Common Mistakes Homeowners Make With Their Home's Garage Door

A home's garage door is meant to be very strong and sturdy, as it needs to keep potential thieves out of the garage; it also works to insulate the space, blocking heat, cold, and humidity. While a garage door is typically very strong and durable, you want to be careful of how you use it every day, and especially when it comes to repairs it might need. Note a few common mistakes that many homeowners make with their garage door and its overall maintenance, so you can avoid these mistakes yourself, and ensure the door is always working properly.

Pulling or pushing the door

You might be in a hurry to get a door opened or closed, but avoid pulling it closed or trying to push it open. This can cause undue pressure on the opener motor, as well as the chains and springs that operate the door, so they suffer added wear and tear and break down sooner than they should.

You might also wind up pulling or pushing the door unevenly, so that a door starts to come away from the tracks that guide it as it moves. This can cause the door to start to shake and rattle when in use. If you find the door works too slowly for you, consider upgrading the opener so that it works faster and you don't need to "help" it along.

DIY and delayed repairs

A homeowner can typically oil the chains or springs of a garage door, and give the tracks a good cleaning with a garden hose when needed, but you want to be careful about DIY repairs that are outside your area of expertise. For example, if that track is bent, you might be able to straighten it with a pair of pliers, but if you don't check your work with a carpenter's level, you may actually make the bend worse! Always call a contractor for major repairs, and have the door fixed properly when needed.

Along with DIY repairs, you also don't want to put off repairs. A metal door that is starting to show rust needs to be fixed quickly so that the rust doesn't actually eat through the metal. A wood door that is warped or bowed will usually just get more curved over time. Groaning chains or springs may outright break if they're not repaired or replaced, so always address all these problems as soon as you notice them, to ensure your garage door is in good repair and working properly.