Hearing any squeaks or rattles when you pull out of your garage? Could you say your garage door is a little beat up? Have you noticed the cables are in bad shape? With Florida in the start of hurricane season, it is important to keep your garage door in pristine condition. And for most of you out there, you don’t even know where to start – but we are here to help! Here are some simple, preventative maintenance tips for the Florida garage door owner…
Know Your Door
Everyone knows what a garage door should sound like – a little rattling, but other than that, pretty smooth. Pay attention to out of the ordinary sounds or movements! Check for the cables, making sure they aren’t fractured or jammed. Tightening up the hardware is also important, checking for any loose screws, bolts, or cables.
Check Often
- Garage Force
There is always something you can check for – your garage force. This means when the garage door closes, how much force is needed before it reverses and pulls back up again. When you test it, close your garage door and stand by the door, waiting to catch it with your hands. If the garage door moves up quickly after feeling the pressure of your hand, this is a good sign. If it takes a little too long to pull up after pressing your hands, decrease the force settings for your garage door.
- Infrared System
Another helpful check is the infrared system check. If your garage door has an infrared system, first ensure that the sensors are no more than six inches off the ground. Then, close the garage door. As it comes down, stand near one of the sensors and move a large object (i.e. brick, wood, box) in front of the sensor. This is meant to disrupt the signal or beam from one sensor to another, causing the door to reverse and open once more.
If either test does not produce the expected results, the troubleshooting section of your garage door manual may be able to help. If not, give us a call and we will be glad to assist!
Grooming the Garage
Keep it clean! In Florida, the weather and conditions never fail to include heat and humidity. With your garage door, always make sure to check that the systems are clean, pristine, and ready to go. Look for rust spots or dirt clods on your door; it’s a great idea to pair cleaning the door every time you wash your car. If your garage door is made of wood, check for warping. Keep the areas around any sensors clean and clear of any bikes, boxes, lawn maintenance tools, Christmas decor you have yet to put in the attic, or stray soccer balls!
Clear the Tracks!
The overhead tracks and side tracks on a garage door should be clear of everything but themselves. If there is an object close by, the tracks could get jammed by something with the object, dirt, bugs, or leaves that could have fallen in. Don’t forget to look for breaks, tears, rust, or bends in the metal tracks themselves.
Replace the Waste
Replacing the weather stripping and the rollers on a garage is important. The weather stripping runs along the frame of your garage door, and the rollers are the small rods with wheels that move up and down the tracks. Look for brittle or broken pieces on the weather strip, and replace when needed. Check every six months for your rollers to make sure that they are in good condition with no bent or missing pieces.
