With the cold winter months behind us, it is time to start thinking about summer and getting our homes ready for the warmer weather that lies ahead. Now is the time to start on some garage repair and maintenance to ensure that your door is in good working order.
Winter’s icy conditions and cold weather can wreak havoc on garage doors, which is why it is imperative you perform necessary repairs and maintenance now that the weather has warmed up. While you might be tempted to ignore your garage door, because at face value it looks good and so far you’ve not experienced any problems, you’ll want to inspect and repair now to save money on costly repairs later on. Here are a few general maintenance and repair tips to prepare your garage door for summer.
Clean the Door
Garages are often the dirtiest spot in your home. They are the place where you store your car, tools, miscellaneous boxes and yard supplies. All of these things can collect dust, dirt, and grease, and carry the grime indoors.
Your garage door is exposed to the elements 24/7, which means that it can be extremely filthy. This means that you are going to want to wash both the inside and outside of your garage door to remove the dirt, dust and anything else that has accumulated.
Lubrication
With the weather warming up, now is the perfect time to lubricate all the moving parts (rollers, tracks, hinges) on your garage door, along with the weather stripping. This will help to keep your garage door operating correctly and prevent any damage that might occur.
You’ll want to avoid using any oils like WD-40, and rather use oil and lubricants that are specifically designed for garage door use instead. You’ll also want to make sure that you do not use too much oil, as any excess oil will attract dust and dirt which can wear out the various parts of your garage door. For exterior weather stripping, you’ll want to use a lubricant that contains silicone.
Check for Wear and Tear on Your Door
Perform a general inspection of your door. Check for cables that might show signs of fraying or wearing. If your cables are starting to show signs of wear and need to be replaced, you’ll want to contact your local garage door company to perform the garage repair. Additionally, you’ll want to check the hinges, ball-bearings, rails, and supports of your garage door to ensure that they are in good working order as well. If anything is loose or breaking, you’ll want to address those issues sooner rather than later to avoid a hefty repair bill later on.
Check the Bolts
Checking to make sure that the bolts on the back of the track of your garage door are tightened and in place is not only a maintenance concern but a safety concern as well. The last thing you want is for your garage door to fall and damage your car or injure someone due to loose bolts on the track.
Check Springs
Garage door springs should be free of rust. Over time springs will ultimately break, no matter how well they are maintained, but keeping them free of rust will help to prolong their life.
When a spring does break it can shoot across the garage due to the high amount of tension that it is under. Some garage springs are contained in a tube, which means you don’t have to worry about maintaining them. If your spring does need replacing, do not attempt to replace it yourself. Instead, call your local garage door expert to replace the spring for you.
Weather Stripping and Insulation
Inspect all weather stripping and insulation on your garage door. You should clean and replace any that are damaged. Weather-stripping and insulation work to keep your garage dry, while preventing hot or cold air from entering and damaging items that you have stored in your garage.
If you find that your garage door needs more than basic maintenance to keep in working properly, contact Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors today! Our team of dedicated professionals can return your garage door to working order so that you never find yourself with a garage door that doesn’t work. Perform your basic inspection and call us for all the repairs!