12 fixes and tips for your garage
Get your garage in order with these quick fixes and clever tips
Take it slowly. Eliminate the need to sprint under a closing garage door by installing a push button near the entry door of the house and another button near the garage door.
Beating rust. Brush a light machine oil on both extension springs once a year to silence squeaks and prevent rust from becoming established. For best lubrication, raise the door completely to relax the springs before applying the oil.
Open-and-shut case. To keep a garage door from crashing down while you’re working, wedge a stout piece of timber between the floor and the door’s corner, then attach a G-clamp to the door track just in front of the top roller.
Garage door binding? Use a carpenter’s level to make sure the bottom sections are plumb. Reposition the brackets if they aren’t.
Both extension springs should be replaced on a garage door, even if only one is faulty. It will keep the door in balance and prevent premature wear and tear.
Plug the leaks. Sectional roll-up doors leak air through the panel joints, turning unheated spaces into wind tunnels for anyone working on the car. Keep out the draughts by tacking a neoprene gasket across the length of each joint.
On track. Tracks that aren’t precisely parallel on top can cause a garage door to bind. Take measurements between the tracks at several locations and adjust if necessary.
Foam pipe insulation will create a tight seal against even an irregular floor, shutting out draughts and leaks. Tack a piece, slit side down, to the bottom of the door, about 6 mm from the door’s front edge, to keep it well out of sight when the door is closed.
The icy grip of winter. Clear away any ice from the bottom of your garage door immediately it forms. Solar heat reflected by the door will rapidly melt ice, creating a small lake inside the garage and freezing the door to the ground when the temperature drops again the following night.
Keep out leaks. The long joint between the bottom horizontal rail and the garage door panels is especially vulnerable to leakage. Run a bead of paintable sealant along it, and test for wear regularly.
Spray-on antifreeze. A few squirts of silicone lubricant on the rubber draughtproofing at the bottom of the garage door will help to prevent ice from sticking to it.
Off on holiday? In order to burglar-proof your garage, go back to basics. Unplug the door opener and reactivate the manual lock. Also fit bolts with padlocks on the inside as an additional disincentive for thieves who enter through the house.
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