, this post is for those of you who need to get the longest life out of their garage door. Too much wear and tear on your garage door without proper preventative maintenance will cause it to eventually start sticking, locking in place, and becoming so damaged that it eventually falls.
Four Things to Always Keep in Mind
When working on your garage door, make sure that you always remember the following:
- Unplug the door opener from the power supply and securely tuck away the controls so that your door cannot possibly be activated.
- Clamp a pair of pliers into the roller tracks below your roller if you are working on an open garage door. That will keep it from falling on you!
- Make sure that all of the tension has been removed from the door spring if you are required to remove the cables. These springs can cause severe injuries because they have the potential to spring out wildly.
- Do not mess with the overhead torsion springs. They are hazardous to anyone who is not a professional and does not possess the right tools. Always hire a professional to handle anything related to this area of your garage door.
Preventative Maintenance Tips
Now that we have gone over a few potential hazards that you need to avoid, here are some tips that will help you visually inspect your garage door.
First and foremost, if you can visually see damage to the door then you need to call in a professional immediately. Someone in your family might have hit the garage door and then been too embarrassed to say anything. Visual damage should be repaired as quickly as possible because it will lead to serious problems.
The natural movement of the garage door will cause nuts and bolts to loosen so you will need to tighten them every six months. This is the most important task when it comes to preventative maintenance.
Don’t Hesitate to Hire a Professional if Needed
Having your garage door repaired is not super expensive if you catch these issues early so don’t hesitate to bring them into the picture. In fact, it’s recommended that you have your system inspected by a professional at least once per year.
