In my earlier post we saw how easy it is to tune - up a garage door. Keeping the doors in good repair will cut down on costly repairs Adding to the list of things to lubricate are the safety latches. These devices over time can jam and rust making them useless. This is especially the case if you have two doors with one that is automatic. The safety latches being in good repair comes in handy when there is a power failure and opening the garage is desired.
Inspect the door for balance
All doors, interior and exterior should be balanced in order for them to open and close properly.It is important therefore to inspect the garage door for balance. With the door closed, disengage the door from the automatic opener by pulling the emergency release cord. Open the door halfway by hand and then let it go. The door is balanced properly if it stays in place or slowly creeps down. However if it closes quickly or if you need a lot of muscle to close it from the midway position, its out of balance. A garage door out of balance can overstress the automatic opener, which will cause it to burn out.
The photo above shows a garage door properly balanced.
Keep the weather out
The first line of defense in keeping the weather out of the garage are the roof and doors. But the outside elements, age and rodents can take a heavy toll on the weatherstripping. So inspect the weatherstripping, particularly at the bottom of the door. If the weather strip is worn, or if you see gaps at the bottom of the door when its closed, its time to replace the seal. Also check the sides to ensure a nice tight fit. Remember, if water or moisture gets into the garage, this can cause mold growth and wood destroying insect infestation.
weatherstrip in good condition 
photo above shows a nice tight seal
Inspect the safety reversal features
If your doors have safety reversal features, inspect them very carefully. To inspect the safety reversal system, place a 2x4 flat on the ground in the center of the door while it's fully opened. Using the automatic opener close the door, when the door comes in contact with the 2x4 it should reverse and return to the open position.
Now inspect the safety reversal sensors. Close the door with the automatic opener, wave your hand or an object between the safety sensors located on the lower sides of the entrance near the track. The door should reverse and reopen. If the doors do not pass these test, consult your owners Manuel. If that does not solve the problem, call in a pro.
In the photo below, the door did not reverse itself when it made contact with the 2x4. This is a dangerous condition as it could cause serious injury to people and pets.
Tuning - up garage doors is easy and safe. And if your home is on the market, a quiet and smooth operating garage door just might help in getting a quick sale.
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