Prolonging the Life of Your Electronic Garage Door

Garage door replacement is inevitable, but shouldn’t need to be done often. The typical garage door should last 5-10 years without have to replace it entirely. Normal maintenance and upkeep will prevent you from having to go out and buy a new one.  When they are maintained properly, they work fine. Provided are a few ways to keep yours working fine for many years.

Proper Testing

The first thing you should do is properly test your garage door. Most people do not pay any attention to the functionalities of their door until it is too late and operating poorly. Make sure the door is in a down position. Pull the manual release cord to release the door from the garage door opener. Lift the door midway and then let it go. Should your door remain in that position, it is properly balanced. However, once released, if it slides back down or continues to roll upward, then a rebalancing is needed.

Also notice the effort that is required when lifting the door up. Was it hard to lift or was it easy? If it is difficult to lift, more than likely your torsion coil springs probably need adjusting or replacing. If the door continues to move upward even after you let it go, the springs may be too weak. In any case, it is best to hire a professional to adjust or replace them. They are under high tension and could cause serious injury.

Change Battery

Many people forget to do the simple step. The first thing to check, when your electronic garage door is not working properly, is the batteries in the opener. You can do this by applying pressure to the bottom of the garage door remote control. A light indicator on the opener will let you know if the batteries have enough charge for operation. If the light is not on, or if you can barely see it due to dimness, go ahead and change the batteries.