Consider that a garage door and garage door opener generally include the following parts.
- Four door panels – some can have windows and they are generally made of wood, steel, aluminum, vinyl, and other materials
- 12 or more hinges
- 10 rollers with 10-ball bearings
- Horizontal and Vertical tracks with 90-degree radius sections between them
- Brackets to mount the tracks and other parts
- Safety photo eyes
- A torsion spring
- Winding cones
- A shaft that runs through the torsion spring
- Cable drums on either end of the shaft through the torsion spring
- Extension springs
- Pulleys/Sheaves
- Cable
- Locks and Handles
- Rail components
- Quick disconnect door arm
- A garage door opener
- Garage door bottom fixtures
- Weatherstripping
All the parts above that are in bold are moving parts. The door at the front of your house probably has three hinges, which, essentially, accounts for all of its moving parts. A garage door includes at least 30 or more moving parts.
Moving parts wear. Over time, they can break. The enemies of moving parts are friction, heat, and rust. The defenders of moving parts are oil and grease placed, in proper quantities, in the right spots, and in the appropriate frequency.
Grease and oil can reduce friction and heat and ward off rust. When your garage door was installed, it had appropriate applications of oil and grease. But, over time, the oil, and grease wears away and breaks down losing their lubricating capacity.
You’d be surprised how many garage doors have never had reapplications of grease and oil. The same garages were probably never checked or adjusted to ensure they operate properly. These are the first garage doors to break down. The lesson is clear – care for your garage
No comments:
Post a Comment