Automatic Garage Doors: Three Essential Tips for Ensuring Home Safety

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Your automatic garage doors are convenient and minimise the stress of parking your vehicle in a safe space after a long day's work. Unfortunately, the expedient nature of this feature allows numerous homeowners to forget that the door can cause injuries. In simple terms, a garage door is a heavy moving object. If it is neglected, it could malfunction, and an unexpected accident could occur. Therefore, you must be diligent in proper upkeep to avoid unfortunate incidents in your home. Here are the most critical care and maintenance tips for your automatic garage door. 

Check the Reversing Mechanism

The most critical safety feature in automatic garage doors is the auto reversal. This mechanism is incorporated in garage door openers to prevent the door from closing if there is an obstruction. Simply speaking, this mechanism incorporates an 'electric eye' which senses objects under a closing door. If the mechanism is triggered, the door will automatically go up again. Unfortunately, this element can malfunction due to impact, mechanical stress or poor opener handling. Therefore, you must test the feature regularly to prevent unexpected incidents. You will only need to place an object beneath the door as it is closing. If it does not reverse automatically, you should call for repairs.

Lubricate the Drive and Other Parts

You should lubricate the gear or chain drive controlling your automatic garage door. If the drive is dry, it will generate a lot of friction during opening and closing. As a result, the door will be more prone to failure and malfunction. You should acquire light oil for lubrication purposes. Squirt or spray some of the fluid on the drive element to promote smoother movement. You should note that this simple maintenance task can also reduce the noise generated by the door during operation. It is advisable to lubricate other components which might be vulnerable to friction. These parts include the rollers, hinges, latches and tracks.

Perform Immediate Repairs

Finally, you should monitor your automatic garage door for anomalies and malfunctions. If there are unusual issues, you should commission immediate repairs. For instance, the rollers and hinges of your garage door might get stuck in place due to rust or grime. If there are signs of corrosion, you should use steel wool to eliminate the deposits. If there is stubborn or sticky grime, you should use a softening fluid such as kerosene and a brush to clean the area for optimal performance. If you cannot troubleshoot the problem, you should hire a qualified technician.

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13 April 2018

Opening and Closing Garage Doors

Hello. My name is Benny and I would like to talk to you about the steps you should take if your garage door will not open or close. I am not a professional garage door repair guy, but I have had the pleasure of seeing one of the finest garage service contractors in Sydney at work. I called out the contractor when I discovered that my garage door wouldn't open or close. It was completely stuck. I called the contractor who came out and started to work on the door. He taught me some really cool things which I would like to share here.