It's An Open And Shut Case: 3 Tips To Get Your Garage Door Ready For Warm-Weather Use
Summer is finally on its way. The cold temperatures will be gone before you know it. Now's the time to get your garage door ready for the change. Taking care of a few maintenance issues will help ensure that your garage door is fully operational throughout the summer. Here are three steps you'll need to take to transition your garage door from cold to warm weather.
Clean the Tracks
If it's been a while since your garage door received a thorough cleaning, the first thing you'll need to do is clean the tracks. Those metal tracks that run along each side of your garage can develop quite a build-up of grease and dirt. Over time, that build-up can interfere with the way your garage door operates. In fact, that build-up can prevent your garage door from opening altogether. To clean your tracks, you'll need the following items.
- Bucket
- Warm water
- Grease-cutting dish detergent
- Whisk broom
- Scrub brush
- Clean cloth
Directions
- Fill your bucket with warm water and add about ¼ cup of grease-cutting dish detergent.
- Use your whisk broom to remove the loose debris from along the tracks.
- Dip your scrub brush in the cleaning solution and thoroughly clean the tracks.
- Wipe the tracks with your clean cloth and allow them to air dry.
Keep Things Moving
The cold weather can wreak havoc on your garage door opener, especially the moving parts. Now that the warm weather is returning, you'll need to make sure that those moving parts can move properly. Once you've cleaned the tracks, you'll need to thoroughly lubricate the motor and drive chain. Apply a small amount of gear oil to the motor compartment. Finally, apply a layer of water-soluble spray lubricant to the drive chain. Open and close your garage door once or twice to spread the lubricant.
Check the Safety Components
Your garage door is quite heavy, and can cause serious injury – or death – if it closes on someone. To make sure that the safety features are working properly, you'll need to conduct an inspection of those components. First, place a block of wood on the ground, directly in the path of the garage door. Press the button to close the door. The garage door should immediately reverse when it comes in contact with the object. Next, return your garage door to the "open" position. Stand near the garage door and have someone push the button to close it. As the garage door closes, wave an object in front of the safety beam – which is the blinking light at the bottom of your garage door tracks. As soon as the object breaks the beam, your garage door should stop moving. If you notice problems with either of these safety checks, do not use your garage door until you can have it serviced by a professional garage door technician from a company like Doors That Work, inc.
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