Why garage door will not close

Maintenance of your garage door and garage door motors is extremely important to avoid your garage door from not closing, hence compromising the security of your home in Johannesburg.

Well maintained garage doors equal optimally working garage door automation. Unfortunately the motor is not there to compensate for a poorly mounted, unbalanced or damaged garage door. This will just cause damage to your garage door automation as the motor has to deal with unaccounted forces. If you cannot open and close your garage door manually without it sticking or jamming – do not use it on automation mode.

A tip to check the balance of your sectional roll up door is to release it from its automation and then close it, resting on top of a bathroom scale that is placed in the centre of your door. It is well balanced if it does not exceed 15 kg on the scale.

All moving parts such as hinges, pivots and rollers of your garage door should be oiled to prevent rust build up. The main pivot pin carries the most load. Therefore bearings must be lubricated regularly to maintain smooth gliding.

On a tip up door, springs should only be replaced by a professional. Potentially it is a dangerous operation as the springs are under great tension, which can result in harm to person and property when released.

For aluminium garage roll doors, use a teflon or graphite spray in the guide channels for smooth movement of the door. Do not use a silicone spray or grease as this builds up grime, causing friction.

Wooden doors need to be regularly sealed and oiledwith a hardy product for UV protection. Wooden doors left exposed to the elements become warped and unbalanced.

Not only do you need to keep your garage doors well maintained, you also need to keep your automation well maintained. If your garage door motor has been correctly installed by a reputable installer such as Gate Repair Services, minimal maintenance is needed on your motor.

What you will need to do every 3 months is lubricate the worm shaft. Please ask your installer which lubrication brand is recommended, as using something not recommended could end up causing serious and possibly permanent damage to your motor.

If you have this all in order, you will not be inconvenienced by a garage door that will not close.