GARAGE DOOR MAINTENANCE
The summer is almost upon us, which means garages and garage doors are going to be hot. Doing a few maintenance chores now will keep you from having to spend too much time out there when it gets uncomfortably warm. Keeping your garage door functioning will keep your family safe and your belonging secure. Here are a few the homeowner can do for themselves.
Force Setting
While the garage door is in the process of going down, try to ‘catch it’ with your hands. If it doesn’t immediately go back up, the force setting might be too high.
Reverse setting
Reverse setting is the setting which makes the garage door fly back up when you shut it because you left the broom on the ground beneath the door or because the family cat walked beneath it. The reverse feature works in two ways. The first, is by sensing something there which shouldn’t be, such as the broom on the ground. The second is by infrared sensors (two) which are placed about six inches from the bottom of the door. Those are what sense the cat when he walks beneath the closing door.
Some people use a roll of paper towels beneath the door for the reverse setting test. If the cardboard tube bends, the reverse setting needs adjustment.
Oil the moving parts
While we say ‘oil’, what we actually mean is ‘lubricate’, using a lithium or silicone based spray. Start with the door closed and the automatic opener motor is disconnected.
Lubricate hinges. As you open the door, lubricate each hinge* at the bend in the track as you manually raise the door. Don’t forget all the places that move: pivot points, stems, locks, and nubs, and the armbar. Then lubricate the rollers if they’re metal, and any ball bearings you can see.
Note: Plastic ball bearings require frequent replacement but not a lubricant.
Lubricate the ball bearings of the pulleys
Do not grease the chain, but do grease the top of the rail.
Do not grease the track. Sealed pulleys and bearings require no grease, either. You can clean the chain and the track with WD 40 (remembering it isn’t a lubricant, it’s a cleaner.)
These little lubricating chores should be done twice a year. Test the force and reverse settings every other month. If the door fails the tests, or if it performs oddly, screeches oddly in spite of lubrication, seems to pause or stop-and-starts, give us a call.
Quality Overhead Door, Inc. is a full-service garage door installation and repair company for both residential and commercial customers in the GIlbert area 480-838-8850.
