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For many homes, garage doors are almost like a second front door. Since they have been used multiple times a day, they also come with problems and responsibilities. Maintenance is the most important thing because it extends their longevity, saves money from repairs, and ensures safety.
If you don’t take care of them, things can go downhill quickly. Their lifespan can be shortened, and you will end up with many unexpected issues that would cost a lot. A garage door that isn’t working right could cause safety risks and dangerous situations.
Every once in a while, we tend to forget about the maintenance part. That’s when the first problems usually occur. There are times when you would need to call a professional, but there are some fixes that you can make yourself.
Diagnose the basic problems
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Sometimes we don’t pay enough attention to the basic things, so we also run into some issues. If an electrical opener is powering your garage door, check if your opener is plugged in. Also, check if your sensor is misaligned. See if there’s some object standing in between and is blocking the path.
If one of the sensors doesn’t light up, move around and clean it until you see the light come in. Another thing you could do is press and hold the button on the wall and wait until the door is closed. That way, you bypass the sensors. In case of further problems, call a professional.
After prolonged usage, some hardware may loosen up after time, including the garage door track. If necessary, take a socket wrench to tighten up any loose bolts or brackets. However, if your garage door is damaged beyond repair, you may ask yourself, “Can I Recycle My Garage Door?”
Use grease to lubricate the parts!
When opening the garage door, check if any weird noise is coming out. If there are unpleasant and screeching noises, you might have to use lubrication. The best option is to get a lithium-based grease. Before getting to work, make sure the garage door is closed and disconnected from the motor.
Spray the parts while moving the garage door around the track. Make sure you’re applying it to all the hinges, pivot points, stems, nubs, locks, and armbar. You would also need lights for better sight and a ladder, depending on the height.
Replace the rollers
For this process, you’ll need vise grips to bend the track back and forth, also a flat-head screwdriver to pry the rollers out. We highly recommend 13 ball-bearing nylon rollers. They have sealed bearings and are packed in grease, so you never have to lubricate them, except the stem that goes in the hinge.
First, you would have to bend the track below the radius with the vise grip to be straight. The rollers can then come out quickly. Lower the garage door where the path is bent, stick the flat-head screwdriver in, and pull the old rollers out. Then put the new ones in, and bring the garage door back on the track.
See if your garage door is fully closed!
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If your garage door gets a bit crooked, you might have a problem with one of the cables sticking out from the drums. Push your garage door up, then take your vise grip and put it to the track, right underneath the bottom roller.
Get a ladder so you can reach the cable from the drum. Grab the bottom of the cable, the part hooked to the bottom end of the garage door, then take it off. Unspin the cable from the drum, then start rewinding it. Make sure you put the cable to the high portion first. When you’re done, just hook it back.
When the garage door is closed, check if no air or light is coming from the outside. It would be best to have a sealant or weatherstripping for your garage door. Make sure it’s in good shape. If it’s cracked or brittle, you would have to replace it.
Check if the trolleys are disconnected!
Trolleys often disconnect accidentally or purposely. When this happens, the garage door disconnects from the motor. The trolleys are mostly built as a two-piece construction. One of the parts has a spring and a red rope attached. Try to pull the red rope towards the door and connect it to the other piece.
The other way is to use your wall button to control. Pull the red rope down to the lock position, push the button on your wall and wait until it goes back, and then it should be up and running.
Conclusion
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These problems get overlooked ever so often and can usually happen when we least expect them. It’s vital to have basic knowledge about these things. You need to know how to prevent them in time and prevent potential harm to you or your children.
Otherwise, they can grow into more significant problems, and you end up spending a lot of money on repairs. We hope you find our information helpful, as it should be easier to detect the problems. You should bear these things in mind and stay safe.
Author Bio: Jessica has been closely studying the Lifestyle industry trends for quite some time. Intrigued by the booming growth of this sector, she takes interest in penning down her views providing quality insight on current Trends. She is currently learning about Elite Garage Door & Gate Repair.
