Tips to extend the life of your Garage Door

Start by keeping a clean door

Garage door maintenance is not time consuming or hard to accomplish. One of the most basic things you can do for garage door maintenance is to keep all parts of your garage door clean. You can clean the inside and the outside of your residential or commercial garage door by using good old soap and water. A mild detergent works best. Be sure to rinse completely and if you like, you can add car wax to your steel garage door in colder months. If your garage door is made of wood, feel free to paint it as soon as you notice the older paint layers starting to chip off or flake. Wood composites don’t need paint so just keep them clean.

Safety eyes

Your photo electric safety eyes are vital to keep clean.Not only will they last longer but they will work so much better. Look for spider webs around your sensors and be sure to clean them off whenever found. These webs can not only block your sensor signals but they can cause other items like bugs, leaves, sticks and dirt to scratch your sensor lenses and further block the much needed transmission between one sensor and the other. A clean, soft cloth works best. Try to avoid squirting with a garden hose as sometimes the safety eyes can short out when water is forcefully used to clean them.

Lubrication for your garage door

The garage door itself does not need lubrication but you can and should lubricate the springs, hinges and rollers every 3 or 4 months. Use a light silicone spray lubricant that protects against rust, is water repellent and will cut down on noise. Many people use WD-40 but this is more of a degreaser and will actually strip the oil off of metal parts - the opposite of what you are trying to do. Try 3 in 1 lube as it is not only effective but comes with an attached straw for more concentrated application in addition to more generalized spray.

Spot check now and then

Every now and then do a spot check of your tracks, pulleys, bolts, wires and cables. Look for anything frayed or loose, and don’t hesitate to tighten, lubricate or adjust as needed. If it’s something you are not sure of or don’t feel comfortable doing. Remember, your garage door can look great and work just as well, with a minimum of upkeep and maintenance. And if you can spend less money on repairs and bolster your property values; why not?