Preparing Your Garage For Summer
April 30, 2019
The cold temperatures and harsh weather of winter can be very hard on your garage door and all it's moving parts. We always recommend performing regular inspections and maintenance on your garage throughout the year to help maintain its lifespan but it's especially important to do it between seasons. So we put together a quick checklist of what you should inspect and keep an eye on as summer approaches, to be sure no accidents occur from overlooked damage and wear.
- Start with a general inspection of your door. Check out all the hardware for signs of wear and tear, signs of fraying in the cables, whether the track seems misaligned, if bolts seem loose or missing, or if the springs look rusty. See if there is any build-up in the tracks or around any of these parts that might need to be cleaned and removed to allow for proper movement. If you haven't done so in a while, open and close your garage door and listen for any unusual noises or hitches in movement. Your garage door should open and close smoothly and quietly. If anything appears to be loose, rusty, damaged, or missing, trust your gut and call a professional right away. Even if a part doesn't turn out to be broken, the technician will tighten and clean the part and give you the assurance of a perfectly working garage. Better to be safe than sorry!
- Lubricate the hardware to keep your garage door running smoothly all summer long. Properly lubricating the moving parts of your garage will help prevent noisy operation and prevent the parts from roughly rubbing against each other. Make sure you lubricate the rollers, tracks, and hinges and be sure you purchase lubricant specifically made for garage door hardware. Precision Door can recommend a lubricant if needed!
- If your garage has windows, be sure to include these in your inspection. Cold temperatures and harsh weather could cause cracking in some older glass windows of garage doors and a build-up of moisture along the window frame could cause damage. If the windows appear to have damage, it's a good idea to have them replaced by a professional.
- Inspect the weatherstripping and insulation at the bottom and around the perimeter of your garage door. A build-up of moisture could also have gathered in these areas from ice and snow and rain that could damage the stripping and allow hot or cold air to come and go easily. Making sure that the weatherstripping and insulation are in good shape is necessary for keeping your home cool this summer and not letting out the precious cold air from your AC and costing you money.
- Lastly, do a quick test to make sure your photo-eye system is working properly. There are two sensors, one at either end of your garage door, that are there to immediately reverse the door if it senses something might be in the way. This safety measure prevents anything or anyone from being crushed beneath the garage door as it closes. Clean the photo-eye with a soft cloth, make sure they are facing each other as best you can, and test them out by closing the door and waving something in between them as it's moving shut. Your garage door should stop immediately and open back up. If it doesn't work, try to align them once more and test it again. If it fails a second time, call a professional to come and have a look. This safety feature is hugely important for preventing any accidents from occurring in your home.
We want to make sure that your garage door is working as it should, smoothly, quietly, and safely. Follow this checklist and inspect your garage door regularly but be sure to call the experts at Precision if anything looks out of place or out of order. A garage door and all it's moving parts can be dangerous when not properly maintained. Call us today to schedule a maintenance appointment or if you have any questions concerning the parts of your garage. Precision Garage Door of Salt Lake City is your one-stop shop for quality garage door repairs, sales, installation, and maintenance.
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