Monday, January 11, 2010

Fix Your Garage Door on Your Own

Most people keep at least one car in their Denver garage, which means that they rely heavily on it. If you have to open this door daily, it can ruin your routine when it stops working properly. Whether or not you have the money for garage door repairs, you might not have the time or patience. Maintaining the parts associated with it can be a big help in avoiding major repairs, so learning the basics is a good idea.

One of the easiest ways to keep major issues at bay is to keep your Denver garage door and most of its parts oiled. You can use WD-40 or other similar oil to keep hinges, springs, and rollers moving flawlessly. In fact, anything that requires some movement in order to work should be well-oiled. If the part sounds squeaky or is hard to move, you know that you need to grease it up to help it out. This should typically be done about four times per year; if you add too much at once or do it too often, the parts will likely attract dirt and dust.

Another easy fix is to go around the area with a screwdriver and make sure all nuts, bolts, and screws are tight. A loose screw can cause a lot of damage, but is easy to fix. You should do this regularly, perhaps at the same time that you oil the moving parts of the garage door. Some people use the changing of the seasons each year as a marker of when they should perform maintenance. If this helps you remember, use this method.
You can check to make sure your garage door is balanced by pulling its emergency release after you close it. When you lift the door about a third of the way up, it should stay there by itself. If it slams to the ground immediately, you should add some tension to the springs. On the other hand, if it opens too easily and goes up on its own, you should lessen the tension on the springs.

Keeping the parts clean can reduce breakage. You should clean the tracks regularly. If they are free of debris, dust, or excess grease, they will work best. You can also wipe down the rest of the parts of the system so that everything works well and looks good.

Just taking a few hours every year to ensure your system is in optimal condition can save you money. You do not have to know much about garages to do some maintenance. As long as you have an idea of what the parts are called, you can fix your garage door on your own!

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