Your garage door goes through a lot of use and abuse over the years, and it can have problems if not taken care of properly. Taking steps to keep your garage door maintained will not only keep it working, but will also save you money in high repair bills. Follow the tips below to prolong the life of your garage door.

Take Care of the Hardware

Your garage door has many moving parts and hardware that could go bad. To prevent this from happening, you should keep these parts clean. Use a damp rag to wipe down the rollers and tracks. If you see any cob webs, remove them with a broom. Inspect the roller hinges for any loose belts. If found, you need to replace them. When everything is cleaned and tightened, spray the track, roller, and hinges down with a lubricant that is made for this purpose. You can find this at a hardware store. This will loosen up moving parts. The lubricant acts a sealant on the parts so dirt will not build back up on them.

Inspect the Rubber Seal

There is a rubber seal that runs along the bottom of the garage door. This seal prevents cool air and water from getting into your garage. Over time, this seal can become worn and start to rip and crack. If you see that your seal looks like this, you should replace it. Simply remove the old seal, and take it to a home improvement store. This will allow you to find the right type of seal to replace it. Measure the bottom of the garage door before you purchase a seal to ensure you purchase the right length.

Test for Safety

Garage doors can be dangerous if they are not working properly. For example, if the sensors are not working, the garage door will close even if there is an object in its path. There are two sensors that are located at the bottom of your garage door with one being on each side. There is a beam that runs from one sensor to the other.

Open the garage door and place something in the path of this beam. Close the door and it should start to close but immediately reverse and open again once it senses there is an object in its path. If this does not work, the sensors could be dirty. Try cleaning them with a damp rag and try to close it again.

If you found anything wrong with your garage door, or for additional info, contact a garage door company to come to your home to fix these problems.