If your garage door is not working properly, call us. We will take the time to get the job done right. We regularly make repairs on overhead garage doors that could have been avoided if the last guy who "fixed it" had taken the effort to do it properly. This is possible because garage doors can operate for a time with serious underlying issues. As an example, we do many garage door repairs because someone either used the wrong torsion springs or did not install the springs properly. Most parts on your garage door system (cables, hinges, pulleys, rollers, extention springs, and torsion springs) will show signs of wear and tear as they break down. How would you like to replace brand new parts on your sectional garage door because they were damaged when your cable snapped? These incidents are commonplace even though they could be prevented with a minimal amount of extra maintenance. It takes a little extra effort to give your garage door a thorough inspection, but too many technicians are in too much of a hurry to care.

Garage Door Maintenance

You do not have to wait until your car is stuck in your garage to have it checked out. In fact, regular maintenance on your door system can save you money over the long haul while bringing you peace of mind. Overhead garage doors (also known as sectional roll up doors) have many moving parts (bearings, rollers, pulleys, cables, extention springs, and torsion springs) and are often used frequently throughout the day. If you are wondering if your door needs a little TLC, here are some tips to help you decide.

 

Inspect: Look over your door. As some parts wear down, they stretch, crack, wobble, or fray before they break. The bolts and screws holding everything together can loosen over time. The sections of the door can rot, separate, and fall apart. If something looks out of place to you, have it checked out. Do not touch your door parts as you do this.

 

Listen: A noisy door system is more than just annoying. If your door is getting louder it is trying to tell you something. Every sound is a vibration; often caused by grinding, scraping, and harmful friction. Not every noise coming from your door indicates you have a serious problem, but if your door is turning into a dreadful symphony that wakes the neighbor's dogs, you should have it checked out.

 

Watch: If your door is bouncing, shimmying, and shaking its way shut, it should be looked at. It is hard on your opener because it does not know how to adjust for sudden changes in pressure, and it runs a higher risk of jamming when it is not moving in a consistent pattern. These jams can often lead to catastrophic failure in your door system that has the potential of damaging even heavy duty door sections.

 

Feel: It is easy to take your garage door opener for granted. We hit that button day after day and we expect it to go up without a hitch. Consider giving it a break every once in a while and operate it the old-fashioned way. If it takes a big effort to get it up or down by hand, your door is out of balance. Standard residential doors can weigh well over 300 pounds and your opener is not designed to be the muscle of the operation. While the torque on most units can be adjusted, maximizing these settings is not safe and will eventually compound the real problem with additional repairs. For safety reasons, you never want to pull the opener disconnect while the door is in the up position.