Better Days for Your Garage Doors

Tampering is the only way an automatic garage door becomes dangerous. However, homeowners tend to be 'do it yourselfers' and prefer to save costs and learn maintenance on their own, which isn't a bad idea. A few words of caution will suffice in terms of the biggest, heaviest item of home equipment, also known as the garage door.

A number of home tragedies have resulted from people messing with springs, children playing with remote control devices, and aging garage doors. Two basic laws to garage door maintenance are explained below. Do not change the springs in any way, and do not put on ice any repairs.

There are two classes of door springs. With the extension spring, it elongates with door closing to cushion the blow and narrows to alleviate the burden of opening a door. Torsion springs, on the other hand, carry the whole weight of the door, like the springs in window shades.

It can be hazardous to mess around with either spring type. Torsion springs become a menace to homeowners who attempt to mount them without prior experience in using the special tool. Debacle and failure await those who try to tighten the springs using replacement tools.

Something else few homeowners recognize is the danger of tweaking the spring brackets on the garage frame, which are also under pressure. Following the second rule, if the garage door is damaged, don't put off repairs. And don't do the repairs yourself, call a professional.

Imprecise installment of the doors increases the danger to the whole family, plus steep priced repairs. A reliable indicator for adequacy of installation is the time it takes the door to change direction once it hits something. From bang to reversal, it should only take two seconds.

Suspect a worn track, broken springs, or some like problem, if the door does not fulfill this criterion. The track should not be twisted or movable at the point of attachment to the garage, and all rollers should revolve freely. Grease on the bearings solves wheel problems.

Lubrication does wonders for rollers, springs, hardware pivot points, and openers. While a regular paint job protects the door, it does nothing and may even hurt the hardware's performance. Hardware is designed for motion, and paint only hinders movement.

A huge failure would be to leave triggering devices for automatic door openers in places children can get them. As with all other things, garage door buttons should be mounted where children cannot reach them. An extended, more secure life awaits your door if you follow these guidelines.

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