Sunday, July 14, 2013

Garage Door Opener Maintenance

A properly functioning garage door opener is much more than a convenience. Keeping the garage door opener maintained properly will prevent serious injuries from occurring. The opener operates the single heaviest moving part in your home. Children should learn to use caution around the garage door even if there is not an opener attached. Regular maintenance checks should be done monthly to ensure that the opener is working properly.

Monthly Inspections

    The monthly inspections and tests that you perform on your garage door will ensure that it is working properly. These inspections are also a safety check to be sure that there are no hidden dangers waiting to injure someone in your family. The owner's manual for your particular garage door opener has a wealth of information included that will help you to perform your monthly safety checks. Below are the monthly tests that you should be conducting to ensure that your garage door opener is working properly.

Safety Testing

    The first test is the reversal test. All garage door openers should be equipped with a reversing feature. If you have an older model garage door opener, it will have to be replaced with one that has this safety feature. The reversing feature on your garage door opener should be tested every month. The reversing feature on your garage door is what will cause it to reverse direction when it hits an obstruction such as your head.
    To perform the test, place a piece of wood on the floor beneath the garage door that is 1-1/2 inches thick. When the door is closed on the wood, it must reverse directions as soon as it hits the wood. If the door does not reverse after hitting the wood, it must be replaced or repaired.

Check Force Setting

    The force setting on the door can be adjusted if it is too excessive. To test the force setting on your door, hold the bottom of the door while it is closing. The door should reverse direction easily. If it does not, the force setting should be adjusted. The force setting is the amount of force your door will use to close. When the setting is too high, it will move downward with more pressure and not reverse direction easily.

Visually Inspect the Opener

    The garage door opener should be visually inspected for signs of wear on the springs, pulleys, rollers and all of the hardware on the door opener. The springs are particularly dangerous. You should never attempt to replace or repair the springs on your own. A qualified garage door repairman will be able to remove worn springs for you. The springs are under a great deal of tension and have killed unwary homeowners who have attempted to remove or repair them on their own. When the garage door is closed, the springs are under the greatest amount of tension. Never adjust the screws on the bottom brackets of the garage door; these are connected to the spring.

Test Door Balance

    Use the release on the garage door opener to manually perform this test. From a closed position, the door should be easily lifted without much resistance. When the door is about 4 feet from the floor, check to ensure that it remains open when you let go of the door.

Maintenance

    Use lubrication on all the moving parts of the garage door opener every month. Light oil such as WD-40 is the preferred lubricant over a heavy grease or oil. WD-40 can be found in any hardware or department store. Avoid the plastic parts.

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