Are you wondering how you can prolong the useful life of your new roller garage door? Read on and discover some of the common things that often compromise the service life of roller doors. Use this information as you conduct routine roller door maintenance.
Poor Balance
The door opener is likely to wear out quickly if you keep using it to operate a roller door that is out of balance. This is because that opener will be compelled to work much harder than would have otherwise been necessary to open or close a balanced door. How can you test door balance? First, disconnect your garage door opener by pulling its disconnect cord. This cord is normally red. Next, move that door up manually until you have opened it approximately halfway. Leave it and observe what happens. A well-balanced roller door will remain in that half-open position since its counterweight system will be functioning well. A door out of balance will shut itself. Call an expert to fix the balance issues.
Poor Lubrication
Roller doors have several moving parts, such as the overhead springs and the screw or chain. These components need to be kept lubricated so that the wear that they can suffer due to friction is reduced. Remember that you may need different kinds of lubricants for those different components. For instance, you may use a powdered lubricant for the overhead components while lithium grease will suffice for the screw or chain. Refer to the manual for the recommended lubricants.
Loose Components
The lifespan of roller garage doors can also be affected when timely action isn't taken to tighten any of the components that become loose. Why is this necessary? The numerous movements that the door makes as it opens and closes on a daily basis generates vibrations. Those vibrations can gradually cause the hardware, such as the bolts and brackets, to come loose. Such loose components can exert an additional strain on the operating mechanism of the door. Consequently, it will wear out sooner unless remedial action is taken to tighten those components periodically.
Impediments on Tracks
Debris and dirt on the tracks can make the work of the operating mechanism much harder than it should be. This is because the system must work harder in order to overcome the resistance created by the accumulated debris on the tracks. Clean out the tracks so that your roller door doesn't work harder than it should.
One of the easiest ways to maintain a roller door is to observe and listen while you use that door. Investigate any change, such as a jerky movement, which you notice. Call an expert for help in case the defect goes beyond the fixes that a layperson can handle. For instance, broken springs should only be replaced by professionals for safety and performance reasons.
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