Have you written a garage door maintenance checklist yet? If you haven't, it's time to write down some notes. Surely, you don't want to take risks with your door. Whether you use it once a week or ten times a day, it's equally important to do a checkup on a regular basis. It comes easier to those of you who use the door often. If there are noises or anything else that is out of the ordinary, it will be hard for you to miss it. The truth is that everything is important when it comes to overhead door tune-ups. It is important to check the tracks, rollers and pulleys and it is wise to visually inspect the springs and make sure the cables are wrapped around the drum!
3 Ways to Keep Safe
From lubricating garage door parts to tightening the nuts, everything is important. If you want to prioritize, check out what you must do:
- Test the balance of the door. Garage door adjustment is important for two reasons. First: if the door needs adjustment, it means that there is a little gap when it shuts down. This would compromise your security. Second: the main reason for this problem is springs. Since they counterbalance the door, any problems with the door's balance would simply imply that there is a garage door spring problem and that's bad news. It usually means that springs need to be pulled. So, don't get too concerned. Just test the balance to be sure whether you need spring repair. You can do that by disconnecting the opener and trying to lift the door manually. It should be easy. If it doesn't open or doesn't remain open, you must repair them.
- Check the reverse system. The photo eyes should face one another. Otherwise, they won't see you passing under the descending door and then - God help you… Make sure their wires are connected, there are no sun reflections (might fool them), they are aligned and their lenses are clean. Put your broom stick on the floor and check whether the door will reverse. If not, have it repaired today.
- Adjust the travel limit. There are a couple of switches at the control panel of the garage door opener which if turned, they will allow the door to close or open more than it already does. So, use them when the door doesn't reach its full opening or closing position.