A Guide to Garage Door Maintenance in The Spring

With spring fast approaching, now is the perfect time to embark on some routine maintenance of your wooden garage doors. Garage door maintenance is often neglected but spending some time in early spring inspecting and repairing where necessary will keep your door functioning well for years to come. Here are some tips on proper garage door maintenance for the coming season.

Observe Your Door in Motion

Take some time to observe your wooden garage doors opening and closing. Do they open smoothly or is there a jerkiness to their motion? Are they quiet or do you hear scraping noises as they move? If your doors are not opening smoothly and quietly then check the system, including springs, cables and pulleys, to make sure that they are all clean and symmetrical.

Clean and Clear the Tracks

In order to easily open your garage door, the tracks need to be clean and free of any blockages such as debris. Use a level to determine if the tracks are perfectly even. Any bends or damage can put stress on your doors, so either call in a professional to fix it or consider purchasing a replacement.

Check For Loose Hardware

There are many moving parts that make up the opening mechanism for your wooden garage doors. Over time these parts can loosen, which poses a risk to how well your doors operate. Using screwdrivers and an adjustable wrench, make sure to tighten any loose screws and bolts holding your brackets and fasteners in place.

Inspect the Rollers

Over time your garage door rollers will become chipped or loose, making your doors harder to open. Replace any damaged rollers you find by removing them from the brackets and inserting a new one. Keep in mind that you should not remove the bottom rollers as these are attached to the garage lift cables. If you need to replace these, always call a professional.

Check Pulleys and Cables

Your lift cables and pulleys help lift the wooden garage doors, and if these become damaged the doors will be harder to open. Inspect the cables attached to the bottom roller brackets as well as any cables or springs in the pulley system overhead. If any loose parts or fraying is detected, do not try to fix it yourself, but call in a professional instead.

Clean and Lubricate Moving Parts

Use a lubricant spray such as lithium grease on rollers, brackets and tracks and other moving parts. This will help reduce stress and improve their lifespan. If any parts become stiff and hard to move, apply a penetrating solution like WD-40 to loosen them.

Test Garage Door Balance

If your wooden garage doors are off-balance then they will force your opener to work harder, leading to possible early failure. To test the balance, disconnect the door from the opener via the safety cord and manually lift it to halfway. If you let go and the door remains in place then it is well balanced. If it slides up or down you will need to contact a professional to rebalance it.

Test Auto Reverse Features

All modern garage doors have a safety feature that stops them from closing when an object is detected. Test the pressure sensor by placing an object such as a board under the door as it closes. If the door does not reverse when it touches the board then consult a professional. Afterwards, test the door’s photoelectric sensors by waving a broom handle in front of them. If this movement does not trigger a reversal, check there is nothing blocking the cameras. If the problem persists, call a professional.

Check the Weatherstripping

Weatherstripping is necessary for keeping your garage doors insulated throughout the year. Check the bottom and sides of the doors to see if the stripping is clean and in good condition. If it has become worn down, replace it by removing any nails to disconnect the old weatherstripping and put in a new one. You can purchase weatherstripping from any hardware store.

Repaint Your Wooden Garage Doors

Once you have checked that your door is functioning perfectly, check the condition of the door itself. Check for any warping or water damage as well as chipped or peeling paint. If you find any remove the paint, sand the door and repaint it.

Eastern Garage Doors

At Eastern Garage Doors we have a range of products and services that will provide you with the perfect garage door for your home. To find out more about our bespoke wooden garage doors visit us online or contact our friendly team via phone today.