maingaragedoors
03-18-2011, 05:40 PM
Most main garage doors are visible from the street, and make up a significant percentage of the façade that people can see as they pass by. You should be sure that such an important component of the exterior "envelope" is functioning properly and is well maintained. Such a large piece of your home's exterior is a pretty important consideration when you contemplate your priorities in maintaining and improving home value. If you are looking for an area in your house that has improvement potential, the garage door is a good place to start.
The basic maintenance for a garage door is pretty simple. You have to make sure that its paint, sealer, or factory finish is protecting it from the elements. You have to check the jamb and gaskets for wear or other problems, and you have to make sure that it's operating smoothly. If you have an operator, you have to replace the battery every once in a while.
There have been a lot of developments in garage door technology recently, and a real focus on design improvements that make garage doors state-of-the-art building components. New garage doors have been developed with insulation values in mind that incorporate insulation systems and gasket improvements that can bring the R-value of a garage door up to 16 or more. That's higher than the insulation value of a fully insulated 2x4 exterior wall. Keep in mind, that not only will this save you money on your heating bill, but it is also something that qualifies for a pretty decent government energy-efficiency tax rebate.
1. Lubricate the vital parts of the door. Use lubricant oils like WD-40 or others that has the same viscosity to spray all the rollers, the hinges, and, most importantly, the springs. Do this 3 or 4 times a year. Avoid using thick grease, because grease will only help to accumulate dust and dirt. Dust and dirt will tear away the bearings and cause an unwanted black paste to appear. It will also produce a very sticky surface.
Check for worn or frayed steel cables. If the cables that are attached to the door are worn or frayed, you should call your local garage door company to have them change them out as soon as possible. This isn't difficult to do, but without the proper tools and knowledge of the spring system, this can be extremely hazardous. Always remember that the springs have enough tension to make the door weightless (easy to open), so the springs' kinetic energy is equal to the weight of the door that is vertical in the opening.
2. Ensure that all the bolts are tight. These bolts hold the back of the track. You don't want your door randomly falling on your car, just because a bolt wiggled loose and fell out.
3. Check the spring system for potential problems. Make sure the spring are rust free. The springs are no more complex than a twisted piece of metal that is then wound up and tightened down, rust will cause your spring to break. There are a few types of springs:
o The oldest, and most dangerous, is the extension spring system. The springs run parallel to the horizontal track via a pulley system. The springs have no tension when the door is up, but as the door closes the spring extends (hence "extension springs"). Make absolutely sure that there is a cable that runs through the spring and that it is anchored securely on both ends. This stops the spring from becoming a flying projectile. Your spring WILL break at some point in time, it happens, my company changes about 40 springs a day, so when your's breaks, you would probably rather it stay where it is. There have been deaths related to these springs flying across the garage. If the spring doesn't have the "safety cable" you need to call your dealer and have them installed.
o Wayne Dalton doors and a few other brands have a "contained" spring system. This means that the spring is actually in a tube, these tubes are not serviceable without taking the tension off of them. You shouldn't worry about maintenance to these springs.
o The most common type of spring system is the "torsion spring" system. This system has the springs on a bar above the door or sometimes in the rear of the track via a pulley system, but they're still on a "shaft". Spray these springs with WD-40 3 or 4 times a year.
4. Rebalanced your door. Pull the emergency release on your door (while it's closed). Now lift the door to waist height and it should stay on its own. If it forcefully falls to the ground then the springs need tension added to them. Adversely, if the door flies open, then tension needs to be taken off of the springs. See my related wikiHows on tackling this task.
The basic maintenance for a garage door is pretty simple. You have to make sure that its paint, sealer, or factory finish is protecting it from the elements. You have to check the jamb and gaskets for wear or other problems, and you have to make sure that it's operating smoothly. If you have an operator, you have to replace the battery every once in a while.
There have been a lot of developments in garage door technology recently, and a real focus on design improvements that make garage doors state-of-the-art building components. New garage doors have been developed with insulation values in mind that incorporate insulation systems and gasket improvements that can bring the R-value of a garage door up to 16 or more. That's higher than the insulation value of a fully insulated 2x4 exterior wall. Keep in mind, that not only will this save you money on your heating bill, but it is also something that qualifies for a pretty decent government energy-efficiency tax rebate.
1. Lubricate the vital parts of the door. Use lubricant oils like WD-40 or others that has the same viscosity to spray all the rollers, the hinges, and, most importantly, the springs. Do this 3 or 4 times a year. Avoid using thick grease, because grease will only help to accumulate dust and dirt. Dust and dirt will tear away the bearings and cause an unwanted black paste to appear. It will also produce a very sticky surface.
Check for worn or frayed steel cables. If the cables that are attached to the door are worn or frayed, you should call your local garage door company to have them change them out as soon as possible. This isn't difficult to do, but without the proper tools and knowledge of the spring system, this can be extremely hazardous. Always remember that the springs have enough tension to make the door weightless (easy to open), so the springs' kinetic energy is equal to the weight of the door that is vertical in the opening.
2. Ensure that all the bolts are tight. These bolts hold the back of the track. You don't want your door randomly falling on your car, just because a bolt wiggled loose and fell out.
3. Check the spring system for potential problems. Make sure the spring are rust free. The springs are no more complex than a twisted piece of metal that is then wound up and tightened down, rust will cause your spring to break. There are a few types of springs:
o The oldest, and most dangerous, is the extension spring system. The springs run parallel to the horizontal track via a pulley system. The springs have no tension when the door is up, but as the door closes the spring extends (hence "extension springs"). Make absolutely sure that there is a cable that runs through the spring and that it is anchored securely on both ends. This stops the spring from becoming a flying projectile. Your spring WILL break at some point in time, it happens, my company changes about 40 springs a day, so when your's breaks, you would probably rather it stay where it is. There have been deaths related to these springs flying across the garage. If the spring doesn't have the "safety cable" you need to call your dealer and have them installed.
o Wayne Dalton doors and a few other brands have a "contained" spring system. This means that the spring is actually in a tube, these tubes are not serviceable without taking the tension off of them. You shouldn't worry about maintenance to these springs.
o The most common type of spring system is the "torsion spring" system. This system has the springs on a bar above the door or sometimes in the rear of the track via a pulley system, but they're still on a "shaft". Spray these springs with WD-40 3 or 4 times a year.
4. Rebalanced your door. Pull the emergency release on your door (while it's closed). Now lift the door to waist height and it should stay on its own. If it forcefully falls to the ground then the springs need tension added to them. Adversely, if the door flies open, then tension needs to be taken off of the springs. See my related wikiHows on tackling this task.