Maintenance Tips to Extend the Life of Your Garage

Garage doors are an important part of your house, but they don’t always get the attention they need. Regular maintenance can help keep your garage door looking great and running like it should for a long time. 

1. Wash Your Garage Door. A clean garage door not only looks nice but prevents rust from forming underneath mud, dirt and salt. Clean your garage door with mild, planet-friendly dishwashing detergent. Use warm water and a soft-bristle brush to get in all the nooks and crannies. Use a gentle, watchful hand; the last thing you want is to damage the paint or cause delamination. Steel garage door owners, take note: You can revive the luster of your door panels by applying a coat of car wax after you've thoroughly cleaned them; the wax will serve as a barrier to salt, rain and dust.
   
   
2. Check your door’s bottom seal. This is the part of your garage that keeps water, debris and animals out. A damaged seal can’t do its job and, come winter could ice up in bad conditions. Garage door seals are an easy DIY. New strips slide into channels on metal doors or are nailed to the bottom of wood doors. If you’re uncomfortable tackling this type of project, or simply don’t have the time, our technicians can help.
   
   
3. Inspect the nuts and bolts of your garage. If your garage door groans, moans or shakes, you could have a part that is wearing out or coming loose. Take a look at your garage door springs, rollers, cables, and other hardware, looking for signs of wear, rust or debris. Go through and tighten any loose screws, nuts and bolts. 
   
   
4. Test alarm devices. Test garage alarm devices like smoke, carbon monoxide and heat detectors every season. Also, check your fire extinguisher and inspect that it hasn’t expired. Don’t have any of these devices? We strongly recommend you go out and buy them as they are essential to keeping your home and family safe.
   
   
5. Replace the batteries in your garage door remote. It’s always a great idea to routinely replace the batteries in your remotes and check the backup battery for your opener (if you don’t have one you can purchase one here).
   
   
6. Check the balance. A garage door that’s out of balance could signal that a spring or cable isn’t working right. Test the balance by disengaging the manual release and raising the door by hand, pausing halfway up. If the door stays in place, it is balanced. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to call us to come and repair it.

If you’re doing more maintenance year after year, it could be time to shop for a new garage door. Overhead Door of Sioux City™ and Yankton™ have multiple types of garage doors to fit every style and budget. Ready to buy? Contact us.