How well your garage door is maintained will determine whether repair or replacement is in your future. By skipping routine maintenance and inspections, you could miss things like a bad spring or damaged section joints, which can lead to more costly problems. Regular maintenance will help extend the life of your garage door and keep you and your family safe.

Recommended Maintenance

The International Door Association (IDA) recommends visually inspecting and performing tests monthly. The balance, reversing mechanism, and photo eyes should all be tested to ensure they are working properly. The safety of the garage door depends on it. If the door fails any one of the three tests, a garage door professional should be immediately contacted.

Also, all moving parts should be lubricated every six months, once in the fall before the cold winter temperatures and again in the spring when temperatures begin to increase. Lubricate using professional grade silicone spray or white lithium grease, never WD-40.

Garage Door Repair

Hire a professional for garage door repair when the balance is off. You can test the balance by closing the door and disconnecting the opener. Manually lift the garage door about chest height and then let go. A balanced door should lift smoothly and remain open when released.

Another common reason to repair the door is when the auto-reverse doesn’t work correctly. To test this vital feature, open the door and lay a 2 x 4 on the floor, centered with the opening. Push the button to activate the closing operation. The door should automatically reverse direction as soon as it encounters the wood.

Finally, there’s the problem of faulty photo eyes. Two to a door, these sensors are designed to prevent entrapment, ensuring the door reverses direction should anything or anyone walk under it while it’s closing. Much like the auto-reverse feature, the photo eyes are tested starting with the door open and activating the door to close. As the door is closing, wave a long-handled object in front of one of them, ensuring the door reopens.

Other common issues that necessitate garage door repair include a non-responding remote control or wall transmitter, a garage door that reverses direction before closing, a garage door that won’t close completely, and unaligned garage door tracks. Broken garage door springs also require professional repair. One or both broken springs will need to be replaced.

Garage Door Replacement

A big reason to consider garage door replacement is when the door becomes irreparable. This can happen when more than one panel becomes damaged or the door was poorly maintained. Replacing the door increases the safety, security, curb appeal, and property value of your home.

According to Remodeling Magazine, replacing your garage door with a new, high-tensile-strength steel door has a national average return on investment of 97.5%.

Apex Garage Door and Repair is a locally owned and operated garage door service company with a team of experienced professionals serving residential and commercial clients in Phoenix and the greater metro area. We specialize in the installation, maintenance, and repair of today’s most popular garage door and garage door opener brands. Contact us today at (480) 460-1199 for more information or to schedule an appointment.