Safety and Maintenance Tips

Five Star Overhead Garage Door

A white garage with a wooden fence in front of it.

Helpful Tips to Maintain Your Garage Door System

Here are some useful tips to know before operating your garage door or inspecting your garage door and its opener:

Check the garage door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and all hardware for fraying or wear. Worn hardware should be replaced to prevent breaking. If your garage door has two springs, always replace both the springs at the same time.
Garage doors with extension springs require a safety cable. If you have a door with extension springs but no safety cable, call Five Star Overhead Garage Door at (732) 605-3507 to schedule an inspection.
All garage doors, including older models, should move smoothly. If your door opens and closes awkwardly, its spring system may be out of balance.
Garage door springs, brackets, cables, and other pieces of hardware are under extreme tension. Only trained and qualified technicians should adjust or loosen any garage door materials. You can trust the team at Five Star Overhead Garage Door to work on your garage door's hardware.

Keep the owner’s manuals for your garage door and garage door opener hanging near your door for easy reference.
Regularly lubricate the moving parts of your garage door. Be careful to avoid any plastic pieces, such as rollers and idler bearings.
You should periodically test the balance of your garage door. If you have a garage door opener, use the release mechanism and operate the door by hand. You should be able to lift the door smoothly and with little resistance, and it should stay open three or four feet above the floor. If the door does not stay open at this height, have it adjusted by a qualified Five Star Overhead Garage Door technician.
In the event of an obstruction, your garage door should readily reverse to avoid damage. Improper force settings can cause permanent damage to a child, pet, or object that crosses paths with a closing garage door. To ensure the force setting is adjusted accurately, you should have your garage door tested regularly by a Five Star Overhead Garage Door certified technician.
Keep your remote controls locked up. If you park your car outside the garage, always lock the car door to prevent potential intruders from gaining access to your garage and your home.
Watch your garage door until it completely closes to be sure no person or animal gets trapped under the closing door or enters your home as it descends.
Garage door openers are designed to reverse direction when encountering an obstruction. If your door does not reverse, the opener’s sensitivity adjustment may be improperly set or your door opener may not have a reversing feature. Have a trained technician from Five Star Overhead Garage Door repair the setting or install a garage door opener with a reverse feature installed.
All garage door openers manufactured in the United States after 1993 are required to include a second safety feature. If your opener lacks a second safety feature, contact us for a new garage door opener.
Garage doors and garage door openers are not toys. Discuss garage door safety and explain the dangers of being trapped or hurt with your children.

If you have any further questions, give us a call today.