How Often to Service Your Garage Door

You should service your garage door once a year to prolong its life. Even if there are no apparent issues on the surface, scheduling maintenance once a year will help you avoid accidents, break-ins and even damage to your property.

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Garage doors also need regular inspections. Like any other door, lubrication and spring tension adjustment are essential routine procedures. It's better to do something about it now than wait until your door displays symptoms that need extensive garage door service repair.

What to Perform in Your Monthly Garage Door Inspection

If you have adequate experience with garage maintenance, you may do a routine checkup every month just to make sure your overhead door does not act out. Here are five tips for your monthly garage door inspection. 

1. Listen for Unusual Noises

As you create your garage door inspection routine, one of the first things you should practice is getting to know how your garage door sounds. A healthy garage door sounds a lot different than one with problems. Unusual noises are one of the first signs you need your garage door serviced. It could be time to call a professional. 

Overhead doors will make annoying sounds over time, and it's crucial for you to identify new ones that might indicate that something is wrong. Also, be wary of the smallest snaps and screeches since these typically mean the opener chain may be loose. Unusual sounds from your garage door can be the result of several different issues, so be sure to call a professional right away. If you find the cause of the noise sooner than later, your repair could be less extensive. 

2. Check for Gaps

A properly sealed garage door is essential for protecting the contents of your garage and the security of your home's interior. Gaps below your garage door and between panels allow the weather from outside to come in, putting your possessions at risk. It could also cause the climate-controlled air of your home to escape, raising your energy costs. Keeping a tight seal is especially important for Lansing, Michigan, garage doors when the weather gets colder. 

Make sure your overhead door closes entirely and that there are no gaps in the door or between the door and the ground when it closes. Otherwise, adjust the automatic opener until the door reaches the weather stripping or remove anything obstructing the sensors. If you're unable to fix the issue, have a garage door specialist inspect your garage door to find the cause. Adjusting the way the door closes could be a tricky fix, but a professional garage door technician could save you the hassle. 

3. Inspect the Remote Control for Issues

Many garage door malfunctions stem from remote control issues. You rely on your remote control every day, so it experiences plenty of wear and tear. It's normal for garage door buttons to wear out, making them unusable. It could be time for a replacement button — or a complete replacement of your garage door remote. Call the remote's manufacturer for more information on how to check your garage door remote for malfunctions. 

Before getting a new remote, try changing the battery. If this fixes the issue, you saved yourself a bit of money and you should be good to resume normal garage door operations. If you're still experiencing garage door remote issues after these fixes, it might be time to get a new one. 

4. Test the Automatic Reverse Feature

Most garage doors have an auto-reverse feature for safety purposes. Check this feature every month to see if this is working to prevent accidents, especially for small kids and pets. 

Two main types of auto-reverse features exist in most garage doors. The first is pressure-sensitive. If something gets in the way of a garage door as it closes, it will automatically reverse directions. Lay a 2x4 block of wood flat beneath your open garage door and close it. If the garage door doesn't change its direction when it touches the block of wood, you should call a professional right away. 

The second auto-reverse feature uses two photo-eye sensors to trigger a reverse if something passes through their beam. Close your garage door and wave a broomstick through the beam to test this feature. Align both sensors and gently clean their lenses with a microfiber cloth if the feature is malfunctioning. Call a professional if the problem persists. 

5. Fix a Stuck Garage Door

Your garage door could be stuck in the open or closed position for several reasons. Perform the following maintenance tests to find the issue:

• Align and clean the photo-eye sensors: If your sensors are misaligned or dirty, they could trick your garage door into thinking there's something in the way and keep it from closing. 
• Fix the garage door's alignment: Your garage door may have shifted out of alignment, stopping it from closing. Fixing the alignment could be difficult and even dangerous. Call a professional garage door technician to see if your garage door needs realignment. 
• Repair the garage door opener: A broken garage door opener will halt all automatic use of your garage door. Tinkering with your garage door opener yourself could end up doing more harm than good, so call a professional for a repair right away. 

Call Ingstrup Garage Doors for Repair Services in Lansing, Michigan

These are some of the things that you can do every month to keep your overhead door in perfect condition. But, like other mechanical items, garage doors can eventually break down. The day may come when you need professional service to fix your garage door. Ingstrup Garage Doors is your go-to service company for garage doors in Lansing, Michigan. We've been serving the area for over 25 years, and we look forward to adding you to our list of happy customers right here in our neighborhood. 

Give the professionals at Ingstrup Garage Doors a call today (517) 305-8459. Or, contact us online at your convenience.

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