One of the (many) wonderful things about living in Southwest Florida this time of year is not having to worry about how much the weather will affect our garage doors. Since we don’t generally deal with extreme cold here, we don’t need to be as concerned about insulating the garage in the winter.
That doesn’t mean, we don’t have to do any maintenance at all on the garage door or opener. At least once a year, all garage doors should be serviced and inspected. There are certain parts of the door that are more likely to have weather related issues.
• Seal on the bottom of the door (Astragal) – This is important to check regularly. It is important to keep all those little bugs out of the house. If you are a DIY kind of person, snip off a piece of the Astragal and bring it into our showrooms, either in Fort Myers or Naples. Each manufacturer uses different styles of Astragal, so to ensure the best fit, bring in a piece. If you are not a DIYer, call Action, and our experienced technicians can install new astragal and service the rest of your door at the same time.
• Checking batteries – If you can’t remember the last time you changed the batteries on your remotes or your keyless entry, it is probably time to do so. Just open up the compartment and pop out the battery. Most of the compartments unscrew. Both the remotes and keyless entries take a watch size battery. Action’s parts counter has batteries for all manufacturers’ remotes and keyless entries.
• Springs – Most garage door springs are designed to last somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 cycles. Cold makes the springs brittle. A visual inspection will show if there are any signs of wear and tear. Springs should be replaced at the first sign of visible damage. Springs also require regular maintenance. Lubricating the springs with a silicone-based spray lubricant.
Do not use WD40. WD40 will drop off the springs and pool on your garage floor. It will also collect dirt in the springs and may cause damage.
• Broken Springs – If the springs do break, don’t try to continue using the garage. Most modern doors are too heavy for the average person to open with broken springs. If you can get it open, get your car out and then leave it closed until you can get the springs replaced. Some DIYers will attempt to change their own springs; however, this is a lot of work. You can always call Action to come out and change your springs and do a full service on your door.
A few simple steps should be all you need to take to keep your garage door from becoming a problem in case of weather changes. If you haven’t had your annual door maintenance done this year, consider calling Action to schedule it before the holidays.
