Garage Door Maintenance

Alpha Overhead Door offers garage door maintenance services for both residential and commercial doors. Garage doors are known to last years longer with safety checkups and maintenance to relieve tension when needed. Garage door maintenance means one of our certified professionals will check your garage door before an emergency occurs through a series of safety and security tests.

Our maintenance check includes lubricating, tightening, and making minor adjustments to your garage door’s hardware and motor. As garage door experts, and the longest running garage door company in Billings MT, we know what your garage door will need.

Some of the tests we perform on your garage door include:

Door balance test
Force setting test
Reversal test
And other safety checks!

More information regarding safety tips and maintenance required for a longer-lasting garage door can be found on our Safety and Maintenance page.

Go-To Guide for Seasonal Damage Prevention

We have compiled a handy go-to guide for damage prevention which nature provides the perfect opportunity for adding exterior paint, garage door lubrication, and tightening garage door springs.

Spring: Tighten garage door springs.

Summer: Consider renovating, or repainting your garage door.

Fall: Readjust garage door springs.

Winter: Consider insulated garage doors before temperatures plummet.

Annual checks of your garage door operation allow our expert technicians to identify any underlying problems before they cause damage to your entire system or create an issue that may cost your entire door altogether. If your door hasn’t seen professional help in years, several parts have been worn down and may need replacing, but a maintenance appointment saves you from costly repairs. During each season throughout the year, there are subtle signs presenting the perfect time to perform such maintenance tip. Read below for further description of what each season presents.

What To Do During Each Season for Garage Door Maintenance

Spring

Right around the time the groundhog sees his shadow or not is when you need to visually inspect your garage door. Springtime is the first season in the new year to add garage door lubrication to the moving parts of your garage door.

Focus on the springs and bearing plates at the top of the garage door. Conduct a reversal test on your garage door to ensure the lubricant is evenly distributed. Also lubricate the bottoms of the rails where the rollers move back and forth and limit the lubricant to wherever experiences the most friction. As temperatures warm up, the hardware within your garage door system settles, and relaxes some tension held within the springs. Contact a professional at Alpha Overhead Door for expert tightening, and other garage door routine maintenance steps offered.

Summer

Garage door maintenance includes giving your garage door a tried and true facelift. The best time to give the face of your garage door necessary cosmetic renovations is during the summer months. Painting the exterior of your home, more notably your garage door, in pleasant temperatures allow for the paint to cure at an ideal rate, according to CertaPro Painters.

Around 50 degrees Fahrenheit is the minimum temperature needed for exterior paint to set for an immaculate, longer-lasting finish. View our gallery for garage door colors, styles, and installation inspiration. Consider painting earlier in the summer, or during the dryer season to avoid water damage.

Fall

Before temperatures plummet, garage door lubrication should be added to all of the garage door’s moving parts, as discussed earlier in the Spring section. Garage door springs in particular need necessary adjusting whenever it’s exposed to warmer or cooler temperatures. At this time, they would slight loosening, or routine inspection.

Book a special maintenance appointment with Alpha Overhead Door since adjusting your garage door springs are under an immense amount of tension, and need to be dealt with certified professional care. Our Safety and Maintenance page features more information about the importance of garage door maintenance, and the checklist every homeowner needs to go through for their garage door.

Winter

Winter snow and icy winds heavily weather a garage and its hardware system. After some time, and repeated usage despite below freezing temperatures, the garage door hinges, springs, tracks, or cables could break or snap under pressure. If there are unusually noisy grinding coming from your garage door, a professional should come to properly inspect it for potential garage door repair or parts replacement.

Consider insulated garage doors for new installation if your home experiences drafts or increasing utility costs. The inside of your home as well as your garage will be kept comfortable while the installation increases energy efficiency and extreme weather.

Contact Alpha Overhead Door for your Garage Door Needs

Don’t delay any garage door inspections! Your garage door is the largest moving door attached to your home, and we have the best technicians along with the longest running experience for the job. Contact Alpha Overhead Door when you need garage door maintenance or for your other garage door needs.

We are garage door industry giants in the Billings MT area. Alpha Overhead Door takes garage doors seriously, and we regard our residential and commercial clientele best interests for a longer-lasting garage door! As your garage door weathers through every Montana mountains season and the outdoor elements, consider Alpha Overhead Door maintenance tips and guidelines.

WE OFFER SAME DAY GARAGE DOOR REPAIR SERVICE

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY

Your Local Garage Door Maintenance Experts

Garage Door System Safety – An Automatic Decision

A garage door is the largest moving object in the home. It is often operated by an automatic door opener, which is why proper installation, operation, maintenance, and testing are necessary to provide safe, trouble-free operation. An improperly adjusted garage door or automatic opener can exert deadly force when the door closes. This could lead to serious injury or death from being hit by a closing garage door or from being trapped under the door. To decrease the risk of an accident with your overhead door system, schedule annual garage door maintenance with local pros like Alpha Overhead Door.

WE OFFER SAME DAY GARAGE DOOR REPAIR SERVICE

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY

Safety is Everyone’s Business

A few simple precautions can protect your family and friends from potential harm from a malfunctioning garage door. Please take a few minutes to read the following garage door maintenance and safety information. Refer to your garage door and opener’s manuals for details specific to the model you own. Then check the operation of your garage door and automatic opener.

Garage Door Openers Are Not Toys

Do not stand or walk under a moving door! Do not let children or adults play “beat the door.” It is dangerous and can result in serious injury or death. Adults should set a good example. Also, know how to use the emergency release in case someone is pinned by the door.

Do not let children play with or use the transmitters or remote controls. Always store them out of the reach of children.

The push button wall control should be out of the reach of children (at least 5 feet from the floor) and away from all moving parts. Mount and use the button where you can clearly see the moving garage door.

Teach Your Children About Garage Door and Opener Safety

Garage door openers are not toys. Careless operation and allowing children to play with or use garage door opener controls can lead to tragic results. Discuss garage door safety with your children. Explain the danger of being trapped under the door.

When using the pushbutton or transmitter, keep the door in sight until it completely stops moving. Teach children never to play under or near an open garage door.

Teach children to keep their hands and fingers clear of section joints, hinges, tracks, springs, and other door parts. Contact with a moving door or its hardware could cause serious injury. These injuries can also happen with garage doors that don’t have automatic openers.

Following these garage door maintenance and safety tips will help you protect yourself and your children from injury!

Monthly Garage Door Maintenance Checklist

Keeping your garage door system in great shape through regular maintenance is pivotal to ensuring the safety of your family, friends, and pets. Without regular garage door tune-ups, garage door parts could break suddenly, causing injuries or property damage. Add our list of garage door maintenance tips to your yearly home improvement checklist!

Garage Door Opener

Reversal Test
Force Setting Test
Check Safety Devices

Garage Door

Visual Inspection – Springs, Rollers, Pulleys, Cables, and Tracks
Door Balance
Lubrication

How to Test and Maintain Your Garage Door Opener

You should follow routine garage door maintenance steps once a month on your garage door opener. Review your door opener’s owner’s manual. If you do not have an owner’s manual, look for the opener model number on the back of the power unit and request one from the manufacturer.

There are three important tests you can perform to keep your garage door opener in great shape.

1. Reversal Test

Make sure your opener has a reversing feature. If one is not present, it should be replaced. Garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993, are required by federal law to have advanced safety features that comply with the latest U.L. 325 standards.

Test the reversing feature every month by:

With the door fully open, place a 1-1/2″ thick piece of wood (a 2″x4″ laid flat) on the floor in the center of the door.
Push the transmitter or wall button to close the door. The door must reverse when it strikes the wood.
If the door does not reverse, schedule garage door service with a local professional.

2. Force Setting Test

Test the force setting of your garage door opener by holding the bottom of the door as it closes. If the door does not reverse readily, the force may be excessive and need adjusting. See your owner’s manual for details on how to make the adjustment. Test the reversing feature after any adjustment. If you need help completing a force setting test, contact Alpha Overhead Door to schedule garage door maintenance in Billings and Butte!

3. Check Safety Devices

Many garage door openers can be equipped with additional safety devices. Consider adding a photo eye or edge sensor as an extra measure of safety to prevent entrapment. However, keep in mind that adding more safety devices will not make an old opener meet current U.L. standards.

Make sure the additional safety devices, such as photo eyes or edge sensors, are properly installed and adjusted (see owner’s manual). This is an important garage door maintenance step to keep your overhead door safe for your family.

How to Test and Maintain the Garage Door

Perform routine garage door maintenance steps once a month. It’s important to review your garage door owner’s manual for best practices. If you don’t have a manual, look for the model number on the back of the door, or check the lock handle, hinges, or other hardware for the manufacturer’s name and request a manual from the manufacturer.

Now, let’s walk through three ways to keep your garage door in great shape with some simple garage door maintenance tips.

1. Visual Inspection

Look at the garage door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and other door hardware for signs of wear. If you suspect problems, have a qualified person make repairs.

Garage door springs, cables, brackets, and other hardware attached to the springs are under very high tension and, if handled improperly, can cause serious injury. Only a qualified professional or a mechanically experienced person carefully following the manufacturer’s instructions should adjust them. The torsion springs (the springs above the door) should only be adjusted by a professional. Do not attempt to repair or adjust the torsion springs yourself.

A professional installs a cable on the extension spring (the spring along the side of the door) to help contain the spring if it breaks. If the garage door cable looks loose or worn, leave it as it is and call for professional help.

Never remove, adjust, or loosen the screws on the bottom brackets of the door. These brackets are connected to the spring by the lift cable and are under extreme tension.

2. Door Balance

Periodically test the balance of your door. Here’s how:

Start with the door closed.
If you have a garage door opener, use the release mechanism so you can operate the door by hand when doing this test.
Once you disconnect the opener, you should be able to lift the door smoothly and with little resistance. It should stay open around three or four feet above the floor. If it does not, it is out of adjustment. Call a local garage door company to take care of your unbalanced garage door.

3. Lubrication

Lubricate the door’s moving parts regularly—springs, cables, and hinges. However, do not lubricate plastic parts such as plastic rollers and idler bearings. Consult the door owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommendations. You can also schedule a garage door maintenance appointment near Billings and Butte, MT, with the local experts at Alpha Overhead Door!

Schedule Garage Door Maintenance Today!

Do you need help with these garage door maintenance steps? Contact Alpha Overhead Door! We’ve been serving Montana with top-rated local garage door service for many years, and we know how to ensure the best outcome for every home. We’ll complete a thorough garage door maintenance routine to ensure your overhead door system operates smoothly, quietly, and has a long lifespan protecting your family. Let’s get started on your garage door tune-up today!

WE OFFER SAME DAY GARAGE DOOR REPAIR SERVICE

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Garage Door Maintenance