Rail Care for Your Garage Door System

Maintenance for your garage door is key to ensuring it lasts its expected lifespan. It’s also important so that you can trust it is safe to use. Think about how many times you open and close this door on a daily basis or even on a weekly basis. The point is, it gets a lot of use, which means its parts get a lot of use, too. Parts that need maintenance include the garage door rails. 

Inspect All Parts, Including the Rail

The first step to maintaining the parts that work together to make your garage door work, including the rail, is to make sure to conduct inspections. This entails checking all parts. Look for indications that something is wrong or off – for example, you might be able to see that a part like a chain or belt has come loose. Look for signs of wear and tear, for example, you might see that something is cracked or outstretched. You will also want to look for indications that parts are corroding or forming rust. These are all signs that the parts might need replacement, or at least extra care and attention. If you don’t feel comfortable or confident in inspecting your garage door and its parts, this is certainly something that you can hire an expert for. We do recommend setting up an appointment to have this done, because the expert is going to know what to look for and might notice things that you will otherwise miss. 

Clean Parts – Including Rails

It is important that you keep your garage door clean. How can you do this? It’s actually very simple. You can clean using a rag which will help to get rid of any build up that has accumulated over time. Having clean parts is important to the overall functioning of your garage door. Make sure to wipe down the rails while you are at it! 

Lubricate Parts, Such as the Rail

Lubricating moving parts is very important in ensuring that they will stay in good shape for as long as possible. Do this after you clean using a rag, as mentioned in the previous step. The parts that work together to make your garage door function safely and smoothly end up being exposed to the elements and they are used on a daily basis in many cases, so it is important that they are well taken care of. 

Do you hear a noise coming from the garage door when you open and close it? If so, it might mean that parts need to be lubricated. Parts that you should lubricate include the rails, of course, and the springs, hinges and rollers. This is something that you should do at least every few months. But again, if you are not comfortable doing this or you merely do not have the time due to your busy schedule, it is recommended that you call in a professional to do it. 

Maintenance for your garage door is very important in ensuring it lasts its predictable lifespan, if not longer. It’s also important so that you can trust it is safe to use. You wouldn’t want to be in your car, pulling out of the garage, only to have the door crash down on it. And you don’t even want to think about what would happen if a person was in the way when the door broke. Think about how many times you open and close this door on a day to day basis or even weekly basis. What we mean is, it gets a great deal of use, which means that all of its working parts get a lot of use as well. Components that need maintenance include the garage door rails, amongst other ones.

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of how important each individual part is to the overall safe functioning of your garage door. And we hope we have brought awareness to the fact that the rails need care and maintenance, too. Remember, inspecting parts to make sure nothing looks out of the ordinary is important. Looking for problems like rust and corrosion is important because the faster you get rid of it, the better. You could even notice problems like mold spores developing if you look closely enough (this is something that can be fixed by an expert, by the way, but in the meantime, you might want to try white vinegar to clean things up). Keeping parts clean is very important and relatively easy to do. Notice snow or ice building up? Clean it off. Notice a lot of dirt or dust? Clean it up! Finally, lubricating parts is important to ensure they will function smoothly. 

The last step is to call in an expert to make sure everything is working as it should. We do recommend calling us if you are in our service area and need proper maintenance for your garage door rails. But if you are reading this from another city, we recommend a Google search for “garage door repair expert near me” or even “garage door company near me” to get connected with a place you can count on. Hire someone licensed and insured to work on your garage door, whether you need rail care or something else!