Overhead Door of Permian Basin Blog!

Have you ever thought of the anatomy of your garage door? Probably not BUT knowing the parts of your door and how they work could really benefit you in long run. When there is a problem, you’ll know how to easily identify it and fix it or call a specialist when the job gets too big.

Follow along as we take you through the 7 aspects of your garage door.

Torsion Spring : This is used to counterbalance the doors weight in order to be lifted easily. This is the most dangerous part of your garage door. This spring is under constant tension. Tampering with it can cause serious injury so give an expert if you think the torsion spring is causing the issue.

Track : Guides the door up the ceiling and back. The track is one of the main aspects of your garage’s daily use. Preforming a seasonal check to make sure they are working optimally is beneficial. Make sure the track is clear of any debris or parts. If you are located in a salty area, corrosion can occur so be sure to give your specialist a call to insure you are using the right materials.

Roller : Rides inside the track, which move every time you open and close your garage door. Sometimes these rollers can become warn. Contact a specialist to learn more about how to properly replace them.

Hinge : Connect the horizontal sections. Sometimes these hinges can become noisy. A simple lubrication or oiling can fix it. If the problem continues, you may need to replace your hinges.

Section : The sections of your garage door are linked to the hinges and help fold the door as it is raising and lowering. Every garage door style has a different type of sectioning. These normally hold up well over time.

Lock Bar : Engages with the track to prevent the door from opening. This is used as a security measure to insure no one can enter your garage while it is closed.

Weather Stripping : Seals the door edges to prevent air flow. This prevents the inside of your garage from being subject to the elements

The sad truth is that garage doors do break over time just like automobiles and others devices that make our life easier throughout the day. However there are some do it yourself tips that you can use to prolong the life of the door and prevent a service technician to come to your house for repairs.

The first issue that people have problems with are photocell cameras. The cameras are located at the bottom corners of the garage door opening and are used to prevent the door from crushing items that are in the path of the moving garage door. A good tip to keep these cameras in good condition is to check and see if the wires are fasten to the cameras. There are instances where loose or corrosion on wires my cause the cameras to not receive the proper power in order to work. To fix this just cut off the bad section of the wire and strip off the section of the plastic coating to expose copper wire. Then attach the exposed wire back to the corresponding terminal the wire broke off of. Another important thing to check on the camera is to see if dirt or spider webs are in the lenses. If this is the case, apply a brush to the lenses wiping away the dirt and webs so that the cameras can see each other clearly.

If you have an older opener that doesn't have photocell cameras. A safety reversing sensor is applied to the opener so that if an object is in the path of the opener. The moving door senses the object when touched and returns back to the open state with damaging the object or the door. As part of maintenance a safety test should be conducted where you take a standard wood 2x4 and place it flat on the ground where the 2x4 is in the path of the moving door. If the door reverses with the 2x4 in the way of the opening then the test is complete. If the door doesn't reverse, the closed sensitivity need to be adjusted and you should call a overhead door technician with the model of the opener for further instruction on how to resolve the issue.

The last thing for our maintenance plan is to lubricate the moving parts of the garage door. You can get garage door lubricant at your nearest hardware store. With the lubricant in hand spray the lubricant on the small wheels in the inside track of the garage door. Also the other important thing to lubricate is the spring which will be located as a long black coil along the top of the opening or along the sides of the track. This will prolong the life of the spring by preventing friction between the coils of the spring.

You should do this maintenance plan every six months for best results of your garage door and opener. If you have any questions or have some other concerns while performing maintenance contact your nearest overhead door technician for assistance.