If you notice that your garage door appears stuck or isn't operating as it should, it's best to arrange for an experienced repair person to visit your home and determine the nature of the problem. Working on garage doors can be highly dangerous given the high tension of the springs, and being unacquainted with this type of work can lead to a serious injury. To keep the repair calls few and far between, there are a handful of maintenance jobs that you can perform on an as-needed basis to ensure that your garage door operates smoothly. Here are three necessary tasks.

Proper Lubrication

When a garage door isn't properly lubricated you'll be able to tell; it will groan and creak as you attempt to use it, and you'll often find that it won't lift and lower with ease. The process of lubricating your garage door is something everyone can complete successfully. Identify the door's hinges and rollers, and then apply a silicone-based spray to the center of the hinges and the center of the rollers. There's no need to lubricate the outer edges of the rollers or the garage door tracks. Open and close the door several consecutive times to help the lubricant work its way inside the hinges and rollers and add more of the spray, if needed, until the door operates smoothly and quietly.

Weatherstripping Maintenance

Cracked weatherstripping on the bottom of your garage door won't alert you to its presence like a door that needs lubrication, so make a habit of briefly checking the condition of the weatherstripping every few times you open the door. If it's cracked, it will allow weather-related elements into your garage, but the graver concern is that any standing water can begin to soak up into the door and rot or rust it. Buy a weatherstripping kit at your local home supply store and follow the replacement instructions. This job is simple and involves pulling the split stripping out of its bracket, sliding the new stripping in and then trimming it to size.

Hardware Checking

Verifying that the hardware on your garage door is tight will prevent issues down the road. Over time, the repeated vibration that occurs when you use the door can begin to loosen the screws and bolts that hold the hinges and other hardware in place. Maintaining the hardware is as simple as finding the right size of wrench and checking each screw and bolt for tightness. If anything is loose, simply tighten it snugly. The exact frequency with which you perform this task depends on how often you use the door and how well the door was installed, so it's best to simply keep an eye on the hardware from time to time.