Even if your garage door is already insulated and has seals or weather-stripping around its edges, it’s important to double-check your garage door when winter arrives. Insulation degrades over time, and garage door seals and weather-stripping lose their ability to keep out cold air and moisture.

Inspect the Garage Door Springs:

• Disable your garage door opener before performing this task; you do this by pulling on the emergency cord.
• Then open the garage door manually.
• If you found this easy to do with one hand, then the springs are in great working order. If it was difficult to open, you will want to determine the cause.
• Do not try to fix this yourself as it can cause serious injury; Call us for all installations, repairs, and adjustments to your garage door torsion springs.

Take A Look At the Weather Stripping:

You want to make sure that the weather-stripping on the outside of your garage door frame is adequately functioning. Garage door seals and weather-stripping can be used to close those gaps in order to insulate your garage more effectively.

If you notice any damage or stripping itself has hardened because of heat exposure, you will want to replace it. The cracks will allow wind, cold air, snow, ice and rain to seep into the garage, where they can wreak havoc.

Metal Parts Need To Be Lubricated:

You will want to give each of the metal parts of your door proper lubrication prior to winter’s arrival. This includes the springs, track, and rollers.

• To begin, take a dry cloth and remove any old lubricant from past applications, as well as any dust that might be present. A lubricant that is oil-based, such as 10W-30 motor oil, is recommended.
• Apply the lubricant sparingly, and wipe away any of the excesses with a cloth.
• Avoid using products like WD-40. Those products are degreasers and not lubricants, so they would not work well on your garage door. Stay away from using grease, particularly on the tracks.

Simple Tips Summer Garage Door Prep & Maintenance

The garage door is like many things in the home, you ignore until something goes wrong. How many times do you open the garage door a day? Yet, one day the garage will not open or close, come off the tracks and crash onto the hood of your car or family member. Like dusting and vacuuming, preserve your door with annual maintenance.

Cleaning:

Cleaning is an important part of summer garage door prep. It is easy for dust and debris to sneak into your garage over time. Get rid of winter dirt before summer comes. Also, bring the summer toys and equipment out and move winter and seasonal items back to storage.

In addition to cleaning your interior garage door, you should clean your garage door. Use water and mild dishwashing detergent to clean the surface of steel and aluminum garage doors. As you clean, be aware of potential garage problems like rust and rotting.

Inspection:

Once your garage door is clean, schedule maintenance or inspection of your garage door or inspect your door yourself. An inspection will provide the security of knowing your garage and garage door are functioning well.

Inspect Rollers:

A door with defunct rollers operates like a car with a flat tire – it’s wobbly, uneven, and annoying. Check your garage door rollers to see if they’re corroded, chipped, or sticking to the sleeve they’re contained in. Sometimes they’ll need to be replaced. At other times, simply lubing them up will remedy the noise stickiness.

Check Springs:

Springs are dangerous; both when they break and when DIY maintenance is involved. Check both springs to look for signs of wear, fragility, or rust. Just lubing them up can repair some issues. Springs will wear out, but proper maintenance lengthens their use.

Check the Track:

The track is the road to your garage door. Making sure it’s intact is an important part of garage door maintenance. Make sure there’s no debris impeding the path of the rollers and that the track isn’t cracking or defective in some way.

Inspect Bolts, Hinges, Cables:

The bolts, hinges, and cables of your garage door should also be checked for any impending defects. A bolt simply breaking off is rare, but it happens. Cables can lose tension and hinges can come unscrewed, so give it all a well-detailed glance.

Seal up any spaces and Cracks:

• Does your garage door close firmly on the ground? Are there any gaps in your garage window or even the dryer hose vents to the outside space?
• Carefully examine the weather stripping at the bottom of your garage door to ensure that it is not worn off or damaged.
• Go to your garage with a discerning eye to figure out where the pests are getting in, and seal up those spaces.
• Walk around the outside as well, sealing up any cracks by using caulking to fill any gaps or holes near your windows and doors. Ensure that you do a thorough job to avoid further infestation.
• It alone will make a significant difference in the number of insects and other pests in your garage.

The outside and yard:

• Look at what do you have stored adjacent to your garage. If you keep the recycling bins or a pile of yard waste near the house, this could attract insects that eventually wander into your garage.
• Pull any mulch away from the outside wall, and if you have to store anything outdoors until garbage day, keep it away from the house.
• Another consideration is water pooling near the outside wall of the garage. *t could attract wildlife that might decide to move in your garage or even attic.

Declutter:

• Clutter and also dust make pests feel right at home. Spiders, snakes, and other creepy-crawlies tend to want to hide in tiny little nooks and crannies. The typical garage offers many such spaces! Cleaned your garage and get everything organized. You might consider keeping a can of insect spray nearby in case you find a happy family of six- or eight-legged critters.
• If you have reason to believe that you might find a snake, wear boots and gloves. If you find rodent droppings, clean them up with care, as they could harbor illness.

We’ve put together the top garage door safety tips to keep your family safe and to prevent garage door related accidents.

Don’t Race Against your Garage Door:

Many of us have a tendency to race the garage door as it closes or opens. Although modern garage doors have sensors that stop the door from closing when there’s something in its path, some of the older garage doors do not. Prevent injuries and teach your children to stay away from moving doors.

Photo Eye Sensor Check:

Photo eye sensors act as a safety measure on your garage door by preventing the garage door from closing if there’s anything in the way. The sensors are located on either side of your garage door, and it’s essential to test them regularly and check that they’re still functioning properly.

To check your photo eye sensors, place an object in the path of the garage door before closing it. If the garage door does not stop and automatically reverse to the opening position, this means that the photo eye sensors are either malfunctioning and require repair/servicing or they are broken and need to be replaced.

Make your Garage Kid Friendly:

Educate your little ones to stay away from garage doors when the doors are in operation. Keep the garage door opener keypads and remotes out of kids’ reach, and do not allow children to play with the controls. Also ensure that children do not place their fingers between door hinges as this can be extremely dangerous.

Check Springs for Wear and Tear:

One of the common reasons why garage doors malfunction is because of a broken spring. The springs leverage the opening and closing of the doors by balancing the door’s weight. The average lifespan of a garage door is about six to ten years; however, ensuring that your springs are in good condition and performing routine checks will extend the life of your garage door. Worn out or broken springs can be hazardous, resulting in garage doors slamming shut or failing to open.

We always recommend that you call a professional to repair a broken spring. Attempting to fix a broken spring on your own can be dangerous and can cause injuries and further damage to the door.

Preventive Maintenance:

Preventative Maintenance is an essential element for your garage door functioning at its best condition. In fact, regular maintenance and check-ups can extend the life of your garage door. An annual visit from a trained technician will help ensure your door remains trouble-free year-round.