Tips on Performing a Visual GarageDoor Inspection

Your garage door acts as a crucial barrier between outside elements and your house. To continue enjoying the service for many years it is important for you to conduct regular inspections to your garage door at least monthly. The nature and function of your garage door means it is bound to come to some breakdown or experience hitches if not maintained regularly. As a heavy, regularly moving object, some parts are bound to come loose and others to break while working. Regular maintenance ensures you are always aware of the state of your garage door. This way you can make the simpler fixes that prevent the more expensive and damaging ones.

Garage Door Inspection

One of the easiest ways to conduct your routine maintenance is through visual inspection. This is conducted mostly while inside the garage. It involves checking all the crucial parts of the garage door and ensuring they are in good condition. Here are some tips on how to go about this process.

First get inside the garage and close the door. Check across the garage door at the edges and in the seams as well as at the bottom of the door. Look to see if there are any gaps visible where light is still coming in from. The presence of gaps indicate that the door is not properly aligned and the load is unevenly distributed. This results in other parts of the door coming under undue pressure and may cause further damage unless repaired.

Check Tracks

Next, check out the tracks rising from the wall up to the ceiling. Go through each individually and ensure they are all properly aligned. They should be parallel without leaning towards or from each other. You should also check to ensure there are no obstacles along the tracks. Next, have a look at the bolts, screws and hinges which hold the tracks in place. Ensure they are firmly attached and those corroded or worn out should be replaced.

The cables, pulleys, rollers and the rest of the mounting hardware are next to be checked. For each of these components to function properly, they have to be well calibrated and in good condition. For examples, the cables and springs should be tight while the wheels should be straight and not worn out. The rollers should not wobble as the door moves and the bearings have to be well lubricated.

Spring Condition

The next step is to look at the condition of the springs. These act as the counterweight to the door’s weight. To check their condition first deactivate the garage door opener. Try operating the door manually. It should not be slamming shut nor should it forcefully open. You should leave the replacement of springs to experts to avoid injury.

Safety Systems

Finally check the safety systems of the garage doors. Recent garage doors made from 1986 have two safety systems built in them. These help prevent accidents like the door crashing down on someone from happening. The systems are the mechanical and photoelectric systems which make the door to reverse automatically on sensing or coming in contact with an object. You can carry out tests to ensure they are functioning as they are supposed to.

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