With fall upon us, that means winter is right around the corner. It is important to remember that your garage door should be properly prepared for the colder weather to come. This only takes 30 minutes, but your comfort level will certainly go up exponentially as a result. Here are some tips to get you started.
Remote battery
Batteries in garage door opener remotes are designed to last only up to one year. It is recommended that you keep a spare on hand, lest you be forced out into the cold to manually open the door.
Don’t forget the external keypad
For added security, many homeowners now have an external keypad to open their garage door. Remember to check the 9-volt battery there as well in order to ensure that it has plenty of juice for the cold winter months ahead.
Inspect the springs to your garage door
Before performing this important task, remember to disable your garage door opener. You do this by pulling on the emergency cord. You will then want to open the garage door manually. If you found this easy to do with one hand, then the springs are in great working order. If it was difficult to open, however, you will want to determine the cause. Do not try to fix this yourself; call us, so one of our technician will go to your house, find the problem and get it fixed for you.
Take A Look At the Weather Stripping
You want to make sure that the weather-stripping on the outside of your garage door frame is adequately functioning. If you see any damage, or the stripping itself has hardened because of heat exposure, you will want to replace it. Remember that if it’s made of PVC, you will want to use a silicone based lubricant. While you’re at it, look at the weather-stripping on the bottom of the garage door as well. If it looks damaged, you should go ahead and replace it as well.
Metal Parts Need To Be Lubricated
You will want to give each of the metal parts of your door a proper lubrication prior to winter’s arrival. This includes the springs, track, and rollers.
To begin, take a dry cloth and remove any excess lubricant from past applications, in addition to any dust that might be present. A lubricant that is oil-based, such as 10W-30 motor oil, is recommended. Apply the lubricant sparingly, and wipe away any of the excess with a cloth. Avoid using products like WD-40. Those products are degreasers, and not lubricants, so they would not work well on your garage door. Stay away from using grease, particularly on the tracks.
Inspect the Automatic Reversal System
There are two variations to this, the mechanical and photoelectric, so here are some general guidelines for each.
Mechanical – You will want to put a two-by-four at the threshold of the door. Go ahead and push the button to close the door. Once the door hits the wood, it should detect some resistance. At this point, it will reverse and open back up. If it fails to do this, you will want to look at the manual that came with your garage door to determine how to make the necessary adjustments.
Photoelectric – You will want to just put your foot in front of the beam while the door is closing. If the door does not stop and open back up, then the most likely problem is a misalignment between the two parts. If you can’t get this fixed, you can contact us as soon as possible.
These tips should help you avoid any major problems with your garage door during the winter. If you just cannot find the time to complete this process, or you would like to have a professional take care of it for you, feel free to contact us today!
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