Garage Door Maintenance in Raleigh, Cary, & Surrounding Areas
20 Years Of Experience
Whether you want to refresh your home’s look or select a garage door for the first time, you can count on our local legacy of expertise.
Garage Doors For Any Budget
Our team can help you find a beautiful new garage door that updates your look and fits within your budget.
Locally-Operated
We proudly serve homeowners in Raleigh, Cary, Durham-Chapel Hill, Wilmington, and the surrounding areas. Our customers are a part of our family.
Your garage door is the largest moving object in your home, and just like your car, it needs regular maintenance. Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t think about their garage doors until something goes wrong. And by then, the problem could have escalated into a costly repair. Regular garage door maintenance helps to prevent problems before they happen and keeps everything running smoothly so you don’t end up in need of emergency garage door repair.
Over the years, we’ve learned that preventative garage door maintenance is key. Just like changing the oil in your car can prevent your engine from breaking down, regular garage door maintenance helps prevent more serious problems down the road. After all, most of us rely on our garage doors every day, so keeping them in top shape should be a priority. This is the main reason we offer a comprehensive garage door maintenance program meant to ensure your garage door keeps running as it should.
Garage Door Maintenance Plans
The best way to extend the life of your garage door – and avoid the inconvenience of a broken garage door – is with routine maintenance. We recommend two maintenance appointments per year: one in the spring and one in the fall, before winter weather sets in. When you choose Garage Door Specialist for your maintenance needs, here is what you’ll get with each appointment:
- Check for signs of wear or tear on the door and operator
- Tighten all nuts, bolts, and hinges
- Adjustment of the tracks, chain, and belt if needed
- Checking the balance and adjustment of the spring, if needed
- Check the weather seals for any unnecessary gaps or spaces
- Ensure the safety reverse setting on the operator is properly reversing
- Lubrication of the operator rail, as well as all moving parts and components to prevent rust
- Check with homeowner to make sure all operator accessories are functioning and reprogram or recode the keypad, homelink, or remote as needed
Flexible Garage Door Maintenance Plans That Fit Your Schedule
Not everyone needs the same level of care, and that’s why we offer flexible maintenance plans. Some homeowners prefer to schedule maintenance twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall, while others are comfortable with annual visits. Whatever works best for you, we’ve got a plan that fits your needs and budget.
Another benefit for joining our garage door maintenance program is the typical cost savings between regular maintenance and a major repair. Garage Door Specialist’s four-visit maintenance program costs $299 plus tax and comes with a 5% discount on any necessary parts, whereas a major garage door repair could cost anywhere from $799 and up, depending on the parts that are broken and need repaired. There is clear value to a proactive approach to garage door maintenance.
This coupled with the peace of mind that comes with knowing your garage door is in good shape is priceless. You can rest easy knowing that our team will catch potential problems before they become emergencies. Think of it like going to the doctor for a check-up, catching issues early makes a world of difference.
Contact Garage Door Specialists today to sign up for our comprehensive garage door maintenance program.
What Our Garage Door Maintenance Plan Covers
During a maintenance visit, we go through a thorough checklist to ensure your garage door operates safely and efficiently. Here’s a detailed look at what we check:
- Springs and Cables: These are the most common culprits for garage door breakdowns. Springs control the balance of the door, and if they break, the door will fail to operate properly. We look for any signs of wear or damage on the cables, springs, or other components, and replace them before they break.
- Rollers and Bearings: These small parts are essential for the smooth operation of the door. Over time, they can wear out, causing the door to become loud and jerky. If we spot any issues, we replace the rollers or bearings to ensure smooth and quiet operation.
- Safety Features: Many homeowners don’t realize that modern garage door openers are equipped with safety features, like safety beams that prevent the door from closing if there’s an obstruction. It is actually required by a law passed in 1993, UL325, that your garage door has this safety feature. We test these features during every maintenance visit to ensure they’re functioning properly.
- Lubrication: We lubricate the rollers, springs, and other moving parts to keep the door running smoothly. Without proper lubrication, the door can become noisy and start to grind.
4 Garage Door Maintenance Tips You Can Do Yourself
A regularly scheduled maintenance appointment can save your money long-term by uncovering small issues before they become costly. You can begin this process yourself by completing these four steps:
1. Perform a Safety Reversal Test
Your garage door should stop and reverse to avoid any obstruction in its downward path. This means it should only apply minimal pressure to an object blocking its motion. To test this, place a 2×4 on the floor near the center of your garage door’s closing plane and close the garage door. It should stop once it reaches the 2×4 and retract upward. If it stops, your garage door has passed the safety reversal test. If it does not, contact Garage Door Specialist today!
2. Ensure Your Garage Door Opener is Compliant with Federal Law
Any garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993, are compliant with federal law under UL (Underwriters Laboratories) Standard 325. This standard requires all garage doors to contain infrared safety sensors. Unfortunately, most garage companies have stopped selling replacement parts for openers made before January of 1993. We advise against spending money to repair an old sensor and recommend contacting Garage Door Specialist to ask about our garage door opener selection.
3. Inspect Your Garage Door
It’s pretty easy to assess the immediate condition of your garage door, but it’s important to look closely to inspect the hardware, including the springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and other hardware for signs of wear and tear. If you do suspect damage or deterioration of any part of your garage door, contact Garage Door Specialist today. These pieces hold tension, so let one of our experts assist you.
Click here to see a diagram of everything that may need inspecting.
4. Conduct a Balance Test
It is important to keep your garage door in balance and well-adjusted. To determine the balance of your door, close it and use the release mechanism on your garage door opener to allow you to manually move the door by hand. You should encounter smooth movement with little resistance when you move the door upward. It should rest stagnant at 3 to 4 feet off the floor. If it does not, it is out of balance and should be adjusted by a professional. To have your garage door inspected or adjusted, contact us today.
Protect Your Family And Your Home With Regular Garage Door Maintenance
Your garage door serves as a key entry point to your home, adds a layer of security against break-ins, and increases your curb appeal. It’s the largest moving object in your home, so it’s important that it’s always functioning properly. Just like other investments, your garage doors require care to perform their best!
Regularly scheduled maintenance appointments ensure that your garage door is in working order. Our maintenance plans help avoid broken safety sensors, malfunctioning operators, faulty keypads, and so much more.
Trust Your Garage Door Repairs to Garage Door Specialist
At Garage Door Specialist, we can also provide repair and installation services. If we discover any issues during your maintenance appointment, we can repair them. If we think it will be cheaper to install a new door, we’ll help you through the installation process.
Our team is ready to help. Give us a call today to schedule a maintenance appointment at (919) 841-0030.
