Medicine Hat

Garage Door Maintenance

Why do we need to do garage door maintenance?
How to do garage door maintenance?

Garage door cable repair in Medicine Hat, AB

Why do we need to do garage door maintenance?

The garage door serves as the entry of your home and has safety, security and aesthetic purposes. With all its features, and moving parts, lots of things could go wrong. Adding in our long, snowy and cold Albertan winters in Medicine Hat, it’s obvious that the garage door experiences great wear and tear.

To prevent costly repairs, it is important that homeowners regularly maintain their garage doors.

How to do garage door maintenance?

Here are some tips that will prolong the life of your door, its smooth and safe operation:

1. Once a month and especially before the winter examine the garage door itself:

Watch for signs of rust and peeling paint, then repair and re-paint.
Examine the tracks and clean any debris from them – dust, leaves, etc.
Reinforce the door, watch for any loose bolts or brackets and tighten them up.
Yearly door repainting is highly recommended not only for aesthetic purposes but also to protect it from the elements, rust and warping – make sure you clean up the door before you start the job.
Check the bottom weather stripping – it protects your garage from the elements (wind, water, dust, etc.) and keeps steady temperature inside. Watch for any wear and tear; replace parts or the whole weather stripping.

2. Regularly observe and listen to the garage door operation – some signs that you need a repair and a call for a professional are – any unusual noises, jerky movements when opening/closing, non-symmetrical sides of the cables, springs of pulleys. Never try to fix the cables that lift the door yourself! This could lead to severe bodily harm or damages.

3. Regularly lubricate the moving parts of your door – rollers, hinges, tracks need regular lubrication to prevent friction and to operate smoothly. Excessive friction can cause wear and tear of the parts and a costly repair.

4. Check your garage door balance to prevent damage to the opener – imbalance of the door makes it difficult for the opener to operate. This will surely cause damage and the opener will need to be replaced. A simple test you can do is to release the handle and lower the door halfway. A well-balanced door will stay evenly from both sides and hold that position. If your door falls or lifts up, that’s a sign of imbalance and you need to call us to repair or adjust the spring tension.

5. Auto-reverse test – this is a common feature for new doors which detect objects on the way down, and stops its movement to prevent damage or injury. If it does not work properly the door can cause damage to your car and other objects or even injury to people or pets. To test it, first make sure it’s activated. Then place a large object like a cardboard box under the door and check to see if the door will reverse.

For a fraction of the cost of an expensive repair we can do for you:

Full garage door inspection – the door and its panels, all moving parts, the opener, the springs, rollers, tracks, etc.
Rebalancing and spring tension adjustment
Inspection of the garage door opener
Lubrication of the moving parts
Replacement of the door rollers

Click to call now or fill in the form to book your Maintenance appointment:

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