If you own a garage door you are probably fully aware they aren’t maintenance free. From squeaks and rattles to jamming and outright failure the garage door system contains many moving parts that need regular attention. They can even become dangerous. We recently found ourselves in “failure mode” … car almost stuck inside the garage! If we had performed the recommended maintenance, we might have avoided the emergency repair and panic of the situation.

Below is a brief list of garage door maintenance items and inspections that could have made our lives much easier. Maybe I can help you avoid this headache.

If you decide to hire a professional, please give me a call for a referral.

Garage Door Maintenance / Safety Check

· Inspection. Stand inside the garage with the garage door closed. Look over the garage door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys and mounting hardware, such as hinges, for signs of wear or damage. Look for cable wear or fraying. Is the mounting hardware becoming loose? If something doesn’t look quite right – or doesn’t sound quite right – it could be a more serious issue.

· Door balance test. If your door is equipped with an automatic opener: close the door and disconnect the automatic opener (pull the red handle). Once you are able to lift the door manually: Lift the door. It should lift smoothly with little resistance and should remain fully open. If it is difficult to open or does not remain open, the door may be out of balance.

· Reversing mechanism test. (if your door is equipped with an automatic opener system). Note: garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993, are required by federal law to be equipped with a reversing mechanism and a photo eye or edge sensor as added measures of safety to prevent entrapment. If your system does not have these features, replacement of your automatic operating system is recommended.
With the door fully open, lay a piece of wood such as a 2 x 4 on the floor in the center of the garage door opening where the door would touch the floor. Push your garage door openers button to close the door. When the door strikes the wood, the door should automatically reverse. If the door does not reverse, the door should be serviced by a trained service technician.

· Photo eye test (if your door is equipped with an automatic opener system).
With the door fully open, push your garage door openers button to close the door. Wave a long object, such as a broomstick, in front of one of the door’s photo eyes so it “breaks the beam.” The door should reverse.
If it doesn’t, pull the broomstick out of the path of the closing door. Close the door. With the door in the closed position, clean the photo eyes with a soft, dry cloth. Gently adjust the photo eyes by hand if they appear to be out of alignment. Open the door and repeat the test. If the door does not reverse and reopen, the door should be serviced by a trained service technician.

· Force setting test. With the door fully open, push your garage door openers button. As the door is closing, hold up the bottom of the door with your hands outstretched and stiff. If the door does not easily reverse and continues to close, pull your hands away immediately. The closing force is excessive and the door should be serviced by a trained service technician.

· Lubrication. Apply a small amount of spray lubricant to the door’s hinges, rollers and tracks annually.

A safety check should be performed annually. Garage door maintenance companies can establish a maintenance schedule to perform the checks and make necessary repairs. If you need a referral, I have one.

Some information excerpted from www.garagedoorcare.com.