Maintaining Your Garage Door Springs

Many people neglect the maintenance of a garage door until it’s damaged and needs repair or replacement. At least twice a year, garage doors can be inspected and maintained, which should be part of a routine. One should not try to fix any repairs unless one is an expert. Expertise is necessary to avoid accidents and prevent further damage to the door. One example of expert services is a garage door spring replacement from Austin’s Greater Garage Doors. 

For convenience, affordability, and flexibility, a homeowner can always choose to carry out garage door inspection with other seasonal activities such as;

• Turning the sprinklers on during spring and winterizing them during winter
• Getting the lawnmower in and out of the storage in the seasons
• Checking your AC to make sure it’s functioning

Paint and clean the door

Always inspect the door while checking out other components. Look for rust spots in steel doors that should be sanded, primed, and painted. In most cases, fiberglass doors are washed with an all-multi-purpose cleaner. Wooden doors are more challenging to handle since water damage and warping are typical. Wooden doors that don’t have weatherstripping along the bottom should be painted or sealed, then install a weatherstrip.

Test the auto-reverse feature

All automatic garage door openers should have this feature. The feature is designed to stop and reverse upon detecting an object or a person and change direction. The system is activated by a pair of photocells or a pressure sensor on each side of the door. One can test the pressure sensor by placing a board on the path of the door. The door comes down, touches the board, and in reverse goes up again. One can test the photoelectric system by placing your leg in the door path while you have started the door. The pair of eye sensors on each side should reverse the door’s direction and head upwards.

Test the door balance

The utility of the garage door opener is affected if the garage door is not balanced correctly. For the door to balance well with its springs, only a few rounds of force are required to lift it. To test the balance, pull the release handle on the automatic opener and manually lift the door halfway open. If properly balanced, the door should remain open without any help or support. If unbalanced, the springs are growing old, and call a professional to help with the springs.

Lubricate the moving parts

Rollers and other moving parts are lubricated to reduce stress on door openers and rollers and increase their utility. Apply twice a year a high-quality spray lubricant, i.e., white lithium grease on the hinges and rollers, and wipe off any excess. If the rollers and hinges are stuck, spray with a penetrating solution such as WD-40, then wipe clean and apply grease.

Additionally, lubricate the bearings on torsion-spring openers and the pulleys on extension-spring openers. Wipe a little oil if the torsion spring is rusty. Moreover, spray white lithium grease if the opener has a screw or a metal chain. In no circumstances should one use a lubricant on a belt-drive opener.