3 Benefits of Regular Garage Door Service

If you're like most homeowners, your garage is more than just a place to park your car; it's the main entry to your home. As such, your garage door is subject to a lot of wear and tear. Routine maintenance and garage door service will help prevent unexpected breakdowns; but that's far from the only reason to schedule an appointment! Here are a few surprising benefits of having your door tuned up and properly maintained by an experienced technician.

• Preserves the Life of the Door.  Every garage door and motor manufacturer recommends having the door maintained regularly. During a routine service appointment, the technician can lubricate the gears, belts, tracks, and chains that support the heavy weight of the door. Having said maintenance items completed will reduce the amount of friction the components are exposed to under regular conditions; thus helping to ensure that your door works for as long as possible.
• Reduces Costs.  When it comes to garage door repairs, preventative maintenance is always best. By fixing minor issues as they occur, you'll end up saving money and time by preventing major breakdowns in the first place. Inspections are part of every standard service appointment and your technician will be able to notify you of any potential issues before they do damage to the motor or the door itself.
• Improves Safety.  Poorly maintained doors can slow down as the motor struggles to raise and lower the door. Though it may not seem like it, this puts your home at risk for theft and intrusion. The longer a thief has to slip under the door when you leave, the more tempting of a target your home becomes. Regular service and maintenance will ensure that your door raises and lowers at an appropriate speed, keeping your home and the things you love most safe while you're trying to make it to your destination on time.

Whether you use your garage as your main entryway or only use it to park your car at the end of the day, routine maintenance is crucial in keeping the motor running well. Don't put off maintenance until you notice a major problem.

We encourage you to schedule a professional garage door service appointment with us at Roadrunner Garage Doors.

Why a Bowing Garage Door Needs Fixing

The garage door is a major element of the face of your home. We like to keep it looking nice for our curb appeal, and also functioning properly for daily efficiency. While there are other elements that may be more pressing to get fixed, such as the spring or the rails, it is still important that don’t choose to ignore your garage door if you happen to notice that it’s beginning to bow since it will need to be corrected sooner rather than later.

What Causes Bowing?

A bowing garage door is one that has warped and no longer looks quite right. For example, instead of being a flat surface, it can look dented in. Furthermore, as you open it, you may notice moaning or straining of the garage door opener as it tries to make a misshapen door fit in your garage. This, as you can imagine, is a large strain on your garage door opener.

While not all garage doors are susceptible to bowing, if you have a wooden garage door, it will most likely happen eventually. Wooden garage doors are vulnerable to temperature fluctuations where the extreme temperatures over time will cause warping. However, even steel garage doors can bow, but for different reasons. Usually in the case of steel doors, they bow because the garage door opener cannot handle the weight and it begins to warp in the center due to a lack of support.

Fixing a Bowing Garage Door

The reason a bowing garage door needs to be fixed instead of ignored is that it is a problem that is not going to get any better. The longer you leave a garage door once it starts to warp, the more it will warp. This is crucial because sometimes bowing can be fixed by having a service technician replace a few panels instead of the more expensive option of replacing the whole door.

Furthermore, by leaving a bowing garage door alone, every time you open it, it puts more strain on the entire system. What's more expensive than replacing a garage door? Replacing the garage door, rails, and opener if they break or also warp.

We encourage you to contact us with any questions or service needs you may have.