The garage is truly a modern marvel to behold, though many of us definitely take this feature for granted. Now, of course, if you're one of those people who have turned your garage into a guest room or some type of man cave, then you know all too well just how important it is. Though for people who use their garages as they were intended, to store their cars, there's a tendency to overlook things like simple winterizing steps that will keep your garage door functioning properly for many years to come.
The thing about garage door maintenance, offered by companies like Aladdin Garage Doors, is that you don't have to cross this bridge a lot if you take proper care of your machinery. It's the people who don't properly winterize their garage door setups that are having to get maintenance on it every year or two. If you can follow a few simple winterizing tips, then you can fend off the need for that regular maintenance.
Steps to Winterizing a Garage Door
Listen to it Speak
The first step is to operate your garage door and to listen to what it's telling you. Is it making any strange noises? Is it creaking and cracking and squeaking? These are signs that you may need professional maintenance right away. Though the idea here is to really pay attention to what your garage door is trying to tell you. You will know if you need to adjust a few settings. You will know whether it's sounding healthy or if you need some work. So before you perform any of the next steps, make sure it sounds okay first.
Ensure Full Functionality
Does the door function fully? There are all sorts of moving parts here. You have the gears of your motor, your tracks, the door itself, etc. You won't be able to properly winterize your garage door unless it's functioning right in the first place. What we mean is that any issues it's having now may actually worsen over the cold-weather season. So the idea is to test that everything's okay. If it isn't, then now is the time to have garage door maintenance performed by the professionals.
Tighten and Shore Up Connections
After you've listened to how it sounds and have given it a test run, you want to go around and make sure that everything is properly tightened. There are a lot of bolts and screws here. Check the motor mount, the track mounts, and make sure that your door is secure. That colder weather causes things to change shape, which can turn a loose part into a failed part. So take your time here and go around and ensure that everything is really tight and ready to go for the winter. This doesn't take long at all and requires not expertise.
Lubricate Properly
One of the last steps here to winterizing your garage door is to ensure that everything is properly lubricated. This is another easy task that doesn't require you to be a professional. You just need the right sort of lubricant (that 3-in-1 stuff from the hardware store works just fine) and you just need to apply it. Apply it to the seals along your door panels, the bottom of the door and the frame where it slides in, and make sure you get all the moving metal parts. Lubricate the tracks and rollers, door hinges, cables, springs, and anything else that moves. This is going to help protect all of these moving parts and seals against a harsh winter, and it doesn't take long to do.
Keep Sealed During Winter
The last step in the winterizing process is to make sure that you don't lose all the progress you made. All of that tightening and lubing might be for naught if you happen to leave your door open during some really harsh, cold nights. That cold and the weather are going to team up to eat away at the lubricant, while also causing potential damage to the alignment of your parts. So make sure that your garage door stays sealed shut whenever it's not in use.
If you can follow these very easy steps, then you should have no issue with winterizing your garage door properly. If you find that you do need professional maintenance, then always know that the pros are only a quick call away.
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