Winter Garage Door Tips

Your garage door is the largest moving part in your entire home. It is used multiple times per day at any hour and in all seasons. To keep your garage door operating smoothly for decades to come, it’s very important that you take the time to perform regular preventive care and maintenance. Winter conditions take the most significant toll to garage doors.

1) Look and Listen

The most important preventive step you can take is to observe your door in action every time you use it. Is it moving smoothly or is it jerky in places? Does it operate silently or does it make grinding or scraping noises? Do both sides of the system (springs, pulleys and cables) look symmetrical?

2) Service Hardware

The average door moves up and down more than a thousand times a year. That’s a lot of movement and vibration, which can loosen the hardware. Examine and tighten all roller brackets and bolts with a socket wrench.

3) Garage Door Balance

If your garage door is not properly balanced, the door opener will need to work harder, and it won’t last as long. After you disconnect the opener by pulling the release handle (usually a red cord), manually move the door about halfway up.

4) Lubricate Moving Parts

Keeping your garage door parts lubricated will add years of seamless operation to your system. It takes just a few minutes a year! Use a spray lubricant, available from your Top Notch Garage Door, to coat all of the moving parts.

5) Auto-Reverse Safety

To test the photoelectric system with beams at each side: Close your door and just pass your leg in the door’s path. Your door should reverse.