Which part is not absolutely necessary for proper overhead garage door performance? Even a loose nut will cause some kind of trouble. It will create vibration and the part it secures might fall out of alignment. There will be noise and eventually the door might jam or become a safety hazard. Undoubtedly professional garage door maintenance service on an annual basis is vital. But some parts of the garage system should be checked more often. This is important due to their significance to the actual movement of the door and your safety. Which parts are those? The tracks, the springs, and the opener. What you can do? Check and test. Let’s see.
Garage door track maintenance
Your overhead garage door tracks and rollers enable door movement. The wheels slide in the tracks to guide the door up and down. If they find obstructions in their journey, they will either stop or pop off tracks. So the tracks must be free of dents, bent parts, and debris. Although bent garage door tracks would require professional repairs, you should make sure the tracks are clean. The residue of old lubes in combination with dirt will create stiff parts, which will block the rollers’ movement.
Test the balance of the door
This is one way of testing the springs too. Part of their job is to balance the door. If the overhead door is not balanced, it won’t move right. What you should do is pull the release rope to disconnect the opener. Then lift the door manually up to your chest. It should go up nice and easy. If not, it is a sign of spring damage. When the door is at chest height, let go. It should remain at that position. If it moves further up or slides down, your garage door springs should be adjusted.
Check the safety sensors
You can test the garage door opener sensors in two different ways. And that’s because your opener should have an inherent contact and non-contact sensing system. To test the contact sensors, put a wood board or other object on the floor and click the door to descend. When it makes contact, it should reverse. To test the non-contact sensors, click the door to come down and pass under it your foot or hand. The infrared beams should sense it and reverse the door. If either or both tests fail, there is a problem with the reverse system.
Monthly visual inspections
As an overall, you should visually check how the garage door moves every month. Any noises or other problems should be checked by a pro. The door should open and close all the way to let you drive your vehicle out and provide the required security. If not, you can do one more test. You should check the travel limits. These settings adjust the points where the door should stop moving when it either opens or closes. There are UP and DOWN switches or buttons at the opener box. If the door doesn’t open fully, the UP switch should be adjusted by turning it clockwise. If the door doesn’t close fully, the DOWN switch should be turned counterclockwise.
Attention: adjusting the travel limit settings sounds easy, but it’s not. If you overdo it, you might cause damage to the door or trolley. So it’s recommended to leave such garage door opener repair tasks to the pros.
