If you have a large garage door with windows and other heavy features such as insulation, you may already know that it can be hard to lift by hand. That is particularly true if the garage door drums and springs aren't the right type and adjusted properly. Perhaps you deal with that every day if you have a manual opening door. Or when the electricity goes out, even a power-operated door can be just as great a struggle.

To save your back and also give you more confidence when lifting the door, there is a new type of garage door drum mechanism that literally takes the weight off.

While we definitely recommend a thorough service inspection by a certified Raynor dealer every 1 to 2 years, there are a few things you can check yourself to prevent problems from escalating. These visual checks should become a routine for you every month, especially if the garage door experiences hard use in your home.