Dodds’ Fall Garage Door Maintenance Checklist

When it comes to preparing for Canada’s harsh winters, it’s important to check in with your local garage door technician for regular maintenance services. Colder temperatures mean taking steps to ensure that your garage door is ready to deal with the coming winter. That’s why our expert team has put together the following comprehensive checklist of fall garage door maintenance! With these, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that your garage door is ready for those cold, snowy months.

A well-maintained garage door means that you take care of any problems before they become costly repairs. Preventive garage maintenance can help keep your garage door ready for the change in seasons. That’s why you might want to keep a garage door checklist handy, especially for your fall maintenance. Here’s our fall garage door maintenance list, which includes what you need to check off when readying your garage doors for the fall!

Top Tips for Fall Garage Door Maintenance

1. Inspect Your Weatherstripping

You might not know what weatherstripping is, and that’s okay. Weatherstripping is essential to sealing gaps between your garage door, its frame, and the ground. The seal that’s created helps to protect your garage from the weather outside, keeping out snow and pests while enhancing your garage’s energy efficiency.

Weatherstripping is made up of long strips of rubber, vinyl, or foam that fill the space around your garage doors. Weatherstripping fills up the small gaps that can allow outside air and moisture to enter your garage. Sealing these gaps prevents drafts from getting in and keeps your garage’s interior environment stable.

When it comes to fall garage door maintenance, you want to carefully inspect your garage door’s weatherstripping for any signs of damage, like cracks or tears. If you notice any damage, then make the call for professional garage door repairs, who can replace it and keep your garage well-insulated from drafts and pests.

2. Clean and Lubricate Moving Parts

As with any mechanical parts, you need to occasionally add lubricant to your garage door’s parts to ensure continued smooth operation. With fall just around the corner, take the time to properly lubricate the hinges, tracks, rollers, and springs with a suitable lubricant. You should be lubricating all the moving parts in your garage at least twice per year (once every six months, at minimum).

If you’re going to be lubricating your garage door parts, then you first need to take the time to properly clean all of your garage door’s components. This allows for better adhesion and effectiveness of the lubricant. You can use a damp soft cloth to wipe down the garage door tracks—you should also avoid lubricating the tracks directly because this can hinder the movement of the rollers.

When lubricating your garage door as part of your fall garage door maintenance, make sure to pay special attention to the following areas:

• Hinges and Rollers: Apply the lubricant directly to the hinges and inside of the roller bearings for smooth operation.
• Springs: When lubricating your garage door springs, make sure you use a generous amount to ensure that they continue operating properly and prevent them from rusting.
• Locks: Take the time to properly lubricate any locks to ensure that they continue operating smoothly.

If you have questions about appropriate lubricant for your garage door, contact your local garage door service provider, such as Dodds Doors. You want to ensure that the lubricant you use is specifically designed for use on and in garage doors, as this helps to prevent damage occurring over time. Lubrication and cleaning are part of preventative maintenance, which is why they rank so highly on our fall garage door maintenance checklist.

3. Check for Air and Light Gaps

If you want to ensure that your garage door remains energy efficient, take the time to perform a visual inspection for any gaps that let in light or air. These areas can be sealed with either appropriate weatherstripping or sealant. It’s also the perfect time to check your garage doors for any signs of wear and tear or damage!

4. Inspect the Garage Door Tracks and Rollers

Checking your garage door hardware goes beyond just the mechanical parts. You want to take the time to thoroughly inspect your garage door tracks and rollers for any debris or signs of rust. You also want to ensure that they’re straight and aligned properly. As part of your fall garage door maintenance, take the time to give them a good clean if you notice any dirt or rust.

Next, you’re going to want to carefully inspect your garage door’s rollers. You want to make sure that they’re in good condition, free of damage, and not overstretched. If you notice that any are damaged or over-stretched, then it’s time to invest in replacing them with new ones.

5. Test Garage Door Balance

You want to ensure that you have balanced garage doors. That’s because they’re essential for the continued safety, efficiency, and longevity of your garage doors. You can test the balance of your garage doors by disconnecting the garage door opener and manually lifting the door to the halfway point. It must stay in that position. If it falls or starts to roll upwards, then it requires adjustments.

An unbalanced garage door poses a safety risk because it can cause damage and pose a risk to the continued safety of you and your family. Unbalanced doors can easily malfunction, potentially crashing down when you least expect them to. If you’re worried about the balance of your garage doors, make an appointment with a garage door professional at Dodds Doors today!

That leads us to the next item on our fall garage doors maintenance checklist…

6. Schedule a Professional Inspection

As part of fall garage door maintenance, you should consider having a garage door specialist come in and conduct a professional inspection of your garage door and its major components. Seasonal inspections are part of regular maintenance and include inspections of the weather seals, torsion springs, and safety features of your garage doors.

If you notice any problems or issues during your inspections, making the call to a garage door expert is the right decision. Regular garage inspections can help spot potential issues before they become bigger and more expensive to repair. From testing the automatic opener to checking for frayed cables, a professional inspection from an experienced team is a must when taking care of fall garage door maintenance.

7. Organize Your Garage

Like most Canadians, you probably store a lot of winter sports gear out in your garage. If so, you might want to take the time to go through everything in your garage and organize it, making it easier for you to locate anything that you want access to. You also want to make sure that anything you have stored in your garage isn’t impeding access to your garage door components, which can make fall garage door maintenance tricky.

8. Clean the Door’s Surface

Whether you have steel garage doors or wood garage doors, it’s important to take the time to prepare them for the harsh winter weather ahead by giving them a good cleaning. You can easily wash your garage door’s exterior surface with mild detergent and warm water, removing dirt and grime, which can cause it to fade or discolour over time. Fall garage door maintenance, after all, isn’t just limited to the mechanics; it’s important to help maintain your home’s curb appeal, too!

9. Inspect for Potential Damage

Regularly inspecting your garage door for minor issues is key. You want to carefully inspect your door for any signs of damage, which include rust, cracks, and dents. Take the time to address any cosmetic problems to maintain the aesthetic appeal of your garage door and keep it functional for the winter months ahead. Fall garage door maintenance can be useful to spot potential issues early on before they have the chance to become a problem once winter settles in.

10. Tighten Any Loose Hardware

Check your garage hardware regularly to ensure that there are no loose bolts or other problems. You want to make sure that all nuts, bolts, and screws are properly tightened to keep them from being damaged excessively by vibrations caused by the operation of your garage door.

Fall Garage Door Maintenance: Get Help from the Professionals at Dodds Doors

When preparing your garage door for the cold weather ahead, it’s important to invest in professional services for fall garage door maintenance. That might mean scheduling services for an expert inspection or much-needed residential garage door repairs. If it’s time for seasonal garage door services, turn to the expert team at Dodds Doors! We’re your convenient, flexible option for garage door repair, inspection, and installation!

Garage door maintenance routines are important habits to form, especially when it comes to fall garage door maintenance. If you’re at all worried about your garage door safety, give us a call at 1-877-503-6337 today to book a professional inspection or service with one of our expert technicians!