Finding out how to maintain your garage door is crucial to keeping it running smoothly. Some malfunctions can trap your car in the garage, but regular maintenance twice a year can reduce the likelihood of such accidents. This guide discusses the basics of garage door maintenance, including inspections and simple replacement tasks such as grease for gate actuators.
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Necessary maintenance
About twice a year you should check the operation of your garage door. Does the door run louder than usual? Does the gate run smoothly or do you hear jerking? Gather the necessary tools before routine maintenance. Disconnect power to the door opener before performing preventive maintenance. If you are working with the door raised, fix a clamp on the track under one of the rollers to prevent the door from slipping. Garage door hardware needs to be inspected periodically for signs of wear. Check the garage door guides and hinges. Use a socket wrench or screwdriver to tighten any loose screws or fasteners on moving parts, if necessary. Check for wear on garage door rollers that are not attached to the cable system; steel rollers show worn bearings and may look crooked, while nylon rollers tend to crack with age. If necessary, buy and install new rollers.
Safety tests
Perform the following garage door safety tests and contact a professional for repair if any of them fail. Balancing the garage door. Disconnect the garage door from the opener so that it can be operated manually. Raise the door about halfway and then release it. The door should stay in place; if it slides down, it means it is not balanced. Call a service technician. Mechanical reversing function. Place a piece of wood or a brick on the garage floor where the door moves. Operate the garage door to make it close. When the door touches the block, it should reverse the direction of movement. If this does not happen, call a technician. Gate photocell. Locate the two photocells at the base of the garage door. Check the alignment of the sensors; when they are properly set, they will light up. Operate the garage door. When the gate closes, wave an object across the sensor path. The gate should immediately reverse. Test at least three different points in the path of the beam.
Lubricant for gate actuators
Most automatic gate openers consist of a linear actuator connected to a rotary motor. The actuator’s screw drive shaft transmits the force from the rotating motor to the screw drive arm. If the motor is not lubricated and left to dry, due to the high resistance of the piston, there is a delay and eventually, damage to the motor. Modern automatic gate openers can be easily lubricated. The piston mechanism is usually enclosed in a tube with lubrication holes on the sides. Lubricant for the gate actuators is distributed directly through the holes to the propeller drive shaft. The procedure is repeated about three times, after which the piston mechanism can be closed. For maintenance every two years, one injection of fluid into the hole for ten seconds should be sufficient.
