We all want to extend the life of the things we own and it should be no different when it comes to your garage. Most people tend to perform little to no maintenance on their garage whether it’s out of laziness or simply not aware of its benefits. Many components of your garage can actually last longer with routine maintenance. These components include the flooring, rollers, springs, sensors, the track, and the physical door. Let’s explore each.
Garage Flooring
We have an in-depth analysis in a different article of different considerations when it comes to choosing your ideal flooring, but we didn’t do a deep dive into the maintenance. Aesthetically, it’s important to clean your floor with water and a proper degreaser that will react well with your floor material. If you’re not sure which degreaser is best, any associate at most hardware stores should be able to help. This will help maintain the appearance of your floor.
Specifically for epoxy flooring, it’s important to avoid soap based cleaners as they will leave a layer of film that once set and is very difficult to remove. Also, avoid letting the floor air dry if you are in a colder climate as this can lead to the floor cracking. If you do plan to clean your floor in a cooler climate, manually dry the floor with either large towels or fans if you have them on hand.
Rollers and Springs
Depending on when you had your door installed or who may have installed it, you may have different rollers. Whether they’re steel, plastic, or nylon, each can have their life extended with proper maintenance. Proper lubrication is paramount when maintaining certain types of rollers .If you need assistance with choosing the right lubricant, check with an associate at a trusted hardware store as it will depend on the type of rollers you have.
Similarly, springs can be maintained with proper maintenance. With springs, we recommend thoroughly spraying the springs with a lubrication like white lithium grease or silicone spray. Any product that reads “garage door lube “ should be suitable.
Garage Door Sensors
Sensors are certainly the easiest to maintain. Maintenance would include removing any cobwebs on and around each sensor and cleaning the “eye” of each sensor. In addition, use a lightly damp microfiber cloth to clean these to avoid issues caused by scratches or residue build up that has attached to the sensors. We recommend checking the sensors regularly and keep in mind the sensors are fragile so do NOT apply too much pressure when cleaning them.
Garage Door Track
Maintaining the track includes both lubrication of the rollers and consistent inspection making sure tracks are tight and secure . We don’t recommend lubricating the track itself , it’s vital to ensure the wheels have room to roll unimpeded. There is no need to apply heavy duty grease or lubricate the tracks. Instead if dirty you can clean dirt or debris from them. This can help quiet down noisy operation.
Routine inspecting is always helpful. When closing the door from the inside, we always recommend occasionally watching it close in its entirety to spot any areas the track may be bent, cracked, or diverting from the mount.
The Physical Garage Door
Inside of Garage Door
The inside of the door has a metal brace that should always be inspected for any damaged components. In addition, we recommend cleaning the interior of the door on an “as needed” basis. Just like the floor, avoid letting it air dry in a colder climate and manually dry with towels or with the use of fans to avoid any cracking.
Outside of Garage Door
Inspecting the exterior of the door after it closes should allow you to spot any major issues such as cracks or dents. Most hardware stores will sell “sealers” that can be used, just check which product is compatible with your garage door material.
Lastly, you should inspect the seal both from the interior and exterior of the door to ensure it’s not damaged. Should you notice areas where it’s cracked, you may be able to purchase a sealer that will work on a temporary basis, but it’s important to have the entire seal replaced ASAP to ensure proper functionality.
Overall, maintaining all components of your garage is important to extend the life of the products and ultimately saving you money in the long term. Each component has their own price point, labor costs, and time it takes to replace. Should you notice any issues with any of the above products, we can assist with the replacement, just give us a call!