Seasonal Maintenance Tips for Garage Doors

Garage Door Maintenance Should Be Part of Your Springtime Property Clean-Up

Many homeowners look forward to the return of spring weather so they can begin their annual property clean-up practices.  Part of these so-called rituals includes an inspection of the lawn, landscaping, and home exterior to assess the extent of any winter damage and develop a plan-of-attack to get the property in order as quickly as possible.

Very often, however, homeowners might overlook critical components of their home that should also be inspected and receive the proper attention and maintenance required to keep them in optimal working condition – one such feature is the garage door.  Garage doors are expected to be reliable at all times, and the commitment to regular inspections and tune-ups will go a long way toward ensuring that dependability.

There are several basic elements to performing springtime garage door maintenance.  These steps consist of:

• Discern the overall efficiency of operation (assess sound and motion)
• Check tracks for dents, damage, misalignment and repair as needed
• Tighten any and all hardware if/as required – screws, nuts, bolts, etc.
• Lubricate all rollers, hinges, latches with an appropriate type of spray
• Brush off dust and grime from cables and torsion or extension springs
• Wipe the inside of all tracking with a damp cloth, then with a dry cloth
• Examine rollers for wearing, cracks, alignment and replace as needed
• Inspect all weather stripping for its efficiency around perimeter of door
• Evaluate the state of the door and any repair dents, chips, rusting, etc.

If a garage door opener has been installed, it should also be included in the garage door maintenance process.  This device is a major contributor to garage door reliability, with an added emphasis on personal safety and security, and should therefore receive its due attention as well.  Actions to be considered and/or taken in this regard would include:

• Lubricate pulleys, chain, belt, or screw accordingly with a proper spray
• Assess the door balance (performed when the opener is disconnected)
• Check and readjust the travel limits of the door for opening and closing
• Inspect alignment of the safety sensors – test the auto-reverse feature
• Examine infrared eyes on opener and all remotes – replace if scratched

In most instances, the above steps can be completed in do-it-yourself fashion by either the homeowner or another member of the family.  And this level of care and attention will help in the day-to-day functioning of a garage door as well as extending its lifecycle.

However, there may be circumstances identified within the inspection and maintenance processes where the use of professional garage door services may be required, such as the discovery of loose/frayed garage door cables that need to be changed due to an apparent loss of tension in a torsion spring.  Should these types of situations arise, any parts replacement or repairs that are required are best left to trained technicians, like the specialists from Markham Garage Doors.

Call an Expert Garage Door Services Provider for All Your Garage Door Needs

While some homeowners might be rather comfortable performing their own garage door inspections and maintenance, others could be more confident and/or more motivated to use an established and experienced garage door services provider such as Markham Garage Doors.

Markham Garage Doors has been ranked by its customers as the number one garage door repair company in the Greater Toronto Area.  In addition to annual inspections and essential garage door maintenance/tune-ups, the technicians from Markham Garage Doors have the expertise to provide services including but not limited to the following:

• Installation of new doors and capping
• Repair of broken springs and/or cables
• Installation/repair of automatic openers
• Repair/replacement of damaged panels
• Removal/installation of weather stripping
• Replacement of cracked/broken windows
• Balancing/resetting doors out of alignment

For all your garage door installation, repair, or maintenance needs, call the specialists from Markham Garage Doors today at either (905) 472-9178 or (416) 570-3667 to discuss your specific requirements and/or arrange a service visit at your convenience.