Your garage may be the workstation of your home. Whether your garage is attached or detached from your home, it’s essential to keep it in good shape. Proper maintenance of your garage door is necessary to keep your belongings safe inside the garage. Therefore, you should make a priority to keep it in good shape in the fall. Fall is around the corner, so it’s necessary to make sure that the garage door is ready for the snow, ice, and colder temperatures. Listed below are some useful tips to keep your garage door in good condition.
Inspect The Mechanisms
Carefully inspect the door parts. Start with checking nuts, bolts, cables, seal, spring, tracks, seals, and overall condition. While inspecting, check the mechanism of each part if it is good to go. It’s good to note down what you found not working correctly. Your garage door has to be in motion several times per day. That is why there is a risk for it to become loose. You should look for rust, dents, and misaligned tracks. A proper inspection will help you when you need to have the garage door repair.
Apply Lubrication
Your garage door needs regular lubrication for its smooth mechanism. The door tracks have ball bearings that require lubrication for the door mechanics. The wheels could also start to stick. You should use a silicone lubricant for the hardware of your door. However, you should not use oil for lubrication because the oil can collect dust and can cause the door parts to get sticky. Lithium and Teflon lubrication should be preferred. You should also lube the weather stripping to keep the snow from sticking to it.
Install Weather Stripping
It’s essential to install weather stripping along the bottom of the garage door. This can go a long way in keeping your garage temperature comfortable. It also prevents debris and moisture from reaching inside your garage. It also helps soften the impact when you close your garage door. Keep checking the condition of your weather stripping regularly and replace or repair it as needed. Worn out or out of place, stripping can cause issues with the functioning of your garage.
Clean The Tracks
It’s essential to keep the tracks clear and clean on either side of your garage door. Your garage door tracks can often become cluttered with small stones, dust, and leaves. The door can malfunction if you allow the debris to buildup in its tracks. Therefore, you should check the tracks every other day and keep them as clean and clear as possible.
Look For Rust
Always remember to watch for the rust spots when you are inspecting your garage door. Rust is a common problem that affects many garage doors. If you take care of it early, it will not get worse. When you see rust spots forming on your garage door, sand the rust and prime the area. Apply the paint on the spots to match the color of the rest of the door. After applying the fix, look for other spots that may form later so you can also fix them earlier.
