A new garage door costs between $300 – $450 depending on the size and materials. But, when you add in installation costs, you can expect to pay up to $1,000 for your new door.
Luckily, if you maintain your garage door properly, it should last for years and years. Taking a few moments to do some simple maintenance tasks can save you a lot of money down the road.
Wondering what you should be doing to maintain your garage? Keep reading to discover the basic garage door maintenance tips every homeowner should know.
Tighten Any Loose Hardware
Like any of the best home tips, the first thing you’ll want to do is look for any obvious issues with your garage door. Start by opening and closing the garage door a few times. While the door is operating, look and listen for any loose or vibrating parts.
Loose hardware is a common issue with garage doors. With repeated opening and closing over time, a few things are bound to loosen up. While the looseness probably won’t cause any issues, if not addressed, these hardware pieces could completely separate from the door, causing serious issues.
Grab a socket wrench and tighten up any loose items. Pay special attention to all of the bolts and roller brackets, as these are the items that become loose more frequently.
Once everything is tightened up, open and close the door again to see if the door continues to vibrate.
Clear the Tracks
If your garage door stops working, this can drastically affect your home’s property value. And one of the most integral parts of your garage door is the tracks.
Your garage door tracks are what the door moves along when opening and closing. Since your garage door is the only thing standing between the interior and exterior of your home, a lot of outside dirt and debris can enter. When the debris builds up on the tracks, this can make it harder for the door to open and close.
Take a wet rag, get up on a ladder, and wipe down your garage door tracks. While you’re up there, you can use some garage door lubricant to help keep everything moving smoothly.
When you’re done cleaning the tracks, take a level to make sure your tracks remain straight. Sometimes, the tracks can become bent or uneven, which can cause stress on your garage door. You can attempt to make minor adjustments to straighten out the tracks.
Replace the Door’s Weatherstripping
Your garage’s weatherstripping is the rubber strip that sits at the bottom of the door. This strip is what helps prevent water, dirt, and outside temperatures from entering into your garage. Since the door is opening and closed so frequently, this weatherstripping becomes worn down over time.
If you notice that the stripping is cracked, missing, or is just old, it’s time to replace it. Any local hardware store will sell weatherstripping by the foot. So measure your garage door and purchase enough stripping to replace the whole length of it.
Taking off the old weatherstripping and replacing it is fairly easy. Once you have the right size of weatherstripping, simply insert the grooves into the bottom of the door.
Test Your Safety Features
Safety features are a very important part of any garage door’s function. Whether you have little kids, pets, or just cars coming in and out, you don’t want your garage door to fall on any of these things. Garage doors are heavy and can cause serious harm if its safety features aren’t working.
Many people find out that their safety features aren’t working when it’s too late. You should regularly make a point to check yours for the peace of mind that everything is okay.
The mechanical safety feature works when your door touches something before it hits the ground. Upon impact, your door should immediately enter into reverse mode and open back up. To make sure this is working, place a brick or a piece of wood in the door’s path and attempt to close it.
There is also a photoelectric safety system. This system works with beams at either end of your door to detect movement. When you close your garage door, move an object over the beams and make sure that the door begins to reverse.
Consult the Professionals
The last tip is to never hesitate to contact a professional for garage door repair services.
While you can handle these maintenance tasks on your own, you should never attempt a repair on your own. When you’re dealing with the intricate parts of a garage door — especially the springs — you need to know exactly what you’re doing. One false move could break the entire system or cause a harmful malfunction.
If you hear or see anything odd, call a garage door repair person immediately. They’ll come out and assess the situation and get your garage door working properly again.
Keep Up With Garage Door Maintenance
After reading this article, you can now consider yourself an expert on garage door maintenance.
Maintain your garage door by regularly tightening any loose hardware and keeping the tracks clear. You’ll also want to replace any worn weatherstripping and test the safety features. And if you notice anything wrong beyond your maintenance abilities, call a garage door repair service as soon as possible.
Looking to maintain other areas of your home? Be sure to bookmark this site and check back often for new home maintenance tips and tricks.
