Self Check of Broken Garage Door Broken garage door can be really annoying at times as it may hinder your daily activities. You may want to fix garage door on your own but it can be very dangerous thing to work on. You should get your garage door periodically checked in order to prevent untimely happening. Periodic checkup will let you know if the door is getting heavy over the year, and the opener is under stress while operating.
You will also get to know if there are any friction points in the movement range of the door. Since it is a mechanical device, it goes through its own wear and tear; you will not be able to comprehend any problem until the opener quits working. Before you hire garage door service Toronto, here are few things you can do to prolong the life of garage door and its opener. Make sure there is no garage on the floor along the length of movement of garage door. Keep the movement area clear of any debris and other objects like boxes or dust lawn mower.
The majority of the garage doors now have electronically operated automatic opener system. Opening a heavy door on your own day-in and day-out will result in sore back. The second thing to check is the balance of your door, which means the springs counter balance the weight of the garage door. If the springs are working perfectly, the opener has less work to do while opening and closing.
Automatic opener will be effective even with old and worn out springs and the heavy door. But with continued usage and passage of time the plastic parts of the opener will give up under strain and overwork and may beak or strip. You may not be able to detect these things; you need garage door service Toronto to find this out. Get the balance checked at least once in a year. Here is some exercise for you.
- You can see a red emergency release cord hanging down one to two feet from closed door. As you pull this cord it will disconnect the door and you can move the door by hand. In case of broken garage door opener or if there is no power, use this cord to open the garage door.
- Move the door by hand to check if there is any hindrance in its movement. If you hear any squawking or squeaking count, it means you need to lubricate the hinges.
- Next, to check the second roller from the top raise the door from way down to up to knee high. Check if the roller is in the radius of the track. As the door is moved from vertical to horizontal you see the curved part of the tracks. If the springs are functioning properly the door will not come down under its own weight.
- The door should hover by itself if the springs are in perfect condition. Even as you move the door you do not feel the weight on your arms or the door does not slam down if you leave it, provided the springs are in perfect condition. You can fix garage door on your own if you know these small things.