Garage Door Maintenance and Repair Tips

Being the largest door in the house, it is important that the garage door be regularly maintained. The garage door is necessary for keeping the family car and other belongings stored in the garage safe. Many people neglect maintaining their garage doors because of the apparent lack of necessity for this, but it is very essential. Garage door repair can be pretty costly so make sure to perform basic routine maintenance on a regular basis to ensure that the garage door does not cease functioning.

Check the moving parts of the garage door mechanism to make sure they are not bent or dented. Also, keep the parts of the door well lubricated to prevent rusting. The parts include the hinges, roller tracks, and latches. Wipe a little oil on all of the metal parts so they won’t rust and cause any of the parts to break or cause any dysfunction in the garage door. The garage door opener will need regular maintenance also. Apply lubricant along the full length of it to prevent rusting. Along with oiling the garage door components, make sure they are properly secured. Check the rails and the axles to make sure they are screwed in properly. If they are not, remedy the problem by securing them properly. Also, make sure all of those same parts are clean. There shouldn’t be any dirt on any of them left to build up over time.

In addition to all of the inner parts and components, the outer maintenance of the garage door is quite important too. Using a light detergent and water, wipe down the garage door to remove any dirt or dust that is stuck on the outside. Car wax can be applied to the door to prevent dirt from sticking to it. Also, if the door is painted, make sure to paint the door regularly, and touch up as needed. There should not be any peeling paint on the door. Seal any cracks in the door with caulk. Also, add weather stripping to the door as needed, or replace the weather strip if needed. If the weather strip on the bottom of the door is cracked or broken, it will probably need to be replaced.

You will also want to examine the tracks for damage. If there are any dents, those can be hammered out. If not, then they will have to be replaced. Also make sure that the tracks are at level and that they are properly aligned. Clean any dirt from the tracks as well. The tracks are a very important part of the garage door. There are times in which it would be wise to call a professional repairman. If the automatic garage door opener is experiencing problems, then that is a case in which to call a professional. Any problem with the door that is beyond the homeowner’s knowledge should be taken care of by a professional. Attempting major repairs on a garage door can result in major injury if done incorrectly.