Garage doors are expensive. Garage door openers are tricky and difficult to deal with. Getting garage door repair can be a pain. So how can you avoid having to shell out the dough for garage door services?
One simple word. (Well, it's a hyphenated word.) Tune-up. Fairly regular garage door tune-ups can add years of life to your equipment and save you lots of money.
If your garage door is already making ominous groaning, squeaking, or grinding noises (beyond the normal sound of the chain-drive operating), you DEFINITELY need to give it a little TLC.
Check the metal rollers and tracks (some of them are made of vinyl.) Are they dirty? Do they need lubrication? Also check other movable metal parts- do they need oil? Just a little elbow grease can get things moving more efficiently and quietly, and help avoid future permanent damage, preventing corrosion or too much wear and tear. Keep in mind, just a few drops will do per hinge or seam- too much and the friction necessary to operate the machinery will be compromised. And the rollers and track only need about six drops.
You can also take this time to tighten any loose bolts or screws.
Make sure you CLEAN the areas before applying oil- a little wipe down with a damp cloth will do.
You can also check your garage door for good balance. When it's closed, un-attach it from the automatic opener. To achieve this, pull down firmly on the emergency release handle- every garage door has one. Then open the door halfway with your hands, and release it. If it is still correctly balanced, it will remain in the half-up position even without your support. If it creeps down very slowly, that's okay too. But if it lurches out of place, or if you can barely even get it into halfway position, you may be in trouble. This kind of unbalance can put undue stress on the garage door opener, and may lead to a breakdown further down the road.
This is the kind of thing that requires professional help to remedy, however- it requires an adjustment of the springs, which can be very dangerous for a lay person to attempt.
While you probably shouldn't be trying to adjust the tension of the springs, you can definitely help by lubricating them, or cleaning them if necessary. Its also a good idea to inspect them for rust, corrosion, or damage- a spring that suddenly fails can be very dangerous.
Another area to check is the weatherstripping on your door- the seal between the door and the ground. These tend to break down over the years from exposure to the elements and sometimes pests. If there are big gaps, you should probably replace the seal. Chances are you're wasting heating and cooling, and allowing insects and rodents further access to your home.
These seals tend to rest in a groove along the bottom of the door that has screws on either end to loosen to tighten. Open these before trying to remove the old seal or insert the new one.