The Ultimate Guide to Garage Door Care

Garage doors are an essential part of your home. They are features that you should regard with pride, as key components of your property’s aesthetic presentation. They are also vital security measures, designed to help keep your family, your vehicles, and your belongings safe from prowlers and the elements. Since they serve both an aesthetic and functional purpose, they need and deserve to be maintained and cared for in order to keep them working well and looking good. Therefore, every homeowner should be well-versed in the principles of garage door care. With just a few simple routine checks and adjustments, as well as the regular assistance of professional garage door technicians, you can keep your garage door running smoothly and adding value to your home for years to come.

Whenever we are asked how to maintain garage doors, we list six key factors, each of which can be further broken down and explained, but all of which are quite simple once you know them. They are:

• Inspections.Conduct routine checks on your doors at least every six months. You will be able to identify any problem areas and address them before they cause serious breakdowns.
• Lubrication.The key to safe, smooth, continuous running of your garage door is proper lubrication. The hinges, rollers, and other moving parts should be re-lubricated around twice a year.
• Clean tracks.Keeping the tracks clean and free of any obstructions will ensure that the rollers move easily for a long time.
• Balance and tension.These are the keys to garage door operation - and it is all in the springs. Springs wear out over time and will need adjustment and replacing - a job that should always be left to professionals.
• Insulation.Your garage door is supposed to provide insulation against the elements. It does this through its weatherstripping, which should be checked regularly and replaced as needed.
• Cleaning and painting.Keeping your door clean, and re-painting or re-finishing it every so often is not just a matter of keeping up appearances. Build-ups of dirt and dust can affect the functioning of your door. At the same time, allowing the finish or paintwork to lapse can reduce the lifespan of your door.

To expand on these principles, here is a complete guide to garage door care. We will begin by explaining why it is important to maintain your garage door. Then, we will make a case for the significance of regular garage door inspections - both DIY and professional. Our guide includes a few essential garage door troubleshooting tips, as well as a focus on all matters pertaining to lubrication. We also explain how to silence noisy doors - probably the most common complaint among garage door owners, and also explain how to maintain your exterior gate, which is an essential supplement to your garage doors.

The Importance of Regular Garage Door Maintenance

Garage door maintenance is not an optional extra. If you have a quality garage door that you want to keep operating correctly, it is essential to maintain it. Garage doors have many moving parts, which are called upon to carry a fairly heavy load - often several times a day. Wear and tear are inevitable, so you will regularly need to check, adjust, repair, and replace those rollers, hinges, tracks, springs, and other parts. If you don’t do so, your door will gradually stop working properly, not only becoming useless, but potentially developing into a safety hazard as well. Failure to maintain a door’s appearance will cause your home's curb appeal to decrease, thus dropping your property’s potential resale value. Remember that maintenance is also better than repair. It makes sense to invest a small amount of time and money in caring for your door, rather than having to fix or replace it too soon. 

Checking and maintaining your doors regularly will help to prevent mechanical issues and ensure smooth, continuous operation. The best way to stay ahead of your garage door's potential for wear and a possible decline in functioning is to have a professional installer or technician check the door at least once a year.

Why Regular Garage Door Inspections Matter

The key to effective maintenance is regular inspections. A thorough inspection will quickly reveal any components that are wearing out or likely to fail in the near future. You can then make the necessary repairs or replace the faulty components. In this way, your garage door is unlikely ever to break down. There is no way of really knowing what shape your garage door is in without inspecting it regularly. A routine inspection should include thorough checks of all the door’s moving parts, as well as a glance at the door’s overall condition. An inspection should cover all the hardware, lubrication, springs, rollers, weatherstripping, chains, limit switches, and the auto-reverse system. Check the tracks every few weeks, and tighten any loose bolts and screws at the same time. Keep a careful lookout for any signs that you may need to re-lubricate some or all of the parts.

Troubleshooting Common Garage Door Issues

Issues may arise from time to time in the everyday running of your garage doors. Before you call a technician, try some simple troubleshooting measures. These are basic tips to maintain garage doors, and to handle the routine snags that you will inevitably encounter. 

Here are a few examples of common issues you may encounter:

• Noisy garage door: If your door is making a lot of noise, it could be that the hinges or rollers need replacing. 
• Frozen door: Sometimes, in the winter, the door can actually become frozen in place, joined to the floor by a piece of ice. Try melting the ice with a heat gun, or applying standard de-icing products. A flat shovel or some other tool can be used to chip away at the ice. Just be careful not to damage the bottom seal.
• Faulty door opener: If the door doesn’t open, or only opens partially when you click the button, there could be a number of causes. Check the photo eye, try reprogramming the keypad, or check that the opener is connected to a power source. You could also inspect the rollers for rust or anything that might be obstructing the wheels’ movement. 
• Worn-out springs: When the springs that counterbalance your garage door start to wear out, you may notice that the motor is struggling to open the door, or the door may feel heavier if you try to open it by hand. When this happens, the only thing to do is replace the springs, which requires the help of a garage door technician. 

The Importance of Garage Door Lubrication

The most fundamental part of routine garage door care is ensuring that the moving parts are adequately lubricated. Lubrication allows all the essential moving parts to slide smoothly on their designated tracks. The free movement of these parts reduces friction and strain, which means that your opener does not have to work quite so hard. It also prevents those components, such as hinges and wheels, from wearing out too quickly. We cannot overestimate the importance of garage door lubrication: without it, the motor and the moving parts could both have a reduced lifespan, and your door will not work as well as it should. 

Always opt for silicone or white lithium-based lubricants. Petroleum-based ones are unsuitable, as they do not provide enough protection against corrosion. These products can applied in spray form or as a grease. You will need to apply a quality lubricant to the rollers, chain, springs and hinges every few months.

Gate Maintenance Tips for Longevity: Expert Gate System Care

For some property owners, garage doors may be your first line of access control. For a great many others, however, the garage doors are actually second in line, with exterior gates providing the initial barrier. If you do have an automatic exterior gate, then maintaining that access system is just as important as garage door care. The keys to good gate care include regular cleaning and inspection, replacing components as needed, adjusting settings on occasion, and applying good weatherproofing measures. A well-maintained gate, together with a garage door that is well cared for, will provide a solid double layer of access control to your home, in addition to helping your property maintain its aesthetic appeal and value.

Silence the Squeaks: How to Fix Noisy Garage Doors

A noisy garage door is an irritation to both you and your neighbors, but more importantly, it could be an indication of some larger problem that may ultimately lead to the breakdown of your door. Never ignore a noisy garage door; inspect it and try to find a solution as soon as possible. Once you know how to fix noisy garage doors, it is really quite easy. There are usually just a few common issues to look out for, and most of them can be resolved quickly. Most often, you can eliminate the noise by tightening any loose hardware, replacing worn-out rollers, or making adjustments to the electronic opener.

The best way to ensure that you never have to deal with a noisy garage door is to set up regular maintenance and inspection checks with a professional garage door technician. Routine maintenance helps ensure your garage door stays in good condition, avoiding noisy doors and breakdowns.

About Tri-Lakes Garage Doors

Tri-Lakes Garage Doors is a family business founded and run by Jim Hatley, a second-generation garage door builder, installer and repairman. We serve homeowners and businesses all along the front range. We have built a solid reputation based on quality parts and service, quick response, and a family-based, personalized approach to customer care. Contact us to find out more about our products and services, including the installation of new garage doors, designing and building custom garage doors, installing and maintaining gate systems, and professional garage door care and inspections.