What to Know About Garage Door Repair

Given how you likely use your garage door on a daily basis, it should come as no surprise that it’ll eventually need maintenance or repair. When is the time for repair, though? Can you handle it yourself or should you seek professionals for repairing garage doors Fresno CA? Here are some pointers on keeping your garage door in good shape.

Garage Door Maintenance

Inspections and preventative maintenance, if done regularly, can help keep your garage door running properly and stave off costly repair bills. These procedures can be done yourself and don’t require professional skills. The key is to understand the hardware in use when the door is opening or closing:

• torsion springs, mounted above the door;
• optionally, extension springs mounted above the roller tracks;
• the roller tracks that guide the door’s movement; and
• gauge hinges, bolts and torsion cables.

Check these moving parts for signs of wear or blockage, and make sure to keep them lubricated regularly. Also, replace the automatic opener’s batteries at least once a year and give the door a good hand wash. If the door has them, make sure the safety sensors are aligned and functional.

After inspection, test the door by disconnecting it from the opener, opening and closing it by hand and leaving it halfway open to see if it stays fixed in place without falling.

When to Get Help

A faulty garage door is more than just a nuisance—it’s a potential safety hazard. The door could fall while open, the opener could be incorrectly calibrated and close the door too quickly, or the safety sensors could fail to stop the door from closing on someone. On top of that, faulty torsion springs or cables can break while under tension, becoming dangerous projectiles.

However, this makes handling repairs or replacements dangerous as well. If you find signs of damage to any moving parts, don’t try to handle it yourself and risk personal injury in the process. An experienced technician is best equipped to take on this job.