A modern, automatic garage door, including a sectional door, is the dream of every car owner. It provides extraordinary convenience of opening and closing.
However, for its proper functioning, not only its quality and proper installation are important, but also regular maintenance. Gates need to be kept clean and lubricated so that they can serve us for as long as possible. So how to properly maintain a garage door? In the first place, I would advise you to contact the reliable experts on this website https://bestgaragedoorrepairandservice.com/lake-forest/
Why is garage door maintenance so important?
Each structure must be properly operated, because only then will it work as expected and for a really long time. It is probably easy to imagine what could happen if we did not change the oil in the car. Serious problems could occur, or even an accident due to the malfunction of the vehicle.
The same applies to gates, not only entrance gates to properties, but also garage gates – without maintenance they will not function properly, which will cause frequent and costly failures and the inability to leave the garage or enter it. In addition, a damaged gate guide, a non-functioning photocell or broken security are a straight path to tragedy.
First of all, it should be remembered that garage doors, just like those entering the property, are exposed to negative weather and external factors. These, especially winter ones, do not have a good effect on some elements of the gates. Accumulating dirt, frost, wind – all this causes the door to wear out faster. That is why maintenance is so important.
Which parts of the door require maintenance?
The basis of maintenance is washing the entire garage door. Dirt can lead to damage to the moving parts of the door. In addition, you should regularly lubricate all metal components, such as hinges or springs. You should also regularly check whether the automation is working properly, especially the photocell and all other security devices. In addition, it is worth remembering to replace worn springs or gaskets. In addition, there is also work related to the balancing system and loosening or adjusting the bolts in the lowest gate clamps.
Garage door maintenance – on your own or with the help of a specialist?
Most activities, especially those related to maintaining the cleanliness of the gate and the space around it (sweeping or clearing snow from the ground, cleaning leaves, etc.) can be easily done by yourself. You can also deal with lubrication yourself without major problems. However, it is better to entrust more complicated work that requires interference with the gate mechanism to a specialist to be sure that it will be done correctly.
You may not do it well on your own. It is not easy, and if done wrong, it can end in problems with the gate at best, and in the worst case – a tragedy, involving not even ourselves, but our unaware children, who will find themselves at the closing gate and the security will not work.
How often should I maintain my door?
It is mandatory and as soon as possible to carry out the first maintenance of the door, after its installation, as well as after the completion of all construction works, if no replacement gate was installed for the duration of these works. In addition, in normal use, the door should be cleaned and inspected at least twice a year or on an ongoing basis, especially when you notice alarming symptoms of wear or poor operation of the door.
We should be concerned about any unusual sounds (creaking, squeaking, knocking), as well as irregularities in the operation of the gate. We should also clean the gate often if it is located in a place heavily exposed to dirt, e.g. near trees from which leaves, twigs or fruit fall. In addition, of course, you should always inspect the door before winter to prepare the door for adverse weather conditions in the form of snow and frost.
Maintenance will avoid freezing of the elements. In winter, on the other hand, you should regularly remove snow around the gate and remove snow that gets into the area of hinges and other moving elements.
How to wash a garage door?
Cleaning a garage door is the basis of its maintenance. It is not only about aesthetic issues. Dirt can lead to serious damage, so it is important to keep not only the gate itself clean, but also its surroundings.
When cleaning the door, you should pay attention not only to its jacket, but also to the guides. They are most vulnerable to the accumulation of pollutants. Therefore, even every few weeks you should wipe them with an ordinary duster or blow them with compressed air, which you can get even from an ordinary bicycle pump. All seals should also be kept clean.
Easily accessible door elements can be cleaned by hand, but without hard scrubbing so as not to damage the surface. Just clean them with a dry or damp cloth, or a brush with soft bristles. The cloth or brush can be soaked in water only or water with a mild detergent.
Finally, it is a good idea to rinse everything with water, but not with a pressure washer. Rinsing must also be gentle to remove only any residue of dirt and foam from the detergent. Maintaining cleanliness will extend the life of the above-mentioned elements, and thus also the door itself.
Garage door lubrication
Lubrication is the second most important maintenance activity for the door after washing. A good lubricant ensures that the door has proper slippage during the operation of its moving parts. Thanks to this, there is no fear of abrasion and the risk of damage is minimized. A sign of the need for lubrication is, of course, the above-mentioned disturbing sounds, such as creaking, squealing, grinding. What to lubricate the door with?
It is best to choose lubricants recommended by the manufacturer, instead of random agents. Lubricants for external use are most often recommended, as well as dry lubricants that allow for precise application and are resistant to contamination. A good choice will be K2 lubricants available in the bramowe.pl store. The so-called dry grease does not stain and is resistant to both low and high temperatures. It lubricates dry, after evaporation of the aerosol, does not run off the lubricated surfaces and is resistant to contamination, so it also helps to keep the door clean.
When starting to lubricate, remember to lubricate only metal elements, i.e. hinges or springs. When lubricating the guides, make sure that the grease does not come into contact with plastic tubes or other plastic elements. The lubricant can lead to their degradation.
The door seals should also be lubricated regularly. For this purpose, in turn, there are special silicone preparations, such as Silicone Lubricant for rubber seals from K2. Lubrication of gaskets with silicone allows them to maintain their optimal elasticity and reduces their susceptibility to mechanical damage. Silicone also prevents the seals from hardening and freezing in winter.
Control of correct operation of automation
The third of the most important things to do when maintaining a garage door is to check the correct operation of the automation. First of all, you should regularly check whether the photocells and all overload protections are working properly.
To do this, it is enough to place an obstacle in the light of the gate. The gate should recognize the obstacle and stop without damaging it. If you crush an obstacle, it will mean that something is wrong and the gate needs to be repaired, because it poses a threat to the health and life of users.
Replacing the springs in the garage door
Minor failures, such as a broken spring, do not immediately encourage you to call a professional, who can charge a lot of money even for a small repair. However, it is worth thinking carefully about whether to carry out such a repair yourself. By using the help of a professional, you can be sure that the task will be done correctly. However, it is not something very complicated and you can do it yourself, but it is worth knowing a few things before doing so.
First of all, the replacement of springs in a garage door should always be carried out in sets. We do not replace just one spring, but all of them at once. If one spring has broken, it means that the others are also definitely not in good condition and if we do not replace them, we can have the same job all over again in a moment. If one spring is damaged, it means that all of them have probably already exceeded their number of work cycles, i.e. their service life. Secondly, it is best to use original springs, which have exactly the same parameters as those installed in the door.
Using substitutes with inappropriate parameters can end really badly, for example, damage to the entire gate mechanism. Thirdly, replacing the springs requires proper balancing of the door mechanism, and this requires professional knowledge and skills.
What absolutely must you not do?
First of all, remember about the above-mentioned lubrication – do not lubricate elements made of plastic or other plastics. Such elements can be covered with silicone, which preserves surfaces, protects against dirt, dust, gives shine, cleans, and also protects against moisture and prevents the material from crumbling.
You must also not loosen or adjust the screws yourself, which are tightly tensioned due to the entire structure and can only be done by a qualified service professional. Also, do not do any work related to prying the door yourself. When cleaning the door, you must also not use sharp brushes, cloths or strong detergents.
What can happen if we do not maintain the gate?
Simply put, lack of maintenance is a straight path to costly breakdowns or even accidents. Debris can slow down the door and cause friction with unpleasant noises. Problems with the operation of photocells have already been mentioned – this is a straight path to tragedy. With poor ventilation of the garage and exposure to moisture, the risk of rusting of metal elements of the door drive increases.
If the door is left open for too long, the electronic parts of the drive can be damaged. The surface of the door itself may also be damaged as a result of poor conditions and lack of regular cleaning, which will affect its aesthetics, and the damage will only get worse.
The above arguments are probably convincing enough to carry out regular inspections and maintenance of the doors, at least from time to time also with the participation of a service employee, who will check everything thoroughly according to his knowledge. Remember that a properly functioning garage door is not only the comfort of leaving and entering the garage, but also our safety and that of our loved ones, including children. So if we decide on a convenient solution in the form of an automatic garage door or sectional door, we must bear in mind the need for regular maintenance and taking care of the door at all times so that it serves as long as possible, because it is not a cheap thing.
Door manufacturer’s warranty
The last reason why it is worthwhile, or even necessary, to perform regular service and maintenance of the door is the manufacturer’s warranty. More and more often, manufacturers provide a five-year warranty for garage doors, and sometimes even ten years. The condition, however, is regular service and maintenance. Failure to carry it out may void the warranty.
Service with the help of a qualified employee is nothing problematic, as it is usually carried out by the same places where the door is bought. In the case of motorized gates, it may be the case that the gate and the drive may have a different warranty. This may be especially the case if the drive comes from another manufacturer. In the case of a door with a drive from the same manufacturer, the warranty for both is the same. Sometimes the manufacturer may reserve the loss of the warranty if you buy only the door and only later buy the drive from another company
However, this is not a rule. The warranty, as you know, protects us against high repair costs, but only if they were not caused by our improper use of the door or lack of maintenance. If it turns out that the failure is due to our negligence, it will be necessary to cover the repair costs out of our own pocket, and they can be really considerable.
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