Now is the ideal time to do an inspection of your house to be sure that it will be ready to meet the rigours of winter. One item in your home that feels the weather change the most is your garage door. It is important to maintain the metal and electrical parts of the door to ensure that it will work correctly all winter long. This requires a minimal investment of money and time and it will spare you a lot of worries.
To clean your door, use a gentle soap and rinse thoroughly. For those tough stains, use an all-purpose detergent. Do not use abrasive cleaners or other strong liquids. To stop the bad effects of acid rain and the ultraviolet rays of the sun, once a year, apply a liquid wax to protect its luster and give back its brightness.
We suggest cleaning your weather-stripping with an all-purpose detergent and then, thoroughly rinse. Lubricate the weather-stripping every two months (more often depending on usage) with a weather-strip lubricant. Do not use lubricant with a petroleum base; the petroleum attacks rubber, which must remain flexible.
To keep your door running, it’s important to check all the moving parts. Most hardware is made of galvanized steel, so it doesn’t rust. However, it needs a minimum of maintenance to offer better performance.
The track doesn’t need to be lubricated. We suggest lubricating the rollers (the inside) and the hinges with a metal lubricant.
To prolong your spring’s useful life, apply metal lubricant and wipe off the excess oil with a cloth. The safety cable also needs to be checked to avoid problems. For your own safety, never attempt to adjust the springs, the bottom brackets, or the hoisting cables yourself because of, among other things, the inherent risk associated with the great deal of tension in the springs. Call a certified installer to handle the work for you.
Weather conditions may cause some minor changes in door operation requiring some re-adjustment. So it is important to do a check up once a month.
Work the door manually. It must be well balanced. If the door is not balanced, contact a qualified garage door installer. Check if your door opens and closes completely. If necessary, adjust limits and/or force. Most garage doors openers come with two knobs for these adjustments. Consult your owner’s manual.
Check the safety reversing sensor. The door must reverse on contact if an object or a person is under it. Also, check if your photo sensors are correctly plugged in and aligned. The door should reverse if any object passes through the beam.
The opener does not require additional lubrication. Do not permit children to play with the opener. Keep the remote control in an inaccessible location.
Perform the suggested maintenance and it will provide you with carefree convenience for many years to come. We recommend you have the door inspected by a qualified installer at least once a year.
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