There are plenty of things in your home that you should service regularly to keep them working in the best possible condition. Your AC unit, for example, needs to be taken care of regularly, as well as your car. What you may not realize, though, is that your garage door needs to be serviced too. So, how often should you service your garage door?
It’s just like any other piece of machinery, as you’ll need to take a regular look at it and check for any issues that may be developing. If you do this, you’ll be able to catch these problems before they become more extensive and expensive to repair. Here’s how often you should service your garage door and how you should go about it.
Why Service Your Garage Door?
Does your garage door really need servicing? There are lots of reasons why you’ll want to look into checking the door over regularly. It’s like any other piece of machinery in that it has a lot of moving parts, and it’s in use so often. You’ll use that garage door at least twice a day, and so over time, the parts are going to wear out.
When those parts wear out, that’s going to have a knock-on effect on the rest of the door. If you’re not paying close attention and servicing the door as and when needed, then you’ll find that more damage will happen, and eventually, you’ll be forced into doing those repairs. It’s much better to service it regularly, so you can stop this from happening.
How Often Should You Service Your Garage Door?
With all this in mind, how often should you be servicing that garage door and keeping it in the best possible condition? It will all depend on how often you use it. On average, though, experts recommend that you at least inspect your garage door at least twice a year.
Getting a garage door inspection is different from service, as you’ll be taking on some simple tasks to keep the door in good condition, such as lubricating moving parts and washing or painting the door. You should also be looking for any obvious signs of wear and tear on the parts as you do this. If you do see any damage, then you’ll want to call on an expert to repair it for you.
As for servicing, it’s recommended that you take this on at least once a year, regardless of any wear and tear that you can see. Again, this is a role that you’ll want to call an expert to handle for you.
Expert vs. DIY Servicing
There are lots of homeowners who try to take on home care tasks themselves. There are plenty of things that you can handle yourself, but most garage repairs are not one of them. If your garage door is due for a service, then you’ll want a repair expert to do the job for you.
There are several reasons for this. Firstly, an expert is someone who works with garage doors day in and day out. They know exactly what they’re looking for when it comes to garage door service. If you attempt to do it yourself, it’s very likely that you’ll miss something.
Secondly, they can do this a lot more safely. There are plenty of parts on a garage door that can pose a danger when mishandled, such as the springs. As such, you’ll want to ensure that only the experts are handling them.
Finally, having an expert handle the service will save you money in the long run. Yes, if you try and service the garage door yourself, then you’ll save money upfront. However, if you miss anything or do a repair less than optimally, then you’ll find that you’ll have to pay for expert repair later down the line. That will be more expensive, so it’s always better to rely on a professional.
When To Call For Expert Help
As you’ve seen, you’ll want to schedule a service for your garage door once a year to keep it in good condition. Sometimes though, there will be wear and damage to your door that you shouldn’t leave for too long. Here are some of the issues that you’ll want to address quickly before they can cause more damage to the door’s structure.
- The garage door opener isn’t responding: If you can’t get your garage door opener to work, it’s an inconvenience, but often you can solve the issue yourself. It could be down to dead batteries in the remote, the door being locked manually, or the garage door opener disconnect being pulled, for example. However, if you’ve gone through the regular troubleshooting and you still can’t get the door to open, you’ll want to get the experts to come to help you correct the problem.
- The door opens on its own: On the other hand, your garage door may be opening and closing seemingly on its own. That can be down to a few factors, such as faulty photo eyes sensing that something is in the way of the door when it’s clear. You don’t want to leave this for too long, though, as it does pose a security risk for your home.
- The garage door is misaligned: This is another problem that you can’t afford to leave for too long. If the door isn’t sitting evenly in the frame, that’s a sign that the cables are weakening or snapped altogether. These are dangerous parts of the door to handle, so you’ll want an expert to come to change them out sooner rather than later.
- Noisy garage door: All garage doors make some noise, but if you’re noticing more noise than usual, that’s a sign that something is wrong. This could be down to several reasons, so you’ll want an expert to come and check it out for you.
Garage Door Service in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties
Now that you know how often you should service your garage door, get in touch with Your Garage Door Guys. We’ve got you covered if you’re in Ventura or Los Angeles counties!