Extending the Life of Your Garage Door

Every garage door has a life cycle. How long you have your garage door will be determined by many different factors, which we have highlighted in this article. A single garage door has many different parts. More parts than you probably even realize. A garage door that is kept in good condition will generally last for up to 30 years and possibly longer. Your garage door opener, on the other hand, will only last for about 10 years. The amount of years is not definite, just approximate. This is because the life of your garage door opener also depends on various factors. It depends on how much maintenance you receive and how frequently your garage door is used. It also depends on the quality of the type of garage door you have, its parts and accessories. Finally, the length of time that you have your garage door could also depend on how well it was installed and the type of garage door you have.

Maintenance of Your Garage Door

The objective of caring for your garage door on a regular basis is to ensure the safety of everyone who is using it. Today, everyone lives very busy lives and this is one of the things in our lives that we can’t afford to break down on us or to begin to become problematic. We just want to be able to safely get in and out of our garage without incident. If you start to have problems with your garage door, it may require costly repairs and possibly a new garage door.

Garage Door and Appliances

Just like the many appliances that you use on a regular basis require some maintenance, so does your garage door. Your refrigerator needs to be cleaned on occasion to make sure that ice doesn’t build up and that the parts continue working correctly. The same would apply to your garage door. Since it is considered the biggest piece of equipment in your home, it requires regular maintenance. Below are a few helpful tips for keeping up the maintenance of your garage door.

Maintaining Your Garage Door

A garage door that faces south might need insulation to transfer some of the heat. If your garage is used as livable space, such as a suite, gym or home office, it should be thermally insulated. The springs of your garage door should always be in good working condition. Far too often, our service technicians are called upon to repair broken springs. However, if you pay close attention to your springs and are keeping up the maintenance of your garage door, you will notice the springs becoming worn before they break. You can determine whether or not your springs are in despair by also paying close attention when you open and close the door of your garage. This could mean the difference in your having to have your springs replaced or repaired. It is essential that you address any spring repair issues immediately in order to avoid from being harmed by a fallen garage door due to a broken spring.

Handling the maintenance of your garage door might not be your cup of tea but we assure you that if you have to pay for a lot of repairs, you’ll adjust to a good maintenance program in order to save money. Due to the amount of use that a garage door receives it only makes sense that you’ll require some level of maintenance from time to time. Just remember that the more maintenance your garage door receives, the longer it will last. You benefit greatly from maintaining the good condition of your garage door. Safety is the paramount way that you benefit and alternatively, you benefit from having a long lasting garage door.

Routine Maintenance Checklist:

Lubricate garage door parts

Your garage door will not function correctly if the parts are not lubricated regularly. Lubricate your springs, rollers, and hinges every 3 months with WD-40. As a precaution, don’t use too much lubricant because it might attract dirt and soil.

Check garage door cables

The cables, bolts and wires of your garage door should be checked monthly. What you are checking for are frayed or lose cables. Bolts should be tightened and any rust or erosion should be addressed immediately. You could also check the springs again for fraying. Your door handles, rollers and pulley should be checked for wear and tear.