Fall is a splendid time of year when you live in the desert. The blazing hot summer is well behind you and you get to look forward to even cooler temperatures, pretty colors and the yummy smells that the holidays have to offer. Things tend to get busier in the coming months and it’s a good idea to give your garage door a once over to make sure you don’t run into any problems this holiday season.

Garage Door Maintenance Checklist

1. Batteries need to be checked. This is how your garage door works and having a remote or keypad that is dead doesn’t do you much good. The batteries will need changing depending on how often they are used, but typically the batteries should last about 12 months. It’s an easy maintenance tip to just go ahead and replace them once a year.
2. Making sure your garage door is lubricated cannot be stressed enough. Garage doors have lots of moving parts. Springs, hinges and rollers all need to function smoothly and proper lubrication will ensure quiet operation too. You can use a vacuum cleaner to clean the tracks, but don’t lubricate them as they can start slipping if you do.
3. Check the weather stripping along the bottom of the garage door. If it’s cracking, or brittle you need to consider changing it because if it’s old, it will not do a good job at keeping cold air out of your garage. You can stop in at the hardware store and buy it and replace it yourself. Just peel the old one off and replace it with the new one, making sure you press firmly to ensure a snug fit.
4. It’s a good idea to test the balance of your garage door. The opener will have to work harder to operate the door if it isn’t and will cause it to age faster. This can be done by pulling the emergency cord down. This will disconnect the door from the opener. Open the garage door halfway and let go. If it slams down to the ground, the springs are not working and you will need to have it serviced.
5. The most important way to keep your family safe is to make sure the auto-reverse feature is working properly. It should automatically reverse when it comes into contact with an object or a person. You can test this by placing a block of wood under the door. If the door reverses after contact, it’s working properly. The other part of this feature is the photoelectric system which will detect objects passing through a moving door. These units are installed about 6 inches above either side of the garage door. If you pass an object like a broom for example in front of one of these units, it will break a beam it has with the other one and cause the door to go back up. If it does not reverse, you can try cleaning them or realigning them and re-rest. If still doesn’t work, you need to schedule service right away.

Residential Garage Door Services in Las Vegas, Summerlin, North LV & Henderson Nevada

Giving your garage door an inspection can save you from an expensive repair down the road and will give you peace of mind that it’s working as it should. If you need any service done on your garage door, give Quality Garage Door Repair a call today!