Your Raleigh NC garage door is one of the most used doors in your home. In fact, the garage door has become the new front door. However, your garage door is also the largest and heaviest door in your home. That’s why general maintenance and servicing are crucial for it to operate safely. Yesterday’s Raleigh NC garage door maintenance tips included things like cleaning the garage door’s tracks, listening for weird sounds, and a step-by-step “how-to” on performing a safety inspection. Today we’re going to cover even more useful tips. Keep reading to learn how you can keep your garage door less noisy and safe without calling a local garage door technician.
Did you know that the professional team at Hanson Overhead is the area’s leading experts for all of your garage door needs? That’s right! Calling Hanson means you’ll get upfront and honest pricing, knowledgeable staff, and great customer service. Don’t delay! Prices for new doors keep going up. Call today!
More Great Maintenance Tips for Your Garage Door
Does Your Garage Door Pass the Balance Test?
We get calls every month to come out and give estimates to either repair or replace garage doors that were struck by vehicles while exiting the garage. Over time, torsion springs can lose some its tension or lifting force. Consequently, the door can become too heavy for the opener to hold and the door sinks down a few inches or more. As a result, doors get hit and knocked out of the tracks or worse. Testing the door balance is not hard and all homeowners can do this without calling a professional. I’ll outline the steps below, but for this purpose, here is a short video you can also watch on Youtube.
First, never test the torsion spring balance with your garage door in the up or open position. You will need to close the garage door with the motor before performing this test. Otherwise, the garage door could come slamming down. This can damage the door and you could be severely injured.
Now you’ll need to disconnect the garage door from the motor by pulling the emergency, or manual release. That is the red string hanging down from the trolly. All garage door motors are different when it comes to disengaging and re-engaging the manual release. Therefore you should consult your users’ manual before starting.
With the garage door disconnected from the opener, it should move freely to the up or open position by lifting with both hands. Do NOT lift the door too high or you will unwrap the torsion cables from the drums. The garage door should not feel too heavy. When raised fully, the garage door should also stay at the top of the opening and not fall back down. If the door does drop an inch or so that’s fine in most cases, but any more than that and you’ll want to call a professional for a service call.
Next, you’ll want to pull the garage door down to about chest or shoulder height. A properly balanced garage door will essentially float while only being supported by the strength of the torsion springs. If the door falls or slams down or it shoots up like a rocket then call a professional to avoid damaging the motor.
Finally, lower the garage door all the way to the ground and reconnect it to the motor. You may have the raise the door slightly to get the trolly to lock back into place.
Don’t Forget to Lubricate the Door
A loud garage door is a thirsty garage door. Your door is probably screaming out for lubrication every time you open or close it. You can buy garage door lube at all the big home improvement stores. Furthermore, the cheap stuff is also just as good as the most expensive bottle sitting on the shelf. So don’t go spending $15 on a single can.
Start by lubricating with the garage door closed. Do one side of the garage door and work your way across to the other. You’ll spray the hinges, the roller brackets, and the rollers. You do not have to be precise. Do not coat the tracks with lube. Just like tires on your car need traction, so does the rollers on your garage door. Give the springs a good coating like you’re spray painting. Finally, spray the underside of the garage door opener’s rail. If your Raleigh NC garage door opener is chain-driven, you’ll want to lubricate the chain as well.
In the meantime follow along with Hanson Overhead’s blog for more great future content. Also, please like us on Facebook( Meta). If you need service, a repair, or are interested in buying a new garage door, Hanson Overhead can help save you time and money. Keep reading to learn more.
Affordable Raleigh NC Garage Door Service and Repair
Is your Raleigh NC garage door acting funny? Do you have a broken spring? Does your Raleigh garage door opener have trouble lifting or closing too? You should call the Triangle’s garage door experts at Hanson Overhead.
Scheduling service with Hanson is always a smart move. Our highly trained technicians offer white-glove customer service. We will never up-sell things you do not need. Equally important, you’ll find our company to be upfront and honest about your situation. If your Triangle area garage door can be fixed correctly, we will. If the repair is only going to waste your money, we will have that conversation also.
Assuming that general servicing is all that you need, we can do that too. Our 44 point signature service is perfect keeping your Raleigh NC garage door operating smoothly and safely. Please call today and let us earn your business.