The door on your home's garage has some moving parts that need regular maintenance to keep the door working correctly. Working with your local garage door service to have the door inspected and maintained is often the best way to ensure the door will work when you need it to and keep the noise coming from the door to a minimum when it is in motion. 

 Garage Door Inspection

Having a seasonal garage door inspection is an excellent way to ensure that any problems with the door are caught before they become a problem. Typically the garage door service tech will go over the hardware on the door to ensure it is all there and nothing is missing or loose. 

The tech will check the tracks for straightness, and the lift springs on the door are inspected for cracks or damage. Over time the springs can lose some strength, so the tech may need to add some tension or replace them with new garage door springs to lift the door properly. The garage door opener is also checked to ensure it is working properly and the belt or chain is tensioned so that it does not slap the frame and make noise when the door is in motion.

General garage door maintenance will not take too long and could uncover issues that, if neglected, could be expensive to fix later. If there is a problem, the tech will let you know and discuss the options for repairs with you. 

Damaged Garage Door Springs

If one of the garage door springs is cracked or broken, the garage door service will most likely recommend replacing the springs immediately. The door springs counterbalance the door's weight, so damage to these springs can make it challenging to open the door, and the added stress can damage the door opener if you are using one in your garage. 

Modern garage doors use a set of torsion springs over the top of the door, and when they are new, they load when the door is in the down position. As the door opens, the springs unload to help push the door up and then load again as the door closes to keep it from slamming.

As a result, the garage door springs remain under tension or load more than not, so a failure of the springs is not all that uncommon. Replacing the springs is not overly challenging, but once the new garage door springs are in place, they need tensioning. 

The tech will set the tension on the new garage door springs, and the next time they come to service the door, they can check the tension and adjust it if required. Contact a garage door service to learn more.