Nowadays, most single-family homes have a garage and with that, a roll up garage door. These doors generally are opened multiple times throughout the day, which increases the chances of malfunction or problem due to the heavy usage. That is why routine maintenance is recommended to prolong the longevity of roll-up garage doors. However there’s no need to bring in a professional. The homeowner himself can do maintenance a few times a year on garage doors.

To maintain your doors, start off with a wash of the exterior to clean up residue and dirt built up over time. Repainting can keep the appearance of the garage doors, making it look newer and as fresh as the first day they were put in. Look at the rollers to determine if there is any damage. If there is, you must purchase new rollers, usually found at any local home improvement store. To remove broken or old rollers, use a socket wrench to loosen the bolts on the roller hinge. Once that is done, you can then put in the new rollers and then put back and tighten the bolts you removed before.

Also, check the tracks on the door to make sure they are aligned. If they are not aligned, loosen the blots and adjust the track enough to align the door tracks. Once aligned, retighten the bolts. Once done with the track alignment, check the tracks’ mounting brackets. You should check for dents or bending in the tracks. If there are bents, then using a hammer or mallet, straighten out the dents. Be careful not to further damage the tracks, as they would need professional repair and replacement if they are heavily damaged.This is a great way to keep your roll up garage doors staying brand new for years to come.

Do a sweeping check of all hardware to make sure everything is tightened. Roll doors should not have loose screws on the hinges that secure section of the door together. Also check the tension of the roll-up garage doors by pulling the cable of the door pulley through the plate located at the top of the garage door. Tie the ends accordingly to the desired and appropriate tension.

Keeping up with routine checks on garage doors maintains and extends the life of garage doors, keeping you from having to spend money on replacing old and worn out, broken garage doors. The homeowner can do simple maintenance and repairs, all the while, helping to keep garage doors efficient and working.