Do you know the last time your garage door was serviced? When you open and close your garage door every day, do you think about all of the common problems that could occur without regular service from a garage door professional? Smart homeowners know that getting their garage door serviced regularly ensures a door that works properly and safely at all times throughout the year.
Because of all of the moving parts in your garage door, there are many opportunities for common problems to occur with everyday use. From stressed torsion springs to properly applying white lithium grease to high-tension issues, any of a wide number of problems can grind your morning routine to a stop and force you to deal with sometimes-costly repairs. Don’t wait until your garage door breaks down to give it the attention it needs to run properly. When maintaining your garage door before you need to make repairs, there is nothing that a service call to Garage Doors of Indianapolis can’t resolve quickly and effectively.
COMMON PROBLEMS THAT REGULAR SERVICE CAN MITIGATE
TENSION SPRINGS & CABLES
All garage doors have tension springs and cables that control the safe and slow opening and closing of the garage door at all times. If these tension springs and cables are under a great amount of stress, they can break. The most noticeable sign of a broken or stressed tension spring is the door opening and closing extremely fast with a loud bang. While faster opening and closing may sound like a good thing on paper, broken tension springs and cables can cause significant damage because there is nothing preventing the door from smashing anything beneath it. Regular garage door service will allow for your garage door professional to spot any instances of high tension before significant damage occurs to your door or property.
TORSION SPRINGS
Similar to tension springs, torsion springs are responsible for the heavy lifting, getting your garage door up when you open it. When these fail, you will hear a loud bang that sounds like a firecracker and an immediate failure to open the garage door. Torsion springs can only be used for a limited number of open/close cycles and, given enough time, they will break. For this reason, regular garage door maintenance will allow for your service technician to appraise the state of your torsion springs and replace them before they break.
NOISY OPENING AND CLOSING
The creaking and clanging of your garage door when opening and closing may seem like just a minor inconvenience; however, noisy steel doors could mean that there are improperly lubricated moving parts of the garage door. Proper lubrication with white lithium grease is essential for maintaining your garage door health and preventing problems in the future. Luckily, regular service calls can ensure proper lubrication on all moving parts in the garage door and prevent noisy garage doors throughout the entire year.
FAILURE OF GARAGE DOOR AUTO REVERSAL
Garage door reversal is one of the most important features a garage door has at its disposal. Essentially, garage door auto reversal prevents your door from closing if there is an obstruction in its path. Obstructions could be anything from pets to dropped grocery items to rocks. With any obstruction, there is a very real chance of damage to the door or damage to the object or thing in its path if auto reversal fails. As a basic modern safety feature, all doors should be able to reverse automatically if an obstruction is present. Just because it should reverse does not mean that failure cannot occur. A call to your local garage door professional will allow for regular auto reversal checks and prevent any opportunity for reversal failure.
FAILING SAFETY FEATURES
Garage doors are designed with your safety in mind. Most safety features come standard and are required by the federal government at installation, but a lack of regular garage door maintenance can allow for safety features like an auto reversal, motion detection and manual control to fail. Your safety when operating a garage door is a priority at every stage of the door’s lifecycle. It is essential to schedule regular service if only to ensure that all safety features of the door are working properly. Common garage door repairs and regular maintenance can prevent major damage to you and your property.
HOW MUCH DOES GARAGE DOOR SERVICE COST?
While the cost of regular maintenance may be a concern for many garage door owners, smart homeowners know that by scheduling regular maintenance, they are preventing major issues and damage to the garage door in the future. Savvy homeowners know that problems can occur with so many moving parts and understand that making a regular service call with a garage door professional is essential in prolonging a properly functioning garage door.
Expert maintenance on a regular basis makes certain that you get the best value out of your garage door investment. Instead of paying for the costly major repair, plan ahead and schedule regular service to prevent any issues with garage door functionality.
You should have your garage door checked at least once a year, ideally before the cold weather hits. Multiple tune-ups throughout the year allow you to have a properly working garage door at all times of the year without interference. While you may think you’ll be able to tell if something is wrong with your garage door, this is a technical job that should be conducted by experts who have the tools and training to do the job safely and effectively.
A regular maintenance schedule will not only extend the life of your garage door but also ensure that you are always able to enter and exit freely and safely throughout the year.
Call your local garage door expert at Garage Doors of Indianapolis today to schedule your next regular service call.