Seasonal Archives | Whitby Garage Doors Ltd.

Seasonal Garage Door Maintenance Checklist

Year-round garage door maintenance is crucial to keeping it operational, secure and durable. Seasonal maintenance is a preventive measure that increases the life span of your garage door and parts. It enhances your home’s security by prohibiting hazards like broken springs, unauthorized access and damage to your vehicle.

Proactive maintenance deters small problems from snowballing into bigger issues requiring expensive repairs or complete door replacements. Below are seasonal garage door preventive maintenance tips that guide you on what to do every season.

Springs Maintenance Checklist

Your spring cleaning list should include garage door preventive maintenance steps to remove the gunk accumulated during the winter. Upkeep involves washing the door to remove dirt, dust, debris and salt.

Clean the garage door using a mild detergent and a soft cloth. Avoid using a pressure washer, as it can cause scratching and other damage. Focus on areas around the tracks to remove dirt and dust that could prevent the door’s smooth movement.

Spring is a good time to perform visual inspections on the door’s surface, hardware, tracks, opener and panels. Look out for loose connections, damage and signs of wear and tear and make the necessary repairs, including sanding, painting and repainting. Inspect the weather stripping for signs of damage to keep out pests and debris while improving your garage’s energy efficiency.

It’s the best time to test the garage door’s balance by disconnecting the opener and manually lifting it halfway. Check to ensure it stays in place. If not, schedule maintenance or an opener replacement with a professional. Lubricate moving parts like hinges, rollers and tracks to ensure they operate quietly and smoothly.

Summer Maintenance Checklist

You want your garage door to look and perform its best during the summer to boost your curb appeal. It’s time to check and make changes that enable your garage door to shield your belongings against the elements. Here’s a summer garage door maintenance checklist:

Consider repainting your door if needed to protect it from the harsh summer sun.
Inspect your rollers and replace them if you notice cracks or signs of wear.
Remove the rust and apply the primer to prevent it from spreading.
Lubricate the moving parts of your garage door, such as springs, hinges, rollers and tracks, to extend the door’s life span and reduce friction and wear. Use a cloth to remove dirt and old lubricant, then coat the parts lightly with a silicone-based lubricant to prevent dirt and debris from accumulating.
Place a small object under the door to test the emergency reverse and photo-eye sensors. If these security features are OK, the door will halt and replace itself as it approaches.
Check for unusual movements and sounds in your garage door opener by wiping its exterior and lubricating its chain or screwdriver.
Replace the batteries on your remote controls and reprogram the unique keypad codes for extra security.
Replace missing or damaged insulation to maintain optimal garage temperatures, improve comfort inside and minimize energy costs.
Check and test whether the locks, bolts and brackets are tight.
Check broken cables for breakage and fraying and replace these to prevent unusual noises, further damage and potential accidents.

Fall Maintenance Checklist

Fall garage door upkeep involves getting your door ready to preserve its condition and performance. It involves:

Check the door’s balance to reduce wear and tear on the garage door. A well-balanced garage door stays in place when lifted halfway. Misalignment requires professional intervention.
Clear away fall leaves from the garage door track and open them to prevent clogging that may interfere with smooth operation. Make sure they’re perfectly vertical and not bent.
Examine and replace door rollers if you notice signs of wear, tear, overstretching, breakage and damage.
Inspect for warping and damage to the door panels and make repairs and replacements early to prevent significant costs down the lines.
Inspect the weather seals around the door and replace them if damaged to keep drafts, debris and pests out.
Reapply lubricant to moving parts, like tracks, hinges and rollers, to ensure they operate smoothly even as temperatures start to freeze.
Inspect hardware for signs of rust and corrosion and apply rust preventive to boost protection as moisture increases in the fall.
Schedule an annual professional inspection with a reputable garage door repair company. They have the expertise and experience to identify complex issues and suggest additional preventive maintenance steps.

Winter Maintenance Checklist

While maintenance throughout the year ensures your garage door can stand up against the extreme cold and intense snowstorms of the winter, you need to continue with maintenance steps even in the ice-cold weather. Winter garage door maintenance ensures it maintains performance and strength in the season when it works harder than before. Here are winter garage door upkeep tasks:

Clean the gunk, dirt, dust and debris from the garage door’s moving parts to prevent it from freezing and sticking in place.
Lubricate the moving parts to prevent the door from getting stuck and reduce wear and tear. Re-lubricate often because the cold temperatures thicken the lubricant, making it harder to operate.
Check and replace the weatherstripping if you notice cracks that let cold air and melted snow leak into the garage, leading to a frozen garage door. Effective weather stripping keeps the cold air out and minimizes energy costs.
If your door is frozen shut, do not use the automatic opener to try to open it. Instead, use a sharp object to dislodge it and a blow-dryer or heat gun to melt the ice.
Regularly clear ice and snow from the garage door tracks and panels to prevent it from freezing shut.
Check your battery backup capacity to ensure it’ll be available for extended power outages during winter storms.

Get Comprehensive Garage Door Maintenance in Whitby

While you can handle most garage door maintenance activities, trusted professionals will keep your door working smoothly through the seasons. Professional maintenance also prevents future problems and emergency situations by tackling them on time. It saves you time and money while preserving any warranties by ensuring repairs and replacements are done correctly.

Whitby Garage Doors is a full-service provider that offers routine maintenance, emergency repairs and new garage door installation. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, we offer fast, convenient and honest services. We offer same-day visits and consultations to our customers in Whitby, Ajax, Bowmanville, Cobourg, Oshawa, Port Perry and Uxbridge.

Contact us today to learn more about our maintenance and other garage door services, or schedule a service appointment with one of our experienced technicians.

5 Ways to Get Your Garage Door Ready for Winter

Prep your garage door for winter | Whitby Garage Doors

As we write this post, new record high temperatures are being set for Whitby and the GTA in early September. The long range forecast doesn’t show any daytime temperatures below 20 degrees. It feels more like June than September.

But September it undeniably is. The beginning of autumn and cooler temperatures. The precursor to winter.

It may not seem like a time to prepare anything for the onslaught of ice and snow, but it’s better to prepare your garage door for winter now than when the ice and snow actually arrive.

5 Steps to Prepare Your Garage Door for Winter

The last thing you need is for your garage door to stop working at the height of a blizzard. The following steps will help keep it in peak working condition throughout the winter.

1. Check the Operation of the Door

This one’s easy, unless there’s a problem. Whether it’s manual or you have a garage door opener, open and close the door. As you do check to make sure it moves up and down evenly, with it’s bottom edge remaining parallel to the garage floor. Also listen for unusual squeaks and sounds, particularly grinding noises from your garage door opener.

2. Tighten Connections

The panels of your garage door are connected to each other by bolted hinges. And the door is connected to it’s tracks through the rollers on each side. Check and tighten all bolts in these connections.

3. Lubricate the Weather Seals

The rubber seals between each panel, along the bottom of the door and around the door frame should be lubricated to keep them from sticking, freezing together and cracking.

4. Lubricate Moving Metal Parts

The garage door’s hinges, cables, springs and rollers should all be lubricated to keep them running smoothly.

5. Test the Safety Systems

You should do this at least twice a year and the autumn is as good a time as any. If you have a garage door opener, it has two safety systems. One will reverse the door if the door strikes anything as it closes. The other will reverse the door if anything crosses its path while it is closing.

To test the first safety system, place a 2X4 on the garage floor where the door meets the floor. Close the door. It should stop and reverse when it hits the 2X4. To test the second system, use a stick to push an empty cardboard box into the path of the door as it closes, while you remain well away from the door’s path. The door should stop and reverse as the cardboard box moves between the two photo eyes on either side of the door opening.

To learn more about keeping your garage door and opener it tip-top working condition, call Whitby Garage Doors at 905-665-8668.

4 Tips to Tuneup Your Garage Door this Spring – Part 2

In Part 1 of 4 Tips to Tuneup Your Garage Door this Spring, we talked about the importance of keeping your garage door and door opener operating smoothly and safely, and we looked how to inspect both for problems.

Here are three more tips to keep your garage door operating at peak efficiency this summer.

1. Check that The Door’s Safety Systems are Working

Your garage door is probably equipped with two safety systems. One stops the door and reverses it if the door strikes anything while it is closing. The other, the safety sensors, stops and reverses the door if anything interrupts the signal between the photo eyes located on either side of the door frame.

To check the garage door’s safety sensors, get an empty cardboard box that you do not need. Put the box on the driveway just outside the open garage door. Stand on the side of the box away from the door with a stick or something to push the box. Start the door closing and push the box between the photo eyes. When you do, the door should stop in its path and reverse.

To check the system that reverses if the door strikes anything while closing, with the door open, place a short 2 x 4 piece of wood on the garage floor where the door touches the floor when it’s closed. Stand away from the path of the door. Use the remote control for the garage door opener to close the door. The door should stop and reverse when it hits the 2 x 4.

2. Inspect the Door’s Seals

Your garage door has weather seals between each panel, along the bottom of the door and around the outside frame of the door. They should all be in place and undamaged to keep your garage well-insulated.

3. Lubricate the Door

Like an oil and lube for your car, this will keep your door running like a well-oiled (lubricated!) machine.

For metal on metal moving parts, like the hinges (never the surface of the rollers in the roller tracks) use a petroleum-based lubricant.

For weather seals and stripping between the door panels and all around the door, use a silicone-based lubricant.

Good luck with your garage door tuneup! If you spot anything that doesn’t seem right, or you need any other help or garage door services, call us at 905-665-8668.

4 Tips to Tuneup Your Garage Door this Spring – Part 1

You do it for your car, so why not for your garage door and garage door opener? Every spring, you start thinking about taking the car in for a tuneup, rotate the tires, oil and lube, check the brakes, and anything else needed to keep it running safely and smoothly.

What most people don’t realize is that their garage door can benefit from some of the same TLC. And you don’t even have to drive it to your mechanic’s shop. A spring tuneup for your garage door and opener helps to keep it running smoothly for longer, helps you avoid costly repairs, and most importantly, helps keep the largest and heaviest moving object in your home working safely.

How to Do a Garage Door & Door Opener Tuneup

Here are a few of the things you can do to make sure your garage door and door opener are all working well for the summer.

1.Inspect the Door and Opener

Check that all the moving parts of your door and opener work properly.

2.The Door

After disconnecting the door from the opener, opening and closing it by hand should be a relatively easy, smooth operation.

3.Door Hinges

Inspect the hinges between the door panels for signs of corrosion and/or damage.

4.Door Rollers

The rollers on the side of the door should run smoothly and evenly along the entire roller track.

5.Springs & Cables

Check the cables and springs that help balance your door for signs of rust, fraying and over-extension.

6.Inspect the Gear on the Garage Door Opener

If you see signs that the gear is slowly being stripped of its teeth, it might be worth having it replaced before you are caught at the worst time with a garage door that can’t open or close.

In Part 2 of 4 Tips to Tuneup Your Garage Door this Spring, we’ll talk about how to make sure the door’s safety systems and seals are in good shape and also how to lubricate the garage door.

Until then, if you spot anything that doesn’t seem right, or you need any other help or garage door services, call us at 905-665-8668.

3 Ways to Avoid Garage Door Problems this Winter

Is it just us, or does everything seem to work fine until it’s the worst possible time for it to break? For garage door problems, the worst possible time will be when you arrive home during a crazy ice storm on a freezing winter’s night.

Even if you’re one of those people who loves winter, it’s definitely not the time of year when you want to get out of your car and wrestle with the garage door to get it open.

Here are a few things you can do right now to help you avoid those chilling garage door problems:

1. Lubricate the Door

Yes, your garage door would benefit from an annual lubrication and now’s the best time to do it. In addition to helping the moving parts of your door operate smoothly, the lubricant gives them some protection from winter’s harsh conditions.

You’ll need a petroleum-based lubricant for metal moving parts and a silicone-based lubricant for weather-stripping and seals.

2. Check the Roller Tracks

If the roller tracks that support either side of the door aren’t parallel to each other, it could jam the door open or closed. Disconnect your garage door opener and check that the door works easily and smoothly by opening and closing it manually.

3. Always Check the Base of the Door

You can do this now and throughout the winter. During the fall and winter, the chances are higher that some debris, ice or snow can affect your door’s safety systems. If ice and/or snow build up at the base of your door, or leaves block the door’s safety eyes, it might not close properly.

Winter’s on its way. But by doing some maintenance on your door right now, you won’t have to worry so much about its arrival.

Turning Your Garage into Your Winter Storage Unit

We can’t remember a quicker switch from record-high summer-like temperatures, to single-digit chill factors than what we just went though in Whitby. One weekend it was lazing by the pool and the next weekend, well, you needed a warm jacket to do any outdoor lazing.

For homeowners the quick switch from summer to winter brings on the sudden realization that you’ll soon need to put away all your summer furniture and equipment. And your garage is the likely storage spot.

The only problem is that, every fall, there seems to be less space in the garage than when you took the stuff out in the spring.

But by putting an action plan into place (don’t you love action plans!), not only will you have lots of place to store your summer stuff for the winter, but you just might end up with a cleaner, more organized garage.

1. Determine What You Need to Store

One of the problems with getting everything into the garage is not knowing how much you need to store before you start. Every time you think you’re done, there’s another umbrella to find a spot for. Take a look at and count all your garden furniture, accessories and toys, etc., so you know how much you need.

Now is also a good time to clean your furniture, tools and equipment and prepare your gas-powered equipment for winter storage.

2. Prepare the Garage

The first step is to recycle anything you can to free-up as much space as possible. Then clean, organize and plan the space for all the things you know you’ll need to store.

3. Check Your Garage Door

With so many things now, or soon to be, in your garage, keeping it secure is more important. In addition to checking your garage door opener and security systems, fall is also a great time to practice some preventative maintenance on your garage door.

Remember this when you’re loading everything into your garage. You’ll be taking it all out again in only four or five short months!

Make Springtime Garage Door Safety Time

No doubt your springtime ‘to do’ list is overflowing. And, even if it wasn’t, your spring cleaning tasks are usually abandoned before they are completed.

But if there’s one that, if you don’t do it already, you should add to the list: a quick ‘safety inspection’ on your garage door.

If your door seems to work well enough, you might wonder why you need to invest in it. Your garage door is the largest single moving object in your home. It also is used at least a couple times a day. An object that is large enough to cause serious personal harm, or damage to your belongings, that’s used so frequently, should be regularly inspected before something serious happens.

Here’s a quick checklist of things you should inspect on your garage door at least twice a year.

1. Look & Listen

Do a visual inspection of the door, focusing on the parts that manage its operation, like the spring(s), cables, rollers and pulleys. Look for signs of wear or uneven operation that could be early signs of a bigger problem. While you put the door through its motions, listen for anything that doesn’t sound right, like grinding or squeaking, and find the source.

2. Make Sure the Door Reverses if Blocked

Your door opener is designed to automatically reverse a closing door if the door hits anything solid. To test that the system is working properly, place a piece of wood on the garage floor where the door comes down. Close the door and, if it doesn’t automatically back up when it hits the piece of wood, get your door opener inspected.

3. Make Sure the ‘Eyes’ can See Each Other

The electric eyes that are located near the floor on either side of the garage door opening are designed to stop the door if anything blocks the signal that passes between the eyes.

Check to make sure the eyes are working by placing a cardboard box between them and start to close the door. It should stop immediately or soon after it begins to close. If not, check the alignment of the eyes.

In the end, doing a garage door safety inspection should take only a few minutes. It’s well worth the effort to help make sure that you don’t have an unfortunate accident due to a malfunction.

Don’t Forget the Garage in Your Spring Cleaning

In fact, it might be an idea to make the garage a priority for the overall cleaning of your home. If you want to start by cleaning the garage, you’re bound to find some storage space, which you can use for some of the things you want to get out of the house.

Or you can finish with the garage. That will give you a place to quickly throw all trash when you’re cleaning inside your home. Then, after you clean out the garage, you’ll know that every square inch of your home has been ‘spring cleaned’.

No matter what route you take to tidy home this year, here are a few tips to help you get your garage cleaner than usual:

1. Take No Prisoners

If decades of installing garage doors have shown us anything, it is that people keep a lot of stuff that can be thrown out, and they keep it in their garage. Whether it’s a sentimental attachment or the old ‘I might need that piece of drywall one day’ mentality, it’s clogging up your garage.

Here’s a simple rule to use when cleaning your garage. If you’re not sure whether to throw something out, throw it out. But, be careful about not do put hazardous waste, like paints and motor oils, in the regular garbage pickup. To learn more about how to handle hazardous waste, here’s a link to Whitby’s Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste web page.

2. Gather Your Weapons

Cleaning supplies, boxes and containers – anything that will help you organize and clean the space in your garage because they often tend to attract items that fit into certain categories, including ‘sports equipment’, ‘garden tools’ and ‘automotive’. Use the boxes and containers to keep similar items. And clearly label each box.

3. Look for Potential Storage Space First

Practice your unforgiving attitude to throwing things out in those areas that will quickly give you some space to manoeuvre. As you continue to clean the garage, you’ll need places to put things for ‘just a second’.

The best part of cleaning the garage, aside from finding a spot for all that stuff that was lying on the floor, is the simple amazement of making a place that was so cluttered, so very organized again.

The Pros and Cons of Parking in Your Garage Over the Winter

One of the greatest perks of owning a garage is the ability to park your car overnight during the winter. No matter what the weather, you know that when you wake up in the morning and head out, you won’t need to chisel the ice off or brush a foot of snow off the roof of your car. Furthermore, parking inside the garage keeps the car’s fluids warm, which makes it easier to start.

Your garage offers your car year-round protection. In summer, it shelters your car’s paint job and finish from the sun’s damaging rays. In winter, snow, slush, and ice all melt away after you park in the garage (even if your garage isn’t insulated).

But the idea that it’s best to keep your car in the garage in winter has been challenged by those who say it could actually damage the car’s body panels, seals, and undercarriage. In an article in the Globe & Mail, two Canadian college professors outline the reasons why:

Moving your car in and out of the garage causes snow and ice to melt and refreeze, which can reduce the life of the seals on your car
In the dampness of the garage, the car can more often be wet than dry and combined with the presence of salt, those conditions can promote premature rusting

Come home from work or the grocery store, and your car is soiled with grey snow and road salt? If you leave your car in the garage, something undesirable might happen. The snow will gradually melt, creating condensation. The warm temperature combined with the humidity and corrosive substances spread on the roads will create a favourable environment for rust formation!

This can lead to oxidation of the body, exhaust system, radiator, etc., if you keep your vehicle in your garage. In addition, be aware that with repeated temperature changes, the rubber seals of your car could deteriorate.

While the jury’s still out on whether it’s good or bad to park in the garage in winter, the choice is yours. If you don’t notice any premature corrosion, and you absolutely love walking out to a clean car in the mornings (and who doesn’t?), then the garage is the place for you.

It’s Cold Outside – Good Time to Lubricate Your Garage Door

Ay, yes, lubricating the garage door. Not exactly at the top of your ‘to-do’ list every weekend is it? In fact, you’ve probably never done it or, at best, once or twice in the prideful enthusiasm of having just installed a new garage door.

And that’s not to mention the fact that, even if you were to world’s greatest maintainer of everything in your home, garage door and all, you wouldn’t choose to lubricate the door in the middle of winter.

But colder winter temperatures are dry, and when temperatures warm up even slightly, damp conditions can prevail. The flip-flop between dry and wet conditions can make garage doors squeal or even stick during operation.
Even if your door is just two years old, it’s time to lubricate it. And to maximize its working life, you should continue to do so twice a year from now on. Moving forward, perhaps you can set up a schedule of fall and spring lubrication times to avoid the really cold weather.

In any case, it’s not a long process, so you won’t get too chilly.

How to Lubricate Your Garage Door

You’ll need to know two things before you begin: what parts of the door you need to lubricate and what type of lubricant to use on each part.

Moving Metal Parts

Including the hinges that connect the door panels, the springs and roller bearings, the moving metal parts of the door should be lubricated with a petroleum-based lubricant. Not only will it reduce the squealing and sticking, but the door’s operation will be much smoother. The lubricant will also protect the parts against rust. It is important that you do not lubricate the surface of the rollers or the tracks they operate in, but clean them both thoroughly.

For PVC Seals

PVC seals are used between the door’s panels, along its base and around the frame of the door to help keep out noise and the elements. Use a silicone-based lubricant on all the seals. On the seals between the panels, the lubricant will help the door work smoothly and prevent premature wear. The lubricant will also stop UV rays from deteriorating the seals around the door’s frame. UV rays. And apply some lubricant to the bottom seal of the door to prevent it from sticking to the door jamb.

Just like that, you’re done. Now you can get back inside where it’s warm, comfortable in the knowledge that you garage door is well lubricated for at least the next six months.