A garage door is very essential in your home. If you have a car. We also need to maintain the garage door regularly. Here is what you need to know. Monthly maintenance checks are a good idea but reference the owner’s manual for specifics. We have to know how to maintain a garage door. Garage door maintenance is an easy DIY project by yourself.
Test the Door Balance
Close the door and disconnect the carriage from the chain or belt by pulling the release handle. Now the door should lift manually open it about halfway if it stays in place all is good and the door is balanced. If it doesn’t stay put-call a service technician to reengage the carriage and move it back toward the opener. Remember it some maintenance should only be performed by a licensed technician.
Contact Reverse Test
Open the door and place a small 2×4 on the ground at the center of the opening. Close the door when it contacts the board. The door should reverse. If it doesn’t the downforce control limit needs to be adjusted. Set it by following your opener’s direction. The bottom of your door are photo eye sensors. They prevent the door from closing if something is in the opening. Make sure they’re aligned then close the door. Wave something through the beam between them. The door should reverse direction if not clean the sensors with a damp cotton swab and try again.
Spring & Tracks Cleaning
On the door inspect all the hinges lubricate them and make sure everything is tight. But don’t touch the bolts on the torsion spring. Also, check that the tracks are clean and hardware is also tight. Tracks can be wiped with carburetor cleaner. Don’t use a lubricant on the track as it could cause the door to slip and become unbalanced and remember to replace the batteries of the remote. Just check the manual for the right type.
Also periodically operate the door with the plug out to check the backup battery. If the door doesn’t work put in a new battery. While you’re at it replace the light bulbs in the opener following the manufacturer’s recommendations. Sometimes garage door openers get a little sag in the chain or belt. But it can be fixed. Open the door until the carriage is about midway disengage it and manually close the door.
Loosen the nuts on the turnbuckle with wrenches and rotate it counterclockwise until the slack is gone. The chain or belt should be at least a quarter-inch from the bottom of the rail on the other side. Tighten the nuts and manually open the door to engage the carriage to the turnbuckle. Garage door maintenance is generally an easy do-it-yourself project. But keep in mind that torsion springs are under extremely high tension. So replacing or repairing them requires a trained technician.
A few regular checks will help keep your garage door and opener in good working order.
