4 Good Reasons Why You Should Service Your Garage Door
Like all machines that are in regular use, your garage door suffers from wear and tear and is impacted by exposure to the elements, operating less efficiently over time and even posing a safety hazard to you and your family.
At Doors In Motion, we recommend that you have your garage door serviced by a professional every 12 to 24 months, dependent on the age of your door. On top of a regular service, keeping your eye (and ears) out for signs that your garage door needs repair is the best way to ensure it is always in good working order. Below are 4 of the top signs your garage door needs some attention.
1. Lots Of Noise
The vast majority of modern garage doors are extremely quiet when in operation; in fact, this is one of the major selling points of a quality garage door. Then, if your garage door is making lots of noise when opening or closing, something is not right. Not only is your noisy door probably getting on your neighbors’ nerves, but it’s also definitely time to have it looked at before things get worse.
2. Uneven Closing
If your garage door is not closing evenly, with one side sagging or sticking, or if you always have to close it manually, there is potentially an issue with the tension spring or balance of your door. This is a serious malfunction and warrants immediate attention, as it puts both you and your family’s personal safety at risk, and also means your garage is not as secure as it should be.
The longer a garage door issue goes without repair, the more expensive it can be. Many problems will slowly degrade and become worse over time. Rather than being a simple fix, an unattended repair could turn into a replacement over time. An unbalanced door or roller that’s not moving properly can put undue strain on your garage door opener significantly shortening its lifespan.
How Often Should I Have My Garage Door Serviced?
You should have your garage door serviced at least once a year if no other issues arise. Service technicians prolong the life of your garage door with preventative maintenance: lubricating areas of the door, tightening bolts and screws and adjusting spring tension. Although your door may work just fine without it, annual service will prevent issues in the future.
It’s also a good idea to conduct your monthly check. Take these things into consideration when doing an overview of your garage door:
- Determine if the door can be opened manually from the outside without the opener
- Check for broken glass if your door has windows
- Listen for unusual noises, such as clicks or a whine when opening and closing the door
- Ensure that your door can completely close without issues
The information you provide to service technicians can help them diagnose and fix issues faster. The following are two tests that you can conduct yourself.
The photo-eye is the mechanism in your garage door that keeps your children, pets, and belongings safe if they are in the way of a closing garage door. It forces the door open to prevent accidents.
Check the eye’s effectiveness using a broom or other long object — not an arm or a leg –by placing it under the door close to the ground as it closes. The door should reverse and open back up. If it does not, keep people and pets away from the door and consult a garage door specialist.
Evaluate your door’s alignment by first disconnecting the opener. (Liftmaster provides a very helpful guide for disconnecting and reconnecting your opener, so do your research to know what you are doing beforehand).
The door should raise and lower manually. If opening it requires excessive force, or does not open relatively smoothly, there may be an issue that needs to be resolved. Next, raise the garage door halfway and let go. If it moves up or down, the door is out of balance and you should call a service technician.
If all goes well, you will be able to reconnect your opener after this test, and know that your garage door is good to go!
Don’t Let Issues Spread
It is very important to always consider the importance of your garage door and garage door openers maintenance. If these are not looked after, it can void your opener warranty, and over time become an expensive operation to be dealt with. If you do your part and consider all of the above, you will be making great moves to extend the longevity of your garage door.
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