If you are like most homeowners in Arvada, or indeed anywhere in the USA, you probably don't pay much attention to your garage door when it's functioning as intended. As far as the majority of people are concerned, there's no reason to think about overhead doors at all, unless they malfunction or deteriorate to the point where urgent action needs to be taken. Although this is completely understandable, given the busy lives we lead, today we are going to explain why it is worth paying a little more attention to your garage door in the future. So, if you have always wanted to learn about garage door repair and maintenance, we invite you to read on.

Maintenance Tips from the Overhead Door Company You Can Trust

To answer the titular question first, we suggest that overhead doors should be serviced by professional technicians around once or twice a year, depending on how often they are used. However, if you enjoy tackling home DIY tasks and are confident in your abilities, you may like to conduct your own monthly garage door maintenance inspections in between these professional visits. If you would like to do this, we recommend that you pick a time when you don't normally have visitors or any other chores to take care of. Start by following our maintenance tips monthly, to make sure you don't miss anything important:

• Look & Listen Carefully – Every month, you can start by performing a detailed visual inspection of your garage door and its opening mechanism. Inspect the cables, springs, pulleys, and other moving parts, making a note of any visible wear and tear as you go. Once you have done this, our garage door installation and repair experts suggest that you open and close the door a couple of times, listening carefully as you do. If you should hear any unusual noises, you have two options: you can either try to home in on the source of the noise and see if it is caused by something you are capable of fixing, or you can call your local garage door repair experts and ask them to find and fix the issue.
• Check & Tighten All Hardware – Over the years, the handles, hinges, and other hardware on your garage door may become loose. For this reason, we recommend that you check and tighten it (if necessary) on a regular basis. You can either incorporate this job into your monthly maintenance routine or perform it less often at a time that suits you: once every six months or once a year should suffice. If the hardware has deteriorated to a point where it is starting to make your garage door look shabby, we advise that you look for replacement parts.
• Lubricate Moving Components – Using a good-quality lithium grease or silicone spray, we recommend lubricating the springs, hinges, and rollers on your garage door whenever they look like they need it. Simply check existing lubrication when performing your monthly inspection and apply more if required. Please don't use general-purpose grease or WD-40 for this job as neither performs particularly well as a lubricant for moving metal parts. If you are not sure which product to use, feel free to call or message us for help.
• Test Auto-Stop & Reverse Functionality – Our garage door installation and repair technicians strongly recommend testing the safety features of domestic overhead doors on a regular basis. Incorporate this test into your monthly maintenance plan and you can help to make your home a safer place for everyone. One of the easiest ways to test this functionality is to open your garage door, place a block of wood on the threshold, then attempt to close it. If the safety feature is working correctly, the obstacle will be sensed, causing the door to stop and reverse.
• Check for Drafts – During the colder months of the year, you can check for drafts by slowly moving your hand around the edges of your garage door, where it meets the frame. Any cold air entering your garage through gaps between the two should be fairly easy to feel. Alternatively, and especially in warmer conditions, you may prefer to make a visual inspection of the rubber / plastic seals, replacing any that look severely worn.
• Check Garage Door Spring Balance – Pull the emergency release cord or handle to disengage the motor, then pull the door halfway up by hand. If it is properly balanced, it will remain in this position when you take your hand away. If it is unbalanced, it will either start to close on its own or open further.

If you are looking for more tips, or for a team of experienced professionals that specializes in garage door repair in Arvada, you are welcome to call or message A Well Hung Garage Door at any time.