5 Garage Door Maintenance Tips You Must Know

When you’re running late for work, the last thing you want to deal with is a stuck garage door. To ensure your garage door operates smoothly for years to come, follow these simple maintenance tips each year.

1. Lubricate the door’s moving parts

A small amount of lubrication can go a long way toward preventing noise and keeping your garage door operating properly. Use a spray lubricant to grease up the door opener’s chain or drive screw. It is also a good idea to lubricate the door’s hinges, rollers and tracks.

2. Check hardware for tightness

Your garage door moves up and down several times a day and it is not uncommon for hardware to loosen over time. Inspect your hardware and tighten any loose roller brackets or bolts.

3. Test your door’s balance

If your garage door is not properly balanced, the opener has to work harder each time you open and close the door, which means that it won’t last as long.

To check whether the door is balanced, disconnect the opener by pulling the release handle. Then open or lower the door halfway. If the door is balanced, it will hold this position without your help. If, however, the door starts to fall or ride up, the spring’s tension needs to be adjusted.

4. Test the auto-reverse feature

The auto-reverse feature is designed to prevent injury. It is essential that you test this feature at least once a year to ensure it’s working well. Start by placing a large piece of wood or brick underneath the door. You’ll know if your door is functioning correctly when it reverses automatically after coming into contact with the object.

Modern door openers have a second reverse feature—a photoelectric system designed to detect people and pets walking underneath the door. To test this feature, activate the door and step your foot directly underneath the door’s path for just a moment. This movement should activate the door’s reverse function as well.

5. Inspect door parts for damage

Over time, parts such as the door’s rollers and cables can become damaged. Inspect parts regularly to ensure every aspect of your door is damage-free. If necessary, replace broken or damaged parts.

Original Article Here: 5 Garage Door Maintenance Tips You Must Know

Related Article Here: 10 Tips for Maintaining Your Garage Door

For more information about garage door repair services, Garage Door Repair NDH is just one call away!

Spring Systems or Pulley Systems for your Garage Door Springs

If you hear the works, garage door springs, you may or may not be familiar with the term. However, if you are a homeowner, it is very likely that you have heard the term before. Garage Door Repair NDH in North Druid Hills, Georgia repairs and installs garage door springs. It doesn’t matter the type of garage door that you have, you will need good sturdy springs. Many of our customers want to know what the differences are between the torsion spring system springs and the pully system. It is the torsion springs that are torsion springs and the extension springs, which are on the pulley system. Both make things easier for you when you’re using your garage door but knowing which one is best for you is important, especially if you are having new one installed. Here is a little information that you might find useful 

Torsion Garage Door Springs 

Again, it is the torsion springs that are use the spring system. The more recently manufactured garage door openers usually are the ones with the torsion springs. They can be found near the top of your garage door. The components are a torsion spring bar that is mounted on a header on the inside of the garage door opening. The actual springs are mounted onto the tube, which is parallel to your garage door. Each end has a drum with cables that connect to bottom brackets on both ends of your garage door. Once the door is opened the cables will move up the door and around its drums. The torsion springs have the strength needed to open and close the door and it is the cables and drums that do the actual lifting. Torsion springs come in different sizes based on the weight of the door. This is calculated once the attached components in place. Torsion springs generally last longer than the pulley system type springs. Doors that are lighter in weight might only require one torsion spring but the larger and heavier doors will use two or more springs. 

Extension Garage Door Springs 

If you are hearing about a pulley garage door spring system, you should know that whomever is talking about them are actually discussing extension springs with you. Even though this type of system is not as widely used as the torsion spring or spring system, they are still in use in some garage doors today. They do not tend to last as long as the spring system, torsion springs do. Therefore, many people who have this type of system, eventually have it replaced. When the extension springs are attached, there will always be two. This type of spring requires pulleys and cables to open and close your garage door. They need to be properly balanced and in good condition if your garage door is going to move along efficiently and smoothly. Our garage door repair technicians will generally suggest that both extension springs are replaced at the same time since they usually tend to become worn around the same time. When one spring is sturdier than the other, you’ll notice your garage door going up at an angle. When your garage door has extension springs, they stretch when the door closes and loosen once it is opened again. One benefit to the extension springs or pulley system is that they have a safety cable that is attached on both sides of the track and runs through the middle of both springs and then extends to the brackets. This is necessary because extension springs hold a lot of tension and if a spring breaks, all the extra support can keep it from killing someone. No, we are not saying this jokingly. There has been loss of life due to broken garage door springs. Therefore, it is very important to allow trained, qualified professionals to make any necessary repairs to your garage door springs. It also serves as a safety precaution to allow someone with the experience to address your spring issues and concerns. 

Time to Choose a Spring Type 

Now that you know how they are designed, it is time to decide whether you’re going to stick with what you have or try something new. Many people who have the extension springs already and have not had any problems with them tend to just keep them and have them cared for by our local service technicians. However, there are some who for fear of what could happen, will have the replaced with the spring system or torsion springs. They don’t often do this until one of their extension springs has broken. If you are having a home built and you are making a decision about your door, make sure you inquire about the type of springs that are going to be used. If you have a preference, based on your understanding of both types, you should certainly speak up before the door is completely installed. If you’re not sure which garage door springs are best for you, perhaps you need additional information, which any garage door service should willingly offer to you. You should make a well-informed decision. 

Consider the Security Features 

Your garage door springs offer convenience and they also offer safety features. If you didn’t have the garage door springs, you would have to get in and out of your car to open and close the door. Your garage door opener can’t operate without springs. Opening and closing your garage door could be a safety concern also. If you’re not paying close attention the door could malfunction and fall back down on you. Your garage door springs begin to show signs of distress long before this happens. As a homeowner, you’ll have to pay attention to the warning signs that serve to protect you from harm. If you would like to learn more about the security and safety features of your garage door springs, inquire. You should know everything that you want to know about your garage door so that you can be cautious when it is in use. 

Manual Garage Door vs Electric Garage Door; Pros and Cons

We live in a world full of options. Would you like fries with your burger? How many bedrooms do you want in your new house? Do you eat meat or are you a vegan? The sky is the limit when it comes to choices and this goes for garage doors, too. We can install garage doors in just about any style, size or material imaginable. We also have choices when it comes to our garage door opener. Not only are there dozens of brands and opener models and styles, but we can even choose whether we want to use an electric, automatic opener or none at all! By none, we mean opening our garage door the old fashioned way; manually. Here at Garage Door Repair NDH, we mainly install and service garage doors that use the automatic, electric openers but every once in a while, a customer asks about the pros and cons of manually opening your own door and believe it or not, there are advantages and disadvantages of this. 

Once upon a time 

In the “old” days, everyone had to operate their garage doors by hand. You had to manually lift and lower your garage door via a handle on the inside or outside of your door. This is true not only here in North Druid Hills, GA but elsewhere, too. Read on and see what these pros and cons are; it might help you make a buying decision or to make a change! Let’s take cost for starters. It’s obviously less expensive to not use an automatic garage door opener. Think of the money savings and all that extra exercise you get from actually getting out of your car to manually open or close the garage door. Wow; it almost sounds worth it and for some, it just may be! Not only are you saving money on not buying an automatic electric opener unit, but you also save on maintenance and upkeep costs. Then there’s the fact that there are no installation costs either. When having a new garage door installed, you simply attach it to your other components like pulleys, tracks, and cables and you simply forgo the added expense of adding an electric opener to do the opening and closing. 

But why do most choose the electric openers? 

In actuality, they are not choosing one over the other. Almost all home builders and contractors assume that folks want the automatic, electric ones. It’s never offered as an option or upgrade feature; it is assumed that new buyers want the convenience of having an electric opener unit. Later, when houses are rented or re-sold, they already have the opener units installed. In fact, many home buyers may not even be aware that they have a choice between the two as all they have known is the automatic opener variety. 

Electric opener advantages 

There are so many pros to the electric garage doors; where to begin? First and foremost is the convenience; you get to stay in your car or even inside your home and simply tap a button to open or close your garage door. No tedious getting out of the vehicle to physically lift and lower your several hundred pound door; just a simple tap on your remote and it’s done. Convenience is probably the most obvious benefit of having an electric garage door, but there’s another “pro” that is really important, too; safety! 

Better security  

It’s so nice to come home during a rain downpour and not have to get wet! You simply stay inside your dry car and push the opener remote and your garage door opens. Drive inside and tap the button again; the door closes and you remain dry. You might wonder what this has to do with safety but the act of staying inside your vehicle has a lot to do with it! Getting out of your still running car put both you and the vehicle in danger. You can be accosted, hurt or even kidnapped while you are preoccupied with opening your garage door by hand. Or, your car might be the target. Car theft is a tempting possibility and since your purse, wallet and keys are still inside along with your registration, address, insurance papers and house keys, it’s a dream come true for thieves! On a related note, the fact that you are outside the car and pre-occupied makes it easy for a crook to grab you, drag you inside the garage and close the door, leaving you and your house vulnerable to all sorts of bad things. 

House value 

Another little known factor to consider is that of your home’s value. Let’s say you want to sell or rent your property and of course, you want top dollar. You won’t get anywhere near that if your garage door is only manually operated. You may like this way of opening and closing your garage door but that doesn’t mean that others will. The natural response will be to “knock down” the price a bit and that’s not what you want. Face it; most owners or renters WILL want the automatic, electric garage doors so bear that in mind. 

Upgrading to electric? 

Many people upgrade from manual garage door operation to electric. You can do this in several ways. You can purchase an opener unit and install it yourself. You can also call a garage door opener shop have them do the installation for you. A big advantage of that is that you know the work will be done correctly and safely. A full service, professional garage door technician can actually save you money, time and hassle. He or she can assist you in selecting the perfect opener model for your particular needs. All electric opener models and units are not alike and depending on your garage door size and usage, it’s smart to choose one that is well suited to your garage door. Ultimately, it’s your garage door so choose the option that fits your needs best!