Your garage door is one of the most used, and largest, appliances in your home! Many of us use our garage doors much more frequently than our front doors. Just like your car, your garage door needs some regular maintenance to keep it running smoothly and to extend its life span. Doing some regular maintenance each month on your garage door can save you tons of money in repairs or replacements down the road.

Here are some basic tests and checks you can do to make sure your garage door is working properly.

1. Testing your opener. Making sure that your garage door opener is working properly is not only a great safety measure, but its also great for convenience. If you’ve ever gotten stuck inside or outside of your garage due to a malfunctioning opener, you know how true this is.

2. Do a reversal test. If your garage door opener does not have a reversal feature, you must have it replaced. The reversal feature is huge for keeping you, your family, and your pets safe. To do a reversal test, place a 2″x4″ board on the ground in the center of the door. Push the button on the wall to close the door. If the reversal feature is working properly, the door should reverse itself and open back up once striking the wood. If it does not, you should have your garage door opener replaced.

3. Photo eye or edge sensor adjustments. If you’ve got additional safety measures installed on your garage door, such as photo eyes or edge sensors, do a visual check to make sure they are properly installed and adjusted. You can find information specific to your safety devices in your owner’s manual.

4. Visual inspections. Once a month you should visually inspect your garage door for signs of wear or damage. Make sure you look at the garage door itself, the springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and any other door hardware. If you suspect any of these parts are not functioning properly, it’s important to call a qualified garage door maintenance and repair specialist immediately. Making repairs to your garage door yourself can be dangerous.

5. Lubricate. You should regularly lubricate the moving parts of your garage door. Plastic parts should not be lubricated.

6. Check the door balance. If your door is unbalanced, it could lead to unnecessary wear and tear on your door. Beginning with the door closed, use the release mechanism so you can operate the door by hand. If the door is properly balanced, you should be able to lift the door smoothly and easily. If the door appears to be out of adjustment, call a professional to come check it out.

A little regular maintenance on your garage door can go a long way. Regular maintenance can extend the life of your garage door and can help keep you and your family safe. For more information or help with garage door maintenance or repairs, call Covenant Garage Doors.