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Garage doors are some of the most underappreciated features of your home. They are a fantastic feat of engineering that lets you automatically open and close hundreds of pounds with the press of a button. There a lot of moving parts, such as springs, rollers, motors, and much more that go into making a convenient garage door. What most people neglect to realize is that just like any other mechanical equipment, garage doors require regular maintenance and upkeep to operate smoothly.
This maintenance is not optional. Think of the door as your car. If you don’t regularly change the oil, get it serviced, and neglect its cleaning, it is going to break down and cause problems for you. A garage door can give someone access to your entire home, so it is very important for you to maintain it in tip-top condition. The door can break in a bad way if neglected for a long time. Having a regular maintenance session every year will help you observe and eliminate any issue before it becomes a giant problem.
Avoiding problems early:
For the most part, a garage door is completely exposed to the elements. It endures everything, from winter snow to summer heatwaves, and still functions as intended, But the individual parts that make up the door can wear out, get affected by corrosion, or get loose. If you neglect your garage door for a long time, it could one day simply refuse to open or close (which is worse). If the situation reaches this point, the repairs are going to cost you, both in terms of time and money.
The floor that your garage door sits on can erode over time and can cause several issues in your door, such as imbalance. It could also ruin your insulation and expose your garage to dust and debris. Fixing the padding regularly will prevent any of this from happening. Rust is one of the biggest enemies of the garage door. If you live in a humid area, an inspection might be necessary every 6-9 months since humidity speeds up the rusting process. Small parts could break completely, and larger parts like springs could jam up the whole system.
Safety hazard:
Garage doors are hundreds of pounds and are suspended over your head with a fine combination of rollers, motors and spring. Suppose you don’t do an annual inspection and replace the problematic part. It could break unexpectedly and fall on the head of the person standing underneath. This smack from a heavy piece of solid metal can be fatal. Luckily, this horrible situation is completely avoidable by dedicating a day of the year to your garage door’s maintenance. If you are not comfortable with your own diagnostics skills, you can always hire a professional residential garage door repair company for the necessary work for you.
Potential time sink:
An unexpected broken garage door can cause the worst kind of delays. No matter how fast the company you are working with operates, getting your door repaired will take some time. In the best-case scenario, it will ruin a weekend, and in the worst-case scenario, it can make you miss a flight or a crucial work meeting because your car is locked behind the door.
Avoiding financial loss:
A rusty spring is much cheaper to replace when compared with the door opening motors. If you avoid replacing faulty and loose parts before they break, the damage could expand to other expensive components. This is an obvious and completely avoidable loss of your hard-earned money.
Security of your home:
Your garage door is what is standing between your home and some lunatic burglar. If your door has week spots and broken pieces, a burglar might target them and get successful in breaking into your home. No price is greater than the safety of you and your family. Keeping your trusty garage door in the best condition is the smartest thing to do.
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This content is brought to you by Shahbez Ahmed.
Photo: Shutterstock