Here’s a guide to essential garage door do’s and don’ts, as prepared by the professional garage door installation and garage door repair team here at Charleston Garage Doors.
Garage Door Do’s
- Visual Garage Inspections
Visually inspect your garage. Look at all of your garage door springs, rollers, cables, pulleys, and other garage hardware for any signs of malfunction or wear. If you see that anything is amiss, contact a professional garage door repair team for assistance. NEVER try to repair a garage door spring issue by yourself.
- Garage Door Lubrication
Regularly lubricate all of the moving parts of your garage door. Take care NOT to lubricate plastic garage elements like plastic rollers and ball bearings. Look at the garage owner manual for manufacturer recommendations as to how to lubricate the garage.
- Checking Garage Door Balance
Test your garage door balance. Start out with the closed garage door. Operate the release mechanism on the garage door opener so you can operate the garage door by hand. Then lift the door, which should open with minimal resistance and stay open between 3 and 4 feet above the door. If it isn’t, it’s probably out of adjustment.
Garage Door Don’ts
- NEVER Adjust Garage Door Springs, Cables, Brackets, or Spring Hardware On It’s Own
Garage door springs operate under EXTREMELY high tension, as well as garage door cables, brackets, and any other garage hardware connected to springs. When handled by an amateur, or anybody who is not a garage door repair expert, it can cause potential injuries. Make sure that both garage tension springs and garage torsion springs above the garage door should only be adjusted by a professional. Make sure that there is a restraining cable or other device installed on the extension spring on the side of the door to contain the spring if it breaks. Make sure to NEVER adjust, remove, or loosen screws on the bottom bracket of the door. These brackets are used to connect directly to the garage spring by the lift cable, and operate under extreme tension, and should only be touched by a true garage door repair professional.