3 Things You Can Do to Maintain Your Overhead Garage Door

As any type of equipment, your garage door is not impervious to damage. It might seem like a piece of pretty basic equipment, but it needs attention and care for it not to break. It is there to protect your car, which can be one of the most valuable possessions that you own, and it might also be another entrance leading directly in to your home. If it were to break, you could be in trouble. To make sure your garage door is always working in perfect condition, there are a few things you can think about.

Inspect the springs

All overhead garage doors operate with the help of springs. It's these springs that can be the main culprits when it comes to garage door malfunctions. As they are working under a lot of tension, you should not try to repair them yourself. The springs could seriously injure you if they were to be removed improperly. It's, however, a good idea to keep an eye on them to spot any errors before they occur. If the springs look worn or make any unnecessary movement while the garage door is being opened or closed, you might want to contact a handyman. If the springs squeak, you could try to apply a silicon based lubricant, something you should consider doing anyway a couple of times per year.

Tighten the screws

Always make sure all the screws in the system in charge of opening your garage door are nice and tight. If your garage door is uneven and looks like it's drooping to one side, tightening the screws in all the hinges connecting the panels of the door could be enough to fix it. Also tighten any screws in the brackets that are holding the track for the rollers. If the track is loose, it could cause the doors opening mechanism to break. Apply lubricant also to these parts regularly to keep them in top condition.

Test the reversing

Make sure you control the safety mechanisms of the door as often as you can. A very important feature for automatic garage doors is the reversing feature. To make sure your door really is reversing when it comes in contact with an obstacle while closing, you can put a board or anything non-fragile in the way of the door. If the door is not reversing when it comes in contact with the object; call a garage door repair service. The reversing feature is very important, as it makes sure that no humans or pets can be harmed by the door.