Every part of the house is considered important and expensive.
A lot of people believe that the more expensive the material or the object the better the quality is and the longer it survives from everyday use.
But as far as practicality is concerned, any object will last long if it is maintained properly.
Any garage door, either it’s manually operated or automatic, is the largest moving part of the house.
Maintenance is a must, since properly operated and maintained garage doors will provide easy access and security to the house.
This is a simple checklist that can be used and be done at home to assess whether the garage door is still in good condition, safe and functional.
Simply follow the instructions, observe and answer the questions by yes or no:
1. Visual Inspection
With the garage door closed, stand inside the garage and inspect for the following:
Damage on the:
- Springs
- Cables
- Rollers
- Pulleys
- Mounting hinges
2. Door Balance Test
If the door has an automatic door opener system, shut the door and disconnect it. After that, lift the door up to its full point.
- Is the door smooth with a little resistance upon opening?
- Did the door remain fully open?
3. Reversing Mechanism Test (for doors with automatic opener system)
With the door fully open, place a piece of wood with a 2×4 dimension on the floor right at the center of the opening where the door touches the floor.
Push the wall button to close the door. Observe when the door strikes the wood.
- Did the door automatically reversed upon striking the wood?
4. Photo Eye Test (for doors with automatic opener system)
With the door fully open, push the wall button to close the door.
Upon closing, wave a long object, such as a broom stick, to the door`s photo eye
- Did the door automatically reversed upon waving the object?
- If not, is the photo eye clean?
- Is the photo eye aligned?
If most answers are No, close the door and check the photo eye. Clean and adjust it before repeating the same step.
5. Force Setting Test (for doors with automatic opener system)
With the door fully open, push the wall button to close the door. As the door closes, hold the bottom part of the door with both hands, outstretched, and stiff.
Remove hands before door completely closes.
- Did the door easily reverse upon resistance?
6. Lubrication
Apply an amount of lubrication to the door`s hinges, rollers and tracks.
- Are the rollers and hinges functioning well?
If most of the answers are no, it is best to call a technician to fix it or upgrade it.
A federal law has been implemented in the year 1993 to upgrade or fix the reversing mechanism of the garage door for safety.
These tests can be done as a self task, but if one is not confident, let a trained technician perform these tests.
To avoid injury, it is best to tell every member of the household that a monthly maintenance test is to be done.
No one is allowed to touch anything inside the garage not until the tests are executed.
With these simple steps, the garage doors can be maintained, could help in saving unnecessary expenses, and provide easy access and security to the house.
The article was provided by Justin White of GarageDoorRepair.com, an online tool that can help you find local, professional garage door techncians.