GARAGE DOOR MAINTENANCE

Prevention is better than cure... With numerous moving parts, it can be hard to tell if your Garage Door is becoming a bit worse for wear.

Professionally Servicing and Maintaining the integrity of your Garage Door is the best way to avoid accidents caused by the failure of parts that have become unreliable due to wear and tear, however there are some checks you can do yourself at home to monitor the condition of your garage door. Catching a risk before it becomes a problem will save money in the long run and can play a fundamental role in the prevention of serious injury.

The following tests and related maintenance should be performed in the following order:

Monthly visual inspection:

Stand inside the garage with the garage door closed. Look over the garage door hardware

      *springs

      *cables, look for wear or fraying.

      *rollers

      *pulleys

      *mounting hardware, such as hinges, for signs of wear or damage. Is the mounting hardware becoming loose?

If something doesn’t look quite right – or doesn’t sound quite right – it could be the symptom of a more serious issue. Have the garage door system inspected and serviced by a trained service technician.

Monthly door balance test:

(if your door is equipped with an automatic opener system)

Close the door and disconnect the automatic opener. Once you are able to lift the door manually - Lift the door. It should lift smoothly with little resistance and should remain fully open. If it is difficult to open or does not remain open, the door may be out of balance. The balance of the door depends on the springs, which are notoriously dangerous to work with and should be serviced by a trained service technician.

Monthly reversing mechanism test:

(if your door is equipped with an automatic opener system)

With the door fully open, lay a piece of wood such as a section of a 2 x 4 on the floor in the centre of the garage door opening where the door would touch the floor. Push your garage door openers transmitter or wall button to close the door. When the door strikes the wood, the door should automatically reverse. If the door does not automatically reverse, the door should be serviced by a trained service technician.

Monthly photo eye test:

(if your door is equipped with an automatic opener system)

With the door fully open, push your garage door openers transmitter or wall button to close the door. Wave a long object, such as a broomstick, in front of one of the door’s photo eyes so it “breaks the beam.” The door should reverse. If it does not reverse and reopen, pull the broomstick out of the path of the closing door. Close the door. With the door in the closed position, clean the photo eyes with a soft, dry cloth. Gently adjust the photo eyes by hand if they appear to be out of alignment. Open the door and repeat the photo eye test. If the door does not reverse and reopen, the door should be serviced by a trained service technician.

Monthly force settings test:

(if your door is equipped with an automatic opener system)

With the door fully open, push your garage door opener’s transmitter or wall button to close the door. As the door is closing, hold up the bottom of the door with your hands outstretched and stiff. If the door does not easily reverse and continues to close, pull your hands away immediately. The closing force is excessive and the door should be serviced by a trained service technician.

Semi-annual lubrication:

Apply a small amount of spray lubricant to the door’s hinges, rollers and tracks.

Timber Door Panels & Pine Jambs:

Apply Timber Door Care Wood Oil to all six sides of the door panel immediately after installation and then once a month for the first 3 months. There after the door panels should be treated annually. The pine jambs should be treated annually.

Corcomm recommends having your garage door, its components and the motor serviced annually by a qualified professional.