A garage door has many functions including helping to protect a home from unauthorized access, protecting a home from heat loss, and enhancing a home’s appeal. To retain this functionality and to extend the useful life of a garage door, it’s a good idea to inspect your garage door every few months. Doing this will enable you to engage in simple garage door repair in Newton MA when you find defects in the hardware.
To start your garage door inspection, close this movable structure all the way. You will need a screwdriver, wrench, rubber mallet, and a ladder. Don’t use an aged, rickety ladder for your own protection. Disconnect any power to the garage door system before commencing with this work. The two main components of a garage door system are the garage door itself and the garage door opener. A garage door works on spring tension. If you have a roll-up door with only one torsion spring, call a professional to perform an inspection and garage door repair in Newton MA. Since this spring handles the entire weight of the garage door, the extra tension could result in an injury.
Garage doors ascend and descend on metal tracks. The garage door is connected to these tracks by hinges. These tracks are attached to opposite sides of the exterior garage opening by mounting brackets. Inspect the mounting brackets and hinges to ensure their tightness. If they are loose, use a wrench or screwdriver to fasten them more securely. View the tracks to identify imperfections such as crimps and dents. Use a rubber mallet to pound out these defects. Tracks damaged beyond repair should be replaced.
Check the alignment of the metal tracks. Use a carpenter’s level for this task. The vertical part of the tracks should be plumb and perpendicular to the ground. The horizontal part of the tracks should slant down moderately towards the back of the garage. The top portions of the two metal tracks should be the same height. Any discrepancies should be fixed by loosening the mounting brackets to re-position them.
Next, clean the tracks with a household cleaner. Ridding the tracks of grime, grease, and debris will facilitate the easy mobility of the garage door. Look at the rest of the garage door system’s hardware to assess for damage. Following these tips will enable you to have a garage door that works at optimal levels. Find us on Facebook!