You probably use your garage door every single day, multiple times a day. It’s easy to forget this helpful and necessary component of your home, but like many features in your house, it needs regular attention to function well.
Without a yearly inspection, garage door openers may last less than ten years, and that means early and unexpected replacement costs when something breaks.
Lubricating Your Garage Door’s Moving Parts
The moving parts on your garage door will eventually wear out. You may consider getting new garage door parts to reduce the likelihood that you’ll need to replace an entire garage door opener and its related moving parts. The best way to make sure functioning parts like the hinges and springs last as long as possible is to visit the garage on a monthly basis with a lubricant.
If you use your garage door multiple times a day, you’ll want to get familiar with the rollers that sit on the tracks of the garage door assembly. You’ll also want to look at the various hinges and springs that bend and move each time you operate the door. If you’re not sure which moving parts need lubrication, ask Nation Overhead Door during your next garage door installation.
Tip: Something as simple as a can of WD-40 is all you need to keep your garage door working smoothly.
Reaching the Twenty-Year Mark
If your garage door is over twenty years old, it’s probably time to think about garage door replacement. The reason is that doors that are much older than two decades don’t always have safety features like reverse sensors.
However, if your garage door hasn’t yet hit the two-decade mark, a frequent schedule of attention and maintenance can make a huge difference in when you’ll need overhead door repair.
If you’re particularly attentive, you can actually get a garage door to last up to fifty years, but you’ll want to measure the cost of some service repairs like spring replacement versus more extensive work.
Consider: Garage door springs tend to last around 10,000 cycles, which is about a decade for the average garage door.
Signs You Need Garage Door Repair
Preventative maintenance is always the best prescription for your garage door, but the machinery isn’t indestructible. While a broken garage door opener might be an obvious sign you need garage door services, listen for extra squeaks and scrapes when your garage door is in use.
Garage door parts that may malfunction or wear out include:
- Springs
- Nuts and Bolts
- Panels
- Cables
- Opener machinery/motor
Safety Tip: You don’t have to become the Superman of garage door do-it-yourselfers. Identify the problem if you can, but resist the urge to disassemble major parts like the springs or cables. Let the pros perform major work.
You may also want to schedule a yearly inspection even if the garage door looks solid. You may want to take a week each year to schedule all of your maintenance visits, like those for the roof, electrical, and HVAC systems. Is it time for some spring cleaning in the garage? Don’t forget to inspect the garage door at the same time.