How to Perform Garage Door Tests and Minor Maintenance

One of the things a homeowner can do now that the weather is cooler is to take a few moments to conduct some maintenance chores on the garage door. A functional garage door keeps possessions secure and families safe from the effects of a garage door malfunction. Here are a few maintenance chores a homeowner should regularly conduct to ensure top garage door function:

Force setting test
While the garage door is in the middle of traveling downward to close, catch the garage door bottom with your hands. If it doesn’t immediately go back up, the force setting may be too high. When the force setting is too high, it can be dangerous to vehicles, children, and pets, and can damage the door itself.

Infrared sensors
The infrared sensors are what make the garage door fly back up when you shut it because you left the broom on the ground beneath the door or because the family cat walked beneath it. The reverse feature works in two ways. The first is by sensing something there which shouldn’t be, such as the broom on the ground. They can also sense when something is moving beneath the garage door as it’s closing, such as the cat when he walks beneath the moving door.
Some people use a roll of paper towels beneath the door for the infrared sensor or reverse setting test. If the cardboard tube bends, the reverse setting needs adjustment.

Lubricate moving parts
The reason we don’t say ‘oil’ the parts is that we mean ‘lubricate,’ using lithium or silicone-based spray. Oil is unsuitable as a lubricant for several reasons. Start with the door closed, and the automatic opener motor is disconnected.

• As you open the door, lubricate each hinge at the bend in the track as you manually raise the door. Don’t forget all the places that move: pivot points, stems, locks, and nubs, and the armbar. Then lubricate the rollers if they’re metal, and any non-plastic ball bearings you can see.

Note: Plastic ball bearings require frequent replacement but not lubrication.

• Lubricate the ball bearings of the pulleys and the torsion springs.
• You can clean the chain and the track with WD 40 (remembering it isn’t a lubricant, it’s a cleaner.)
• Do not lubricate the chain, but do lubricate the top of the rail.
• Sealed pulleys and bearings require no lubrication.
• Do not lubricate the track.

These lubricating chores should be done twice a year. Test the force and reverse settings (infrared sensors) every other month. If the door fails the tests, or if it performs oddly, screeches in spite of lubrication, seems to pause, or stop-and-starts, give us a call. A garage door that requires repair can be dangerous to pets, automobiles, and families. We can get it working right in no time.

Arizona Garage Door and Repair serves the entire Phoenix metro area, providing a broad range of services, from the installation of your new garage door to replacement of broken torsion springs. We haven’t met a garage door or automatic opener that we won’t service! We also provide overhead garage storage solution systems to help you take back your garage. Get installation and repair projects done right, the first time, with the help of Arizona Garage Door and Repair by contacting us at (602) 396-4717.