Tag: Carriage Garage Doors

One of the biggest enemies of your garage door is rust. If you encounter a lot of humidity in your area, then that extra moisture allows rust to form on metal items, including your garage door. Rust is difficult to stop once it starts, so the best cure is prevention. Here’s why it’s so important to prevent rust on your garage door and how to prevent it from happening in the first place. 

Garage Doors And Rust Damage

Is rust really a problem for your garage door? It’ll cause more damage than you’d think, so it’s important to prevent rust as much as possible. If you get rust on your garage door parts, such as the springs, that can lead to a variety of problems. In the case of the springs, rust will weaken them over time. That leads to them breaking well before the end of their life span and potentially becoming a danger to you and your family. 

What about the garage door itself? In the first instance, rust is unsightly, especially if you’re concerned about curb appeal. It’ll also cause structural damage to the garage door, weakening it and making it a security risk. A weakened door is also likely to start allowing rainwater in, leading to more structural problems. Of course, that rust will eventually break the door if left long enough. That’s why it’s so important that you prevent rust wherever you can and address it as soon as you see it on your garage door. 

Prevent Rust On Your Garage Door

How do you prevent rust on the garage door, then? Like lots of other maintenance issues, the key is in regular inspections. When you check on the door regularly, you’ll be able to spot rust or the conditions that cause rust quickly. That makes it a lot easier to handle overall. It’s best to inspect your garage door twice a year to keep an eye out for any signs of rust. When doing this, ensure you know what material your garage door is made from. Steel garage doors are capable of rusting, while aluminum ones corrode rather than rust. The conditions that create these problems are the same, so you’ll need to look out for them. 

You’re looking for any chips or cracks in the paint on the door. These will allow moisture in under the paint, and that’s what will lead to rust over time. You’ll also want to ensure that you inspect your garage door immediately after a storm. If anything impacts your door, such as a fallen tree branch, you may see paint scraped away by that impact. If you see scratches in the paint, the best thing to do is repaint that garage door. A full repaint ensures that the door has complete protection from the elements, so the metal isn’t left exposed to rain over time. Regular inspections will help you catch issues quickly, preventing rust before it develops. 

Prevent Rust On Garage Door Springs

Now that you’ve handled the garage door, how do you prevent rust on your garage door springs? Of course, you can’t paint these like your garage door, so you’ll need to find another way. 

Again, the answer lies in inspecting the garage door twice a year. If you can spot damage quickly, that should stop water from getting in and allowing rust to form on the springs. That is important, as your springs will typically be rated for 10,000 cycles, which is around 3 to 5 years. If rust is allowed to form on them, that will drastically shorten their lifespan. 

Another excellent way to prevent rust on the springs is to properly lubricate them. You should lubricate all moving parts on your garage door when you do inspections, as this allows them to keep moving freely. Ensure you use proper garage door lubrication when you do this, and this will prevent rust from forming on the springs. 

Protecting Your Garage Door Parts

It’s not just the springs that need to be protected from rust. You’ll also want to ensure that you’re taking good care of the rest of the door. There are several metal moving parts that keep your garage door moving, so you need to prevent rust on them too. That includes the hinges, rollers, tracks, and so on. 

Again, the answer is to keep them properly lubricated. In many cases, homeowners may choose WD-40 to do the job. However, that’s not going to lubricate those parts. WD-40 is designed to remove rust and corrosion, so it will not help prevent rust in the first place. Instead, pick a lubricant that’s designed for garage doors, as you can be sure it will do what you need. 

Removing Rust From Your Garage Door

You’ve done everything you can to prevent rust from building up on your garage door, but during your latest inspection, you’ve found some starting to form. Don’t worry, though. If you’ve caught it quickly, you can remove it and stop it from spreading. 

Clean your door with dish soap, water, and a soft rag. Rinse it and allow it to dry. Then, scrape away any paint flakes around the rust path and sand this area down. You can now use a rag soaked in white vinegar and wipe down the door. With a steel wool pad, scrub the rusted areas that you wiped down, and this should help remove the rust. Once it’s gone, repaint the garage door to ensure it’s properly sealed from the elements again. 

Conclusion

Be aware that in some cases, if the rust is too widespread, it may be better to get a new garage door. A garage door expert will be able to advise you on this. Now you know how to prevent rust on your garage door and garage door springs. Use these tips to help you keep your door in top condition. 

These days, you’ll be more aware than ever of your home’s energy efficiency. There are plenty of ways that you can lose heated or cooled air from your home, whether it’s through your front door, windows, or even your attic. However, have you ever considered your garage door?

If you manage your garage door’s energy efficiency, you’ll be amazed at how much energy you’ll save. It’s the largest door in your home, so you’ll lose a lot of air if it’s not installed and treated correctly. Here’s how to improve your garage door’s energy efficiency and save on those bills. 

The Importance Of Energy Efficiency

As a homeowner, you want to ensure that your home is as energy efficient as possible. With energy prices rising, you’ll need to keep conditioned air in your home rather than letting it escape. You’ll already know many of the tricks to do this, such as replacing windows and doors to be energy efficient and insulating your attic to keep air from escaping that way. 

However, you do need to consider your garage door too. If the garage is connected to your home, then any air that you’re cooling or heating in your home will move into your garage and potentially be lost through the garage door too. That leads to excessive energy costs, and of course, that is something that you want to avoid as much as possible. 

As well as this, you’ll also want to consider garage door insulation if you’re using your garage in other ways. While some homeowners will use them for just storing their car, others will use them as workshops, living areas, and more. As you’d imagine, you want to be able to manage the temperature in your garage in these cases, so you’ll need to make the garage door more energy efficient. 

Keep Up On Maintenance

The first thing you should do to make your garage door more energy efficient is to keep up on repairs with it. A garage door that isn’t cared for won’t be able to keep in your home, so it’s vital to inspect it regularly for any holes, bends in the track, gaps in seals, and so on. These will stop the door from fitting properly in the doorway and let that air out. 

Plus, it’s a good idea to maintain your garage door, as keeping on top of maintenance will always help in the long run. It’ll help save on repair bills in the future, so it’s another way of saving money. There are several steps you need to take in order to ensure that your garage door is in the best possible condition:

• Do a visual inspection of the door to see if any cosmetic damage needs to be addressed. That can be dents, scratches, etc. 
• Check the photo eye sensors and auto reverse functions to ensure they’re working as required.
• Check the track and rollers to ensure they’re in shape and are letting the door move freely. 
• Clean and fix the hardware on the door. That should include the brackets and hinges that hold the door in place.
• Take a look at the weatherstripping, as this will do a lot to keep conditioned air in. If it’s worn out or damaged, you can replace this yourself.
• Check your springs, cables, and pulleys for damage.

Install The Correct Garage Door Opener

It’s not just your garage door that will impact your garage door’s energy efficiency, it’s the garage door opener too. It can have more of an impact on energy efficiency than you’d think. 

This is because different openers are designed to open different types of garage doors. For example, if you’re using a garage door opener that isn’t rated to work with your garage door weight, then it will have to work harder to get it opened. That means it’s going to use more energy in the process. As such, it’s good to see whether you’re using the right garage door opener. You can talk to your local garage door expert, as they will be able to advise you on this. 

Insulate Your Garage Door

Finally, insulating your garage door is one of the best ways to make it more energy efficient. You can buy kits from your local hardware store or have a garage door expert handle it for you. If your garage door doesn’t have insulation, you’ll see that installing it isn’t too difficult. 

If you’re looking to replace your garage door, you’ll see many different options out there that already come with insulation. They are well worth considering, as that insulation will greatly prevent air from escaping your home when you don’t want it to. 

When To Call An Expert

As you can see, you can do a lot of the work yourself here when you’re looking to make your garage door more energy efficient. Sometimes, you will need to call on an expert to come and handle the work for you. For example, if you’re looking to replace the garage door entirely, you’ll need a garage door fitter to handle this. They will be able to advise on the best door for you and help you find one with the right insulation for your needs. 

Also, it’s always a good idea to call on an expert to help you if you’re unsure of the best steps. They’ll know what you can do to ensure the garage door is as insulated as possible to keep that air in and the energy bills down. Now you know how to improve your garage door to keep energy costs down and make your home as energy efficient as possible. If you need help, call a garage door repair expert to give you a hand. You’ll soon see the difference that it can make.