Home Improvement : How to Keep Garage Door Opening

Whether your garage door is a roll-up or a swing-up, regular maintenance is a must. Here are some simple suggestions for keeping your door operating smoothly.

Overhead roll-up doors: Most dragging or binding of overhead garage doors can be traced to improper track alignment or lack of lubrication. To keep things rolling smoothly:

--Tighten loose screws or bolts in the track brackets.

--Use a level to check that vertical tracks are plumb. If a track is out of alignment, loosen the track brackets (they have slots for adjustment) and tap the track with a mallet until it is plumb. Try straightening a bent or distorted track. If you can’t straighten it, replace it.

--Make sure the overhead track is set to slant slightly downward toward the rear of the garage so that the raised door will stay in the up position.

--Clean the tracks occasionally with a rag dampened with paint thinner.

--Apply a few drops of lightweight oil to the hinges and roller bearings once a year. Oil the cable pulleys and wipe the cables with an oiled rag.

Overhead swing-up doors: These doors do not generally require much maintenance, except for the moving hardware, which should be kept lubricated with oil or powdered graphite.

--Lubricate the hinges and rollers with the door in the down position.

--Keep the tracks clean by occasionally wiping them with a rag dampened with paint thinner.

--Straighten out any bends you notice in the track.

Adjusting garage door springs: Garage door springs are under tension. Use extreme caution when working with them.

--Some roll-up doors have a pair of springs mounted above an overhead track and connected by cables to the bottom corners of the door. The upper cable ends are usually attached to S-hooks that fit into the holes of wall-mounted brackets.

To increase tension, open the door as far as it can go, use clamps or a block of wood to hold it in place and move the hook forward one or two holes. Adjust both cables equally. If the cable is knotted to a hole in the plate above the door, increase tension by retying the holding knot so it is closer to the spring.

--Single-spring roll-up doors have a spring mounted across the top of the door opening. Increasing spring tension requires a great deal of force and is a job best left to a professional.

Swing-out doors usually have springs mounted vertically at each side of the door. To increase tension, move each spring up one or two holes in the door jamb brackets.

Weatherstripping: Periodically examine the bottom weatherstripping for wear and replace as needed. Before installing new weatherstripping, sand the door bottom and wash it with a mild detergent. Let it dry for two or three days, then paint it with wood preservative. This will help protect the bottom of the door from rain, snow and sun.

ROLL UP DOOR

This roll-up garage door has two springs, one at each side. The inside of the track and the roller bearings should be kept clean and oiled.

SWING-UP DOOR

This swing-up garage door has no tracks, make sure that all the hardware is tight.