It is so easy to take garage doors for granted. You’ve probably pulled in and out of yours thousands of times and never had a problem. However, the day may come when you hear a mysterious clunk or horrendous squeaks. You can avoid these situations by keeping your mechanical marvel running smoothly with these tips. Alternatively, if you prefer professional services, consider contacting a garage door repair service.
Tune-up
The average door gets a lot of use and provides security and convenience. However, it does need yearly maintenance to reduce noise levels, keep it operating correctly, and ensure it’s functioning safely. Use this brief overview to see that everything is in working order.
Check the hardware and look for loose bolts and nuts. Make sure everything is tight and snug. Next, inspect the seals, chains, and springs for damage. If your manual recommends it, the screw on the opener or chain may need lubricating. Verify the rubber seal at the bottom of your unit is still pliable and in good shape.
Lastly, you’ll want to have a look at the panel balance. Balanced panels are unlikely to crush an obstacle, and they prevent wear on openers. If the unit is not operating smoothly, there might be a problem with tension on the springs. Resolving this problem as a weekend warrior may be dangerous. Consider soliciting help from a garage door repair service.
Updating
There have been significant safety improvements in openers over the last 20 or so years. If you have older equipment, then you’ll want to see about updating these important safety features.
Openers went through a revolutionary change in 1993 when manufacturers implemented photoelectric eyes. These sensors are mounted on each side of the wall, opening about 6 inches from the floor. They send a beam through the opening to detect movement. When the beam is broken because of an object, the unit opener automatically reverses the panel back to an open position.
In addition to the photoelectric eyes mounted on the sides, there have also been vast improvements to the bottoms of doors. Newer panels have a sensing edge installed on the bottoms that detect objects when the panel tries to close. If it encounters a persons’ foot, a child, a pet, or any other type of obstruction, the rolling panel reverses direction immediately, which prevents terrible accidents.
These new safety devices are considered so important that federal law now mandates all residential doors manufactured after 1993 to include bottom or side sensors. In addition to sensors, the government requires that doors no longer function when their sensors fail to operate.
Adding side and bottom sensors to prevent entrapment is a new safety feature that you really need to check into. New openers only take about two or more hours to install and cost from $100-$150.
Garage doors are big, powerful devices that need maintenance and updating periodically. If you’re all thumbs or just don’t have the time for maintenance, use a garage door repair service for maintenance and safety upgrades.
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