People get the brakes on their car checked. They get their car’s oil changed. Yet they completely ignore their garage door, the single largest moving object in their house.
“It goes up and down constantly, and no one does maintenance on it. It’s one of those things people just take for granted,” says Mark Griffin of Automatic Garage Door. The result is that the garage door may break much sooner than they should.
Whether you need your garage door repaired or replaced, Mr. Griffin recommends you find a journeyman with at least four years’ experience repairing and installing garage doors.
The key to a long-running and smooth-operating garage door, says Mr. Griffin, is proper balance. When an experienced professional comes to service your garage door, his first step should be to balance it. He should put the door on its manual setting, adjust the spring tension and oil the parts.
There are two types of doors that should not be serviced, says Mr. Griffin. First is a door without the safety sensors that are mandatory in newer doors. The second is an older, one-piece door that flips up and, because of its dangerous side springs, creates a safety risk. If you own one of these one-piece models, he recommends you keep all its parts well oiled, stay clear of the springs and purchase a new folding door as soon as possible.
Another piece of advice to anyone looking for a company to service their garage door: Visit its showroom—the very existence of which tells you the company is established. Trust your instincts. If the showroom looks and feels professional, that should help reassure you that the company is a trustworthy choice.
