An automatic garage door opener is a great convenience. In other words, your garage door opener allows you to open and close your garage door without ever having to step outside your car. Rather than lifting your garage door manually, the automatic operator makes it easier to come in and out of the garage especially during the colder months. Given these points, we recommend the following maintenance tips to keep your opener working smoothly.
Inspect Regularly
At first, we recommend inspecting the motion of your garage door at least once a month. Usually extreme cold, heat or humidity can affect electronics and lubricants of an automatic garage door operator. In other words, these types of weather conditions can cause the garage door to not open or close completely or properly. Also, an uneven speed or force could happen while the door is traveling up or down. Overtime if you notice your garage door not traveling smooth or completely, the travel limit or force settings may need to be adjusted.
Check Safety Reversal
Automatic garage door operators are supposed to stop and reverse when something or someone is in the way. As part of your monthly inspect, be sure to test this function as well. In order to do so, place an object underneath the level of the safety sensor, and lower your garage door. As long as the safety sensors are working, the garage door should stop and reverse before hitting the object. If it doesn’t, you could try increasing the downward travel limit on the operator. After that, the door will most likely reverse properly. If not, give Sterling Door a call at 586-412-5600.
Perform Manual Operation
Without a doubt, the purpose of a garage door opener is so that you don’t have to open and close your garage door by hand. Although it’s important to still be able to open your garage door opener by hand in case of an emergency. From time to time, raise and lower your garage door a few times manually to make sure it is working properly. Depending on the model opener you have, you may have to change the operator into “manual” mode. Be sure to check your owner’s manual before trying to lift the door by hand. Pay attention to how smoothly the garage door travels, any imbalances and whether or not the door sticks at any spot as it is moving up and down.
Perform Yearly Tasks
Lastly, at least once a year we recommend lubricating the rollers, bearings and hinges of your garage door opener and door. We recommend a silicone spray lubricant rather than WD-40 because it can dry out the parts. Do not grease or lubricate the tracks, as it will attract dust. Furthermore, make sure the emergency release handle is reachable. You also want to make sure all the safety labels and warnings are near the garage door control and visible. Another key point is to test the battery back up (if you have one built into your garage door opener). You can do this by unplugging the operator and watching whether or not the battery light is solid or flashing. A flashing light means the battery needs to be recharged or replaced.
If you need garage door opener maintenance or are having other problems, one of the certified technicians at Sterling Door can help you out! We service Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and St. Clair counties in Southeastern Michigan. We can be reached at 586-412-5600 or by email at info@sterlingdoorllc.com
Recent Comments