Garage Door Maintenance Guide

Whatever you keep in your garage, you want to protect it. You also want the convenience of a garage door that opens and closes smoothly. While you could get a new door if yours starts malfunctioning, you can prevent any mishaps in the first place with garage door maintenance.

In this garage door maintenance guide, you’ll learn why it’s essential to care for your garage door. You’ll see how often to service your garage door along with other tips and reasons to hire a garage door maintenance company. At Oregon City Garage Door, we know how vital a functioning garage door is for your daily life. Read on for maintenance tips and other preventive care that will keep your garage door looking and acting like new.

Importance of Garage Door Maintenance

As a savvy homeowner, you have probably asked yourself, “Do garage doors need maintenance?” The answer is yes. A maintained garage door is a safe one. It’s vital to have a garage door maintenance plan to avoid any potential dangers or damage. More than that, proper maintenance helps you with the following.

1. 1. Secure your garage and property: An un-maintained garage door may not lock securely. These doors are prone to tampering and give intruders a way into your garage. From there, they may be able to access your home or business if you have an attached garage.
   2. Get a garage door that lasts longer: Routine care will help extend the life of your garage door. Your opener and door can last for years to come with frequent maintenance. You’ll save yourself the stress of replacing your garage door system when you have one with a longer lifespan.
   3. Avoid the inconvenience of repairs: Things always seem to break at the wrong time. You don’t want to be rushing around trying to leave for work when your garage door stops working. You’ll have to open and close it manually, find a reputable repair service and wait until they complete their work to use your garage again. Save yourself the trouble of imminent repairs by conducting regular maintenance.
   4. Protect your garage from extreme weather: From wind, snow and rain to natural disasters, you don’t want your door to be vulnerable. Regular maintenance keeps your garage door secure and sturdy against flooding rains or damaging winds. The last thing you want is a garage exposed to the elements after a storm.

1. • Add value to your property: A home or business with a well-maintained garage door will appear more valuable if you ever sell your property. Potential buyers will feel safer with a quality, functioning door that you put time into maintaining.
   • Improve your garage’s appearance: While appearances aren’t everything, your garage door does take up a portion of your property’s facade. Proper care of the garage door itself will keep your home or business looking like new.
   • Keep yourself, your family and your belongings safe: The most significant appeal to maintaining your door is safety. You never know when children or pets can wander under a malfunctioning door. Anyone and anything in the garage is at risk if you don’t maintain your opener. You don’t want any damage to vehicles or other items in your garage just because you didn’t take the time for regular maintenance.

Knowing some of the benefits that come with maintaining your garage door will probably make you want to check it now. Be sure to understand what you’re looking for when performing garage door maintenance and how to stay safe while doing so.

Garage Door Maintenance Tips and Steps

While knowing how to take care of your garage door is essential, you may wonder, “How often should I service my garage door?” Check everything out twice a year for yourself unless you have damaging outside forces to deal with or notice other problems. The maintenance you should do for your garage door and how often you do it depends on:

• The season and weather
• The last time you’ve had a garage door tune-up
• How old your garage door is
• How frequently you use your garage door

No matter when you maintain your garage, be sure to take a close look at everything. Make sure the system functions as a whole by checking these components.

1. Infrared and photo-eye sensors: Your garage door has sensors to prevent it from closing on anything or anyone. Check that these sensors are about six inches off the ground. Then, test the sensors by standing clear of your garage door, closing it and waving an object in front of the sensor. The door should stop or reverse.
2. Tension in the springs: Having the right tension in your garage door opener springs keeps your door balanced. A balanced door is safer because it won’t come crashing down during manual use. Test the tension and balance by disengaging your garage door opener. Guide it shut halfway, then let go. If it opens back up, there’s too much tension. If it closes, there’s not enough. Use extreme caution when testing this and stand clear when you let go. If your balance is off, you don’t want the door to crash down on you or anyone helping.
3. Reversal system: When your garage door detects something under it as it’s closing, it should reverse and begin to open. To test your door’s reversal system, place a cinderblock or plank of wood in the center of the doorway. Stand clear, and begin to close your garage door. As it touches the object, the door should reverse. If it damages the item or does not reverse, your door needs repair.
4. Tracks: Make sure your garage door tracks aren’t damaged in any way. Cracked, crooked or bent tracks cause problems when using your door. You risk your door coming off the rails or getting stuck if something goes wrong. After visually checking it, use a level to be sure.
5. Rollers: Wear over time makes rollers wobble. Steel versions are especially loud when worn out, and you can replace them with nylon rollers that last longer and make less noise. Clean rollers and their tracks during your inspection, regardless of their material.
6. Cables: Do not attempt to repair or remove cables in your garage door system. They are under high tension, which will cause harm if they break. If you notice damaged or loose strands, contact a professional.
7. The door: Checking the opener system is vital, but the door itself is also essential. Check wooden doors for warping, water damage and chipped paint. Steel doors are prone to rust, which you’ll have to sand, prime and paint. If your door has windows, check for broken or cracked glass. You should also wash the exterior of your garage door to keep up a fresh appearance on your garage.
8. The batteries in your remote and keypad: Don’t forget about this small, yet significant, part of your garage opener. You’ll have to replace any battery eventually, and your door remotes are no exception. Replacing these batteries will be the easiest part of maintaining your garage door. Keep a watch on your batteries during the winter, since they’re more likely to stop working in cold weather. You don’t want to be stuck outside your garage in the cold with a dead remote.
9. The whole system: The best way to see if something is wrong is to open and close your garage door. Stand clear as it operates in case something goes wrong. Check that the door works smoothly, without jerking or stuttering. Make sure there isn’t any loud grinding or other sounds. If anything seems off with your door, check the above components.

Regularly checking your door is one of the best garage door maintenance tips out there. You won’t know if something’s wrong if you never take a look. Also, remember some preventive care will help keep your door from getting damaged. Be sure to:

1. Install lift handles: Opening and closing your garage door manually during a power outage can be dangerous. Using lift handles means you aren’t risking your fingers by slipping them under your garage door to lift it. Handles also give more control when you lift, so you don’t risk dropping your door and damaging it.
2. Get containment cables: These safety features protect you, others and what you store in your garage in case a spring breaks. Containment cables prevent recoil on extension springs if they ever do break. That prevents them from shooting around your garage and injuring anyone or damaging anything.
3. Check the weather seal: At the bottom of your garage door, you’ll find weatherstripping. The seal helps prevent water and cold from coming into your garage or damaging the bottom of your door. Check it for wear or damage, especially before and after big storms. Remove and replace the weather seal if you notice any damage to protect your door and belongings. If your door doesn’t have weatherstripping, be sure to install it.
4. Lubricate metal in your garage opener: The sound of grinding metal when you use your garage door is a warning sign that it needs attention. Lubricate opener screws or chains about once a year, or more if you hear grinding metal. Clean and lubricate other springs twice a year to keep them functioning.
5. Tighten hardware: Any nuts, bolts and brackets can come loose. Tighten the hardware to secure garage door openers and minimize noise. You’ll keep the entire system functioning correctly with a simple hardware check.
6. Prepare for different seasons: Rainy spring and fall seasons mean you should check your weatherstripping. For cold winters, install insulation. Choose insulation that works best for your door to keep out the cold. Insulating protects the door and everything in your garage from the cold. On frigid days, your door may freeze to the floor of your garage. Try different methods to clear the ice, instead of trying to force the door open. Keep the floor under your garage door clean and dry to prevent freezing.

If you notice any problems with your garage, be sure to keep others away from it. Keep children and pets out of the garage and let people know of any issues. Avoid using it until you have a professional garage door maintenance company come and fix it.

Benefits of Hiring a Professional for Garage Door Repair

Garage doors do need maintenance, and while there are steps you can take on your own, sometimes you need a professional. Hire a garage door maintenance company to service your door once per year. If you notice any issues between services, contact a professional right away. Hiring a company will help you with the following.

1. Save time: Hiring a garage door maintenance company means you don’t have to fuss with your garage. Save your precious time by bringing in someone who knows what they’re doing.
2. Save money: While hiring a professional won’t be free, it’ll probably be cheaper than trying to care for your garage door by yourself. You may damage equipment and have to pay for more extensive repairs or replacement. Get it done right the first time with a professional. A professional garage door tune-up will also save you from making expensive emergency repairs or replacements later.
3. Stay safe: A garage door maintenance company has professionals who put safety first. They have the right equipment and knowledge to get a job done. Even if you have mechanical or other repair experience, you may not be familiar with garage door systems. You may also not have the tools you need to maintain your door.
4. Get a warranty: Many professionals offer a warranty on your garage door repair and maintenance. If anything goes wrong while that warranty is in effect, a company may make repairs or replacements at little to no cost.

Choosing a garage door maintenance company doesn’t have to be complicated. You should feel confident that the garage door service you get will be professional, reliable and effective. Work with us at Oregon City Garage Door for trustworthy garage door maintenance in Portland and beyond.

Garage Door Maintenance Plans at Oregon City Garage Door

At Oregon City Garage Door, we pride ourselves in offering garage door maintenance to property owners in Portland and the surrounding areas. With our tools, knowledge and expertise, we’re able to diagnose garage door problems you may have. Even if your garage door seems to be running fine, inspection and maintenance by a professional are vital. At Oregon City Garage Door, we will perform routine maintenance with our garage door service. Our skilled technicians will:

• Tighten nuts, bolts, brackets and other components
• Lubricate or grease moving parts of your opener
• Replace or fix panels on your door
• Inspect the garage door opener system
• Adjust door opener settings

You can do some of the above during a DIY examination. But our professional and skilled garage door service at Oregon City Garage Door provides comprehensive review and care of your system. Our garage door service includes a look at more technical components, which could be dangerous for untrained individuals to inspect. Along with the above maintenance, our technicians will conduct a comprehensive inspection of:

• Cables
• Drums
• Shafts
• Bottom fixture
• Bearing plate
• Spring anchor attachment

Once our technicians have taken a thorough look at your garage door, they will suggest repairs and replacements. We at Oregon City Garage Door will work with you to provide safe and high-quality solutions within your budget for any damage we discover. Your garage door will last much longer with our service and keep you, your family and your belongings safe.

Oregon City Garage Door — Portland’s Garage Door Maintenance Provider Since 1992

Whether you’re looking for a garage door tune-up or it needs more repair, let our team of specialists help. We offer reliable garage door maintenance to Portland and the surrounding communities to keep your garage door working safely and properly for years to come.

At Oregon City Garage Door, we provide prompt and friendly garage door service to meet any of your needs. Don’t wait until you need costly repairs or replacement — get maintenance from our professional technicians today. Contact us at 503-632-3070 to schedule service or request an estimate with Oregon City Garage Door.