Preventative Maintenance

Most people don’t think about their garage door until they are in need of it. The only time they look at it is when entering or exiting the garage, but putting in a little thought and effort can have a huge payoff. Preventative maintenance is the act of conditioning or repairing equipment before it fails (breaks), and like all machines, your garage door will benefit from a preventative maintenance schedule.

Benefits of preventative maintenance:

Reduce failure frequency

Extend the useful life of your door and opener

Reduce the magnitude of failures and repair costs

Increase safety

Peace of mind

Some people strongly believe in keeping things in excellent working condition, while others are of the mindset that “If it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it.” While others simply wonder why they should spend money on their door when it is still working “It worked just fine for the last 8 years!” However there are many benefits to preventative maintenance. Performing preventative maintenance will reduce the frequency of breakdowns by lengthening the useful life of the components of your door, if parts last longer you won’t need to replace them as often. A smoothly running door ill put less strain on your automatic opener too, which in turn will allow it to last much longer before it breaks down. Also if you have one of our trained technicians looking at the door, we can identify major problems before they happen. When replacing an $8.50 hinge or two can save you from having to replace a damaged $400 section, it’s not only saving you money, it’s also saving you time. Especially if you have an older door, or a wood door that may take time for a manufacturer to fabricate. Another benefit of preventative maintenance is arguably the most important one: safety. Garage doors are very heavy, often hundreds of pounds, and if it fails and falls it could damage the door extensively. It can sometimes crack or damage the driveway or door frame, if it lands on your vehicle you’ll need a good body shop to do the repairs on your car (can be very expensive!) And there’s always the chance of the unthinkable. It could fall on a pet, friend or member of your family.

So now you’re wondering what kind of preventative maintenance is right for you? The truth is every door is different. Even if you have the exact same door as your neighbor across the street, installed at the same time, you will still have different needs than they do. Everything from the direction your door faces (north? South?) to how much ventilation your garage has, to how often you use it, and even what you park in it will all effect the wear rates of the door and it’s components. Why not have the peace of mind that comes with having a JMAC technician inspect your door and help you develop a preventative maintenance plan that is customized to your specific needs and wants.

Paul Janzen

Garage Door Technician – J.Mac Doors Ltd