Your garage is an important extension of your home that keeps your valuable belongings safe from the outside world. Not only does it keep your car, an expensive investment of yours, safe and sound, it is often used as a storage place for your costly tools and appliances. Regular garage door maintenance will help it stay in excellent condition, which in turn can prevent serious injuries and property damage. Hindsight is 20-20, but foresight is much more useful.

Using our many years of garage door repair experience, we developed some garage door maintenance tips that every house owner should know. They are easy to perform, you do not require any special equipment, and your garage door will serve you much longer for them.

Here are 7 simple steps for garage doors maintenance:

1. Listen and Observe
   You are more likely to find a growing problem if you are on the lookout for it, and your eyes and your ears are the best tools for the job. Visually inspect your doors: do they have obvious faults? Wooden garage doors are an undeniably elegant choice, but remember they can chip and crack under the influence of water. Steel garage doors on the other hand, can rust, which means they will need priming, sanding, and repainting over time.Even when the garage door problem is not visible you can often hear that something is wrong. Does your garage door make any squeaking or scraping noises? Do you hear a rattling when you are operating it? for more common garage door problems please refer to this article.
2. Screw It!
   Every garage door is exposed to constant movement while it is operating. Vibrations can loosen up bolts and brackets, and tightening those up is the most common garage door maintenance trick that every house owner can perform independently.
3. Clean It!
   Excessive dirt can be one of the reasons your garage door can break down or get stuck. Wash the door at least once a month with water and a cloth; this also includes getting rid of debris on the tracks to make sure there is nothing obstructing movement. Always stay safe and make sure that you stay away from automatic parts that are connected to electricity!
4. Lubricate Moving Parts
   Do not forget to lubricate metal parts like the guide tracks, springs, hinges, and the opener chain. The operation of the garage door over time will wear these parts down, and much like a bicycle chain, you have to make sure that this does not happen. Lubrication of these components should be done at least two to four times every year in order for the garage door to always maintain its performance.
5. The Best Way to Prevent a Problem is to Predict It
   If you have noticed that one of the parts has to be replaced, do not hesitate. It is much more cost-effective to prevent an issue the moment it occurs, than to wait until the problem escalates and potentially spreads to other parts of your garage door.
6. Add Weatherstripping
   Weatherstripping is an essential part of any garage door, as it is the best way to keep dirt and debris from outside of your home from getting indoors. If your garage is equipped with a wooden door without a weatherstripping, it is a good practice to add one.
   Make sure that the weatherstrip is not brittle, and replace it without delay if you find any damage. If this is not an option for you, alternative methods like sealing or painting it will work as well.
7. Review Your Manual
   Garage doors are not rocket science, but we still highly recommend that you have a look at the manual. On top of useful information about the installation, many manufacturers provide great garage door maintenance advice specific to your brand of door.

Hire a Professional to Do Garage Door Maintenance

Garage door maintenance tips are very handy at preventing your garage door from premature wear, but keep in mind that any major adjustments like replacing a door or working with its electrical parts may require the assistance of a garage door technician.

First Responders is a team of certified and qualified professionals with over 10 years of expertise on the Canadian market. We work with all garage door brands and sizes, offering our clients quick, affordable and quality service.

Give us a call today and get a free, no obligation quote

RELATED ARTICLE: Winterizing Garage Doors

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There are many factors that go into selecting the type of commercial garage door for a business. What works for one particular business may not be a good choice for another. Since commercial garage door installation is a costly investment, it is important to consider several factors before making your decision to ensure you have the right garage door for your business.

Determine Your Budget for Your Garage Door Installation

With so many different types of commercial garage doors, it’s important to spend time researching what your options are and the associated costs to install the overhead garage door of your choice.

How much are you willing to spend to install a garage door? Answering this question can help you narrow down your choice and stay within your budget. With a plethora of choices in commercial garage doors—overhead doors, roll-up doors, fire-rated doors, and scissor gates—knowing the costs will help you make a decision.

In addition to the cost of installing your commercial garage door, you should also factor in the cost of commercial garage maintenance in your budget. Your door will need to be inspected for safety and serviced from time to time to make sure it is in compliance with standards. This is why you should include this in your maintenance budget.

Is Security a Concern?

The location of your business plays a role in the type of commercial garage door you should install. If your business is located in an area prone to burglaries, you will need to find commercial garage doors that provide a high level of security.

The Appearance of the Commercial Garage Door

There are many different styles of commercial doors. The aesthetics of the garage door will determine if you decide to go with a traditional commercial door or a more modern-looking one. Commercial garage doors can be customised to fit your specifications. Just keep in mind that customising your overhead doors may result in lengthier delivery time.

Find the Right Commercial Door Servicing Company

The company you choose to handle your commercial garage door installation should be one that is reputable and has skilled professionals on their team. Garage doors are bulky and heavy. If they are improperly installed and malfunction, it could lead to serious injury or even worse—a lawsuit. So be sure to select a trusted company.

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Not being able to open an electric garage door in a power outage is every homeowner’s nightmare. Have you ever realised you couldn’t park your car in your garage because you have an electronic garage door and there is no power? Or maybe the opposite happened and your car was stuck in the garage during an outage. If this has happened to you and you’re wondering how to get your automatic garage door to open without power, we’ve got the answers you’re looking for.

How to Open a Garage Door Manually

Opening a garage door without power is an easy thing to do. Garage door openers come equipped with a bypass switch that can be used to open the garage door when the power is out or when the remote door opener malfunctions for some reason. To trip the trigger, find the rope located near the garage door opener. The rope should have a handle attached to it. By tugging on the rope, you will switch the garage door to manual mode. Exercise caution here because if the garage door is up, it may close suddenly with great force. As a precaution, make it a habit to activate the handle only when the door is closed.

Restoring Your Garage Door to Automatic Mode

Once power has been restored to your home, you can reset your garage door to automatic mode easily. Because you detached the garage door from the trolley when you switched to manual mode, you must now reattach it. To do so, pull down on the cord in the direction of the garage opening. A simpler way to do this is to just click the remote opener and it will cause the trolley to automatically reattach to the garage door.

How to Unlock a Garage Door from the Outside

If you find yourself locked out of the garage when the power goes out, there is a way you can unlock the garage from the outside. You will need to release the lever from outside the garage. Place a garage door shim through the stripping close to the top of the garage door and use a wire hanger to flip the lever. This helps when your garage door does not open and you need to get in from the outside.
If you are still unable to open your electric garage door or notice any damage to it, contact a garage door expert to help you access it during an outage.

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Getting your garage winter-ready is as important as insulating the rest of your house to brave the harsh winter months ahead. Winterizing garage door will also ensure that you don’t have any unexpected visitors (read rodents and stray animals) for Christmas. Fall is, in fact, the best time to take a look under the hood of your car and of your garage door to enjoy a warm, toasty winter.

How To Keep Garage Warm During Winter

We have created a list of tips to keep your garage warm during winter because we know no one wants to do garage repairs with cluttering teeth:

• Refurbish Garage Door:

  Check your garage door for any dents, cracks or paint peeling off that needs to be fixed. Lubricate the hinges, rollers and springs so you don’t face a door jam in sub zero temperatures. check this post for more info

• Winterize Garage Door:

  Check if the weather stripping is coming off or has been chewed upon and replace it immediately if required. Scrape off the old weatherstrip thoroughly so the new one sits properly.

• Insulate Garage Door:

  Along with the weatherstrip, insulating the garage door will make sure no heat escapes the house and no moisture comes in.

• Get The Extra Warmth:

  Insulation and weatherstripping will only prevent the heat from escaping but will not necessarily warm up the garage. You can install a small unit heater that is not very expensive but will keep your garage cozy.

• Call A Professional For Door Replacement:

  Get a second opinion from a trusted professional if you find that the garage door is well past its due date and fixing costs are more than buying a new one. The expert may also suggest the best type of residential or commercial garage door and brand to suit your needs.

We hope the above tips will come handy in winterizing your garage doors and for you to have an enjoyable holiday season.

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