Loud noises, high electricity bills, deformed shape, and worn out rollers mean you need to tune up your garage door as soon as possible.
Have you ever wondered what your garage door goes through? Rain, heat, freezing weather, bumps, dings, etc. are among the few that take their toll on your garage door. You use it every day, sometimes more often than the front door to enter & exit. Although you use it daily, you pay less attention to it.
As a result, over time, springs, tracks, hinges, and cables wear out. It can cause fatal injuries as well. So, you need to prevent the probable malfunctions of those parts. That’s when tuning-up of garage doors come to play.
What Does Garage Door Tune-Up Mean?
Every year about 10,580 injuries occur because of poor garage doors. It is also one of the highest causes of home injuries that needs hospitalization. The garage door is heavy and it can accidentally break down and fall on people or the vehicle.
That said, tuning-up your garage door is crucial. All you need to do is spare only 15 minutes of your schedule to do some basics like greasing or checking the tightness of the bolts and nuts. That’s how easy tuning-up your garage door is.
If you overlook these simple tasks, you unintentionally increase the chances of danger. There are times when you have to rely on experts for electric garage door repairs.
But sometimes all you have to do is look for the visible signs.
Look out for the 7 signs mentioned below to find out whether or not your garage door needs a tune-up.
1. Garage Door Shakes Excessively
Garage doors contain lots of small to medium parts like rollers, hinges, springs, and chains.
It’s common to vibrate or shake while operating. However, you should be worried if you notice excessive vibration or shakiness.
Over time, your garage door will wear out. In that case, it’s risky to use the old garage door. Once you notice unusual shuddering or vibration, take it seriously.
It’s a sign that some parts are malfunctioning. There may be issues with the rollers coming off the track, loose screws, or worn-out hinges.
2. Grinding/ Scraping Noises
Take some time to listen to the opening and closing sound of your garage door. If the sound seems too loud or unusual, then something’s wrong.
There might be some sort of problems like dry chains or rollers, loose screws, or rusty hinges. There’s another thing you should check & most people overlook this. If you look down at your steel door, you will see there’s a hollow rubber seal attached to the door. It is the U-shaped astragal. Check once in a week about its condition.
Changing the garage opener can also help sometimes. But be sure to factor in the weight of your door and the power it needs before getting a new garage door opener.
3. Gets Stuck Often
If you notice your garage door is acting weird & not closing/opening smoothly, obviously, it’s a concern.
First, check your controller. Make sure whether it is due to the bad connection or not. If not, move on to the control panel. Once you have checked the control panel, inspect the door for any malfunction.
If you have found nothing yet, try to open & close the door with the controller to see if anything’s blocking the door.
If you don’t have an automatic system, then the problem may lie with the parts. Check for any loose screws, worn-out hinge, dry roller or chain, etc.
4. Worn Out Rollers
This one will require a closer inspection. You won’t notice a roller’s problems without looking closely. Schedule a monthly checkup when you will inspect the rollers thoroughly. Release the opener of your garage door first.
Then go to the rollers on both ends of the bar. Check the rollers, roller- bearings for any problem.
If you notice any cracked, worn-out, or chipped rollers, you certainly need to tune it up.
There’s a misconception about lubricating the hinges only. You can undoubtedly lubricate rollers along with the hinges. If you don’t grease the rollers for a long time, it will only wear out.
5. Faulty Weatherstripping
As I’ve mentioned in the beginning, your garage door goes through a lot. Not all weathers are suitable for your garage door. However, your garage door makes sure that your cars & everything inside the garage remain safe.
Bad weather like rain or snow can harm the door. There’s weatherstripping at the bottom of your garage door for proper insulation.
Check once in a while to make sure it is still in shape. If you notice any brittle or broken weatherstripping, change it as soon as possible. Once it becomes brittle, it is sure to crack quickly.
6. Door Becomes Bent Or Crooked
One of the major concerns about the garage door is its balance. Check the balance of your garage door once or twice a year.
It’s pretty simple. Detach your garage door from the opener first. Then lift the door to half of its marks by yourself. Leave the door & see if it comes down by itself or remains there steadily.
A perfect garage door should stay wherever you leave it. If it comes down immediately, there’s a major problem. If it doesn’t happen at once, but eventually starts to fall, it’s also a bad sign.
These sagging or bending issues can occur because of two particular reasons.
First, your tension spring, which holds the opener, has worn out. If it’s not the case, then your roller or track has become dull.
7. Unusual Power Bills
Everyone checks electricity bills seriously. So, if there is any unusual bill that you are not supposed to get, it can be because of your old garage door.
Unless you use high power-consuming devices, your garage door is the culprit.
If you have an old, worn-out door, it will increase the overall power consumption of your house, resulting in excessive bills. Switch to an energy-efficient model instead.
These are the basic signs you should look out for. As for repairing, it is best to hire a professional if you do not have enough experience.
Final Thoughts
Every year you can save a lot of money by tuning-up your garage door yourself. Of course, you should hire a professional if the issue is severe, like broken torsion springs or damaged openers. But for other problems, spend only 15-20 minutes & tune-up yourself.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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