If you’re fortunate enough to have private parking on your property and a garage to protect your vehicles from damage, weather, and theft, then you should consider it and its garage door as a valuable investment. Many of us do not think about our garage doors until they break or malfunction, and by then it is much too late to take care of any preventative maintenance that might have prevented the problems in the first place. Environment, weather, and usage can all have negative effects on the ways garage doors function, so how often you should have them inspected depends mostly on how these factors impact their daily usage.
Daily wear and tear can have a definite effect on your garage door, so if you’re thinking about getting it inspected, first you should consider how often it is used on a daily basis and how many cars leave and enter the garage in a twenty-four hour period. Do you have only one vehicle and only use your door twice a day, or is it a larger garage where two or even three cars are entering and exiting on a daily basis? The more the door is used, the more frequently it should be inspected, from anywhere to every six months to a year for most doors that see daily use. Doors that run automatically with the use of a sensor should be especially cared for, since they are more prone to damage due to sticking or from coming off their tracks.
Weather can also affect how often you need to consider garage door repair and inspection. Weather such as rain or snow can rust the mechanisms on the door, causing them to jam or stick, or debris like twigs and leaves can also get stuck in them. If the object is large enough, it could even cause the safety sensor to malfunction and cause injury to people and pets, particularly small children. In areas that see a great deal of weather like this, garage door owners should have their doors inspected often to make sure they are safe to use. Garage door repair doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and one of the best ways to save money and to make sure it is working correctly is with preventative maintenance, so no matter the size or function of your garage, its door should be inspected on an annual basis.