Did you know that your garage door is probably the most used feature in your home? Many people use their garage doors as their main entrance to leave and enter their home. Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Greensboro, North Carolina understands how important your overhead door is to you and your home. That is why we want to help you understand how and when to perform proper maintenance on your garage door.
With summer in full swing, you shouldn’t wait a moment longer to prepare your garage door for the upcoming extreme heat of the season. The elements of summer can greatly affect both the shape and performance of your garage door. Here are some helpful tips for preparing your garage for summer.
Give Your Garage Door a Good In-Depth Cleaning
The constant use of your garage door allows a good layer of dirt and grime to form a coating on the door. It’s important to seasonally clean your door so that the filth doesn’t cause problems to your garage door down the road.
When cleaning your garage door, you can simply use soap and water to get the job done. If the dirt is tougher to clean off, try using car wax. Make sure to get into the different crevices of the door, as they are just as important as the rest of your garage door.
As you are cleaning, take the time to inspect your garage door for any kind of damage. Wooden doors sometimes tend to rot, while steel doors may rust. This may also be a good time to add some rust resistant paint or water sealer to prevent rust or rot in the future.
Make Sure Your Garage Door is Properly Lubricated
Using a good lubricant on your overhead door will help keep it properly running as smooth as possible. The first product many people would think of when it comes to a good lubricant is WD-40. Beware though, that’s actually not really the best option for your garage door. Instead, consider using a lithium grease or silicone-based lubricant to cover the tracks, rollers, and hinges of your garage door.
Lubricating your overhead door needs to be applied in a balanced way though. Make sure that you use only enough lubricant to keep your garage door running smoothly, but not so much that it attracts dirt and grime that will cling to it and create a build up. If the lubricant gets full of this dirt and grime it will counteract the lubricant, and cause your overhead door to not run as smoothly as it should.
Perform a Complete Inspection on Your Overhead Door
As we mentioned earlier, it is really important to perform a complete inspection on your garage door on a seasonal basis to check for any signs of wear or tear. Are there any signs of stress on your overhead door’s cables and hinges? Are the track bolts nice and tight? Don’t forget about the springs! Make sure they are free of rust.
It is inevitable that these parts will eventually break down, but if you catch the issues early enough you can save your wallet by keeping repair or replacement costs. If you find any problems during your inspection, be sure to contact a professional. Since your garage door parts are under a lot of stress and tension on a regular basis to keep it working properly, it’s important for safety reasons to let a professional help you with your garage door repair and replacements.
Make Sure Your Garage Door is Properly Sealed
Having your overhead door properly sealed over the hot summer months is crucial to helping keep your home cool and energy efficient. That is why focusing on insullation and weather stripping is so important.
Check the weather stripping along the edges of your garage door to see if it is fraying or coming apart. Checking the insulation will be difficult since it’s not exactly visible between the garage door panels, but check the panels themselves to ensure they are still in good shape and there aren’t any troubling sections. If you have damaged panels, it could affect the insulation within. If you are unsure of their quality, or need an extra set of eyes to check it out for extra measure, call a professional for help. They will be able to help you determine if your insulation is still going strong.
Here at Neighborhood Garage Door Repair of Greensboro we understand the importance of preparing your garage door for the upcoming season. By keeping up with your overhead door maintenance you will be sure to have a properly functioning garage door for a long time.
If you are ever in need of assistance with seasonal inspections, repairs, or replacements, please be sure to give us a call. We would love to help you keep your garage door looking and working beautifully for as long as possible.
