Top tips for garage door maintenance.
Save yourself the hassle and pain of a faulty garage door and read our Garage Door Maintenance Top Tips.
Garage Door Maintenance is not always on the top of your to-do list and at Garage Door Rescue we understand this so we have put together some Garage Door Maintenance Top Tips for you.
The problem with not maintaining your garage door is that it is an essential part of your home for most households. People can use their garages for many reasons; storing their car, utilising it for storage, as a utility room, as a workshop, or for storing everything but your kitchen sink in, so a faulty garage door can cause you lots of problems in your day to day life.
It really doesn’t take you as much time as you would think and checking regularly as you are using it will save you hassle, time and money with an emergency garage door repair.
Garage Door Rescue Top Tips:
- Regularly grease your joints, springs and openings – Keeping your garage door parts lubricated will prevent strain and potential damage with parts not moving together correctly or getting stuck, much like keeping a bike chain lubricated to keep it in good and safe working order. You can use a spray lubricant for the springs and a solid grease for the joints and openings and we recommend you do this every couple of months
- Be aware of how easily your garage door opens and closes – opening and closing a garage door shouldn’t take you much effort and if it does then you have a problem. Check the rollers for chips cracks or wear and tear and replace them as you need to. At Garage Door Rescue we recommend you replace the whole lot every 7-8 years to keep it all in good working order.
- Automated or roller garage doors – you should test these regularly and we recommend doing this once a month to check it’s safety reversal system. If your garage door opens and closes via a laser beam and sensors on either side of the door then sweep your foot or an object under the garage door as it closes. When you do this the garage door should stop and or reopen. If it doesn’t then you have a problem and you have a safety issue as it could close on you, or your car as you are walking or driving through. Firstly check there are no spider’s webs or unknown species on your sensors by wiping them clean, this normally sorts the problem. Quite often the sensors will flash repeatedly and you will hear a quiet clicking sound if there is a problem with the sensors not working. If wiping them clean doesn’t work then it is likely you will need to call a garage door engineer out to look into it further. If your door is mechanical, put a piece of wood underneath it as it closes and it should touch it and then reopen. If not then it needs a repair, again to ensure it doesn’t close on you or your vehicle.
- The balance of your garage door – Check your doors balance at least twice a year. If it is a mechanical door then turn off the automatic opener and manually open it half way up. If it stays up then it is in good working order but if not then it is time for a repair.
- Check your garage door cables – the cables that lift your garage door should be tight and tense and they are crucial to ensuring the garage door doesn’t slip closed when you are walking or driving through. Take a look at the cables once a month for a visible damage including near the roller brackets. If you see any wear or tear then they need to be replaced quickly to ensure your garage door is safe.
- Automated Garage Door remote codes – check your maintenance instructions or with whoever fitted them to understand if you need to regularly erase and re-programme your remote’s codes to ensure your garage and your home remain secure.
Garage Door Repair Signs
The signs that your garage door needs a repair are when it is saggy, heavy, unbalanced and noisy. All of these issues are usually easy to fix and often involve new springs, rollers and cables being fitted to give your garage door a new lease of life and many more years of use.
If you spot a problem with your garage door then we recommend that you call a Garage Door Expert to come out and repair or replace any parts as trying to do this yourself could result in you injuring yourself at the time or something or someone in the future.
Garage Doors are solid and heavy with lots of mechanical parts so we recommend you need an experienced engineer to come out and fix it for you. A professional and reputable company will offer guarantees on their work and their parts and can advise you on the best solution for you.
What you should look for in a Garage Door Company
- Trained and experienced Garage Door Engineers, a good company will normally only offer good guarantees if they train their engineers as this shows they are confident in their abilities and workmanship
- Fully Insured – if you are unsure about this then you can ask to see their paperwork to validate it
- Free no obligation quotes, a good garage door company will be open about their costs, the breakdown of them and put no pressure on you to have the work done
- Same day service normally means they have a team of engineers and indicates the safety and training each engineer will have to go through to ensure their business insurance is valid
- Lengthy Guarantees offered for repairs and parts, some good company’s offer Lifetime Guarantees and this is something to look out for
- Google information on when a garage door can be repaired to ensure you aren’t wrongly advised that you need a new one installed. Don’t feel pressured into making a quick decision there and then
- Look at their customer reviews on their website, and check their social media sites to see what their customers are saying about them
- Get recommendations from family and friends
- Cheap is not always the best when it comes to a garage door for longevity and safety. If the company you are using are guaranteeing their parts and repairs then this normally indicates they are using good quality parts and are confident with their engineer’s workmanship
- Give them a call and see how you feel once you have spoken to them, you are looking for a professional company that will offer you advice and good service and you will be able to tell this from your first interaction with them
At Garage Door Rescue we provide repairs on all makes and models of Garage Doors. We stock an enormous selection of replacement parts to ensure we can repair your garage door on the same day, these include; cables, wires, springs, handles, locks, door rollers and roller spindles.
Garage Door Rescue Services include:
- Additional Garage Door Security Choices (Garage Door Defender Instalment)
- Garage Door Service and Routine Maintenance
- Garage Door Automation
- Garage Door Installation
- Same Day Emergency Repair Service
- Lifetime Guarantees on Repairs and Parts
If you are searching for a professional and reputable Garage Door Maintenance and Repairs company in Wiltshire or the surrounding areas? Give Garage Door Rescue a call on 01793 393503 and we can arrange for one of our nearby engineers to come out to you to give you a no-obligation quote and get your garage door moving again.
We can come out to you at a time that suits you, whether you would like security help, advice, a repair or an estimate for a new door.