Preliminary safety warning
Before anything, it's important to note that you shouldn't touch any of the garage door's moving parts. This also includes springs, rails, and any other mechanical parts that aren't designed for human interface. Without professional knowledge and experience, all you're doing is creating unnecessary risk. It's especially dangerous if your garage door actually is damaged. In the worst case, you could get seriously injured or even die.
It's also worth noting that the steps in this guide are not a substitute for a professional inspection. The purpose of this guide is to help you safely identify any obvious signs of damage before they become serious. As mentioned before, certain parts of a garage door can be safety hazards when they're damaged. If you think your garage door may be damaged, immediately contact professionals for an inspection or garage door service & repairs.
Check for visible damage
The first thing you should do to check if you need garage door service & repair is look for visible signs of damage. Though many signs can only be noticed by professionals, all you're looking for are obvious signs. Without touching anything, you should look at each part of your garage door individually. While you should be close enough to see clearly, any closer than that is unnecessary. In the unlikely event that something breaks, you don't want your face to be right in front of it. The signs that you should look for include but are not limited to rust cracks; dents; chips; warping; deformities; discolouration; loose parts; and scratches.
Observe your garage door opening
The second thing you should do to check if you need garage door service & repairs is observe your garage door opening. Observing your garage door while it's opening allows you to take note of any oddities. There are a few common signs of damage to look out for while observing your garage door opening. One thing you may notice is that your garage door is slow to either respond or open. This can indicate that your garage door opener is struggling to lift your garage door. Another thing that can indicate this is if your garage door opener is excessively noisy. While some noise is normal, excess noise means that your garage door opener is working harder than it should be. Finally, you should watch to see if your garage door is shaking. Unless there's something wrong, your garage door should open smoothly.
Feel your garage door opener
Once you've opened your garage door, you should place your hand on the casing of your garage door opener. Garage door motors produce heat during operation as a by-product. The harder the motor is working, the more heat it produces. If the exterior of your garage door opener is hot to the touch, it could mean that your garage door motor is working too hard. In this case, you probably need garage door service & repairs.
Lift your garage door
The final thing you should do to check if you need garage door service & repair is try to lift your garage door. Before doing so, you should first disengage the door from the opener. Most garage door openers will have a lever or string that disconnects the garage door from the opener, allowing you to manually open the door. Garage doors utilise tension from springs to offset their weight. This reduces the load that the garage door opener needs to bear. Manually lifting your garage door lets you check that the springs are offsetting enough weight. If you struggle to open your garage door manually, it could be indicative of an issue with your garage door springs. This can be a problem for numerous reasons. For one, it puts strain on the motor, potentially leading to more damage. More seriously, however, is that your garage door springs could be at risk of breaking. Garage door springs, especially torsion springs, maintain a huge amount of tension. When the spring breaks, all of that tension is released instantaneously. If part of the spring breaks off in the process, the shrapnel can cause serious injury or even death.
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