How To Prepare Your Garage Door For Summer
As summer approaches, you might be thinking of getting your garden ready for summer. While mowing your lawn and setting out your garden furniture are likely to be at the front of your mind, you shouldn’t overlook your garage door.
Garage doors play a crucial role, keeping your vehicle and possessions safe from thieves, keep your home secure if you have an integral garage, and preventing overheating of your cars. Garage doors often take wear and tear over winter, from heavy rain, wind, ice, or the cold, so spring or early summer is an ideal time to prepare your garage door ahead of the warmer months.
How Summer Impacts Your Garage Doors
Here we look at how summer impacts your garage space and cover the inspections and maintenance that you should carry out.
Lubrication
Lubricants on moving parts break down when exposed to moisture, cold, and ice. To replace the lubricants and keep operation smooth, you should use a garage door lubricant and apply this to rollers, pulleys, tracks, hinges, screws, chains, and any other moving part. However, you should avoid using too much lubricant because it may then become ingrained with dirt.
Cleaning Your Garage Door
The outside of your garage door may have become caked in dirt from heavy rain, while the inside is prone to a build-up of dust, grease, and oil. You can wash both sides of garage doors using soap and water. Rust patches on metal garage doors can be sanded and painted with a zinc primer. A water sealant can be applied to protect the garage door from the elements, or you can take an old-school approach and use car wax instead.
Conducting An Inspection
You should give garage doors a visual inspection for wear and tear before summer begins. Things to look out for include frayed cables, broken springs, rust, and damaged hinges or bearings.
If garage door parts are damaged, you should have them professionally replaced straight away. Failing to repair these parts can lead to safety issues, potentially damaging your vehicles or a member of your family.
Insulation
No one wants to get into a hot car so maintaining a comfortable garage temperature is essential. If your garage door does not have or has damaged insulation, then this should be replaced. Insulation helps your garage retain cool air and prevents moisture build-up, which might then lead to mould formation.
Auto Stop And Reverse
If you have an automatic garage door, you should check the auto stop and reverse safety feature. You can safely perform the check by placing a piece of wood in the doorway and then closing the door. The door should stop and reverse when it makes contact with the timber. You can also test the photocells that detect people or animals in the doorway. Use your remote to close the garage door, and while it is closing, move your leg across the opening.
Check The Locks
You can check the locks of your garage door by locking and unlocking them. The operation should be smooth. If the lock is stiff, it needs attention to ensure it does not fail, giving thieves an opportunity or locking you outside.
For more information on garage door maintenance or a free site survey and quote on new garage doors, please contact our team.