Annual Garage Door Maintenance Benefits
To maximize the performance and longevity of a door system, annual garage door maintenance is key. A garage door is the largest moving object in your home and it has many components that make up for the overall operation of the door system. Participating in an annual maintenance program will help get the most out of your garage door and electric opener. A trained garage door technician knows what to look for during an inspection and tune up.
Safety Inspection
Safety guidelines for the garage door industry is a topic that is continually evaluated and updated. The most notable update is a UL 325 compliance for all electric garage door openers manufactured in 1993 or after. The compliance requires an inherent entrapment protection system, plus a secondary device, most commonly photo-electric eyes located near the bottom of the vertical tracks.
Door Hardware Inspection
It takes many components for a garage door to operate effectively. On-door hardware is comprised of hinges and rollers, plus top and bottom brackets, that make for a sectional door that can run along the track system smoothly. Springs and cables work to handle the heavy weight of the door system. A tech knows where to look and what to look for when performing a visual inspection of all the components of a working door.
Door Lubrication
Garage door lubricant is a small thing that goes a long way. Spraying just the right amount in the right places of specific components will provide for longer lasting operation and minimize noise. Every garage door technician keeps this item on their truck.
Balanced Garage Door
The balance of a garage door is vital to the overall performance. This operation relies almost entirely on the springs of the door, ensuring it can manually be operated, if necessary, without making the person lift too much weight. It also ensures that the other components and electric door opener do not have to overcompensate, ultimately shortening the life of the parts affected. Most standard residential and commercial garage door springs are calibrated for a lifetime of 10,000 cycles. One garage door cycle is when the door opens and closes once.
Address Concerns
When a trained garage door repair technician is on site, it’s the perfect time to ask any general questions about how a door works. They can answer those curiosity questions that you’ve been wondering about. If you’ve been trying to figure out how much life you have left on a door or opener, they can help provide info about the product based on a number of factors and age of parts. They can not however, provide a specific time frame because not all components are visible and they don’t know the history of use for the door system.
Annual maintenance programs provide a solution to help catch problems before they arise. While this is not full proof, it will catch most issues that can come up. Before choosing a company for a maintenance plan, be sure to do a little research. You’ll want to work with a company that has an established, positive reputation. You’ll also want to make sure they are licensed and insured. Beware of companies that use language designed to confuse you or seem to find much more wrong with the door than originally anticipated. Finally, the company will need to provide the cost of any repairs up front, while on site, before beginning the work.
You are now equipped to pick a company and maintenance plan that is best for you and your family.
