Easy Garage Door Maintenance and Troubleshooting

While automatic garage door openers can be extremely useful and convenient they can also become a burden when not working properly. Here are a few tips and pointers to help keep your door opener in tip top shape, or help you determine the solution to fixing a malfunctioning one. However, since all garages are different and operate in many ways, be sure to consult your owners manual or professional repairman for more help if needed.

Maintenance

The first step to a properly functioning door is to properly maintain its many moving parts. Here are four simple and effective ways to ensure years of use:

• Yearly Inspections: The best and most effective way to solve a problem is to prevent it. Be sure to inspect your door and electric motor for anything that seems out of the ordinary. Loose and worn hinges, tired springs, and wobbly nuts and bolts are some common issues that may arise. Be sure to address any potential problems before they worsen and create additional, more complex problems.

• Paint and Stain: Be sure to keep your garage door properly painted and stained. What most homeowners do not realize is that this step includes both the inside and outside of your door. Only painting the exterior door can weaken the paint through moisture, causing your door to warp.

• Lubrication: The many moving parts must be kept lubricated, especially the rollers and hinges that allow the door to bend and move smoothly. Apply a low viscosity, permeating oil such as WD-40, PlusGas, Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, Mouse Milk, Unilease, GT85, Kroil, or CRC 5-56 at least once a year.

• Watch the Door Tracks: The tracks that guide the door must be kept in proper alignment to effectively guide the rollers. If the track needs adjusting, loosen the support bolts and use a hammer and small wood block to return it to its correct position.

Troubleshooting and Repair

Several problems can arise in your garage door or opener because of their many parts and exposure to weather. The most common problems can usually be fixed fairly easily, but since garage doors differ, be sure to check your owners manual to ensure proper repair.

One of the most common problems can be that the door becomes difficult to open and close. This problem could potentially be with the electric opener, in which case you should address your owners manual. The simple way to check this is to pull the release cord that often dangles below the opener to raise the door manually. If it works fine when you do this, then the problem is most likely with the electric opener. If the door seems exceptionally heavy, the problem could be spring tension. Do not try to adjust the spring tension yourself as they are under extreme amounts of pressure and can be dangerous to adjust, call a properly certified repairman instead.

If your house is fitted with a swing-up, one piece door that is sagging in the middle when it is raised, you or a repairman can install metal reinforcing rods across the center of the interior door.

If your door does not open completely but only opens 4 or 5 feet, the limit adjustment screw should be adjusted according with the owner's manual. If the door does not close entirely, the adjustment screw needs to be manipulated as well. Refer to your owners manual for the placement of these screws on your model of opener.

Most problems with doors and openers can be solved relatively simply with a few adjustments every few months, and can be prevented with simple maintenance. If the proper steps are taken, garage doors should last more than 20 years, and garage door openers should last at least 10, but small steps like those described above can make a big difference.

For more information and guidance about safety and operations of garage doors, visit http://www.premiumgaragedoorservice.com. Premium Garage Door Service provides installation, repairs, and inspections, and has a series of slide show picture depicting many styles of doors.