Top 10 Essential Garage Door Maintenance Tips

For homeowners, garage door maintenance is crucial to ensure long-term efficiency, savings on repair costs, and family safety. A garage door is the largest moving part in your house and may be used multiple times a day; that’s why it is essential to ensure safety features such as automatic reverse are working correctly to avoid serious injuries. 

Often, garage door maintenance is overlooked, so it is advisable to inspect your garage door at least twice a year, and rollers should be replaced every seven years.  

Why Garage Door Maintenance is Important 

Here are the key reasons why maintaining your garage door is essential: 

Safety 

A malfunctioning garage door is a safety risk for your family and pets. For example, failure of the reverse feature could cause severe injury or death. A quick and simple test of this safety feature is to place an object under the door, and when it closes, the door should reverse. 

Avoid Unexpected Repairs 

When your garage door breaks down, it can be costly to repair or replace. Avoid unexpected expenses by conducting regular maintenance inspections.

Neglecting your garage door also reduces its lifespan. For example, a lack of lubrication, unaligned tracks, loose bolts, and a broken spring can irreversibly damage a garage door. 

Increase the Value of Your Home

A garage door that is in good condition can increase the value of your home. Appraisers and prospective buyers will regard a well-maintained garage door as a sign that the property has been adequately cared for over the years.

Common garage door issues include:

• Faulty opener
• Broken springs
• Noisy when opening and closing
• Frayed cables

Top 10 Essential Garage Door Maintenance Tips 

Avoid unexpected repairs by following these 10 essential garage door maintenance tips: 

1. Watch/Listen to How It Runs

The first step to maintaining your garage door is to pay close attention to it while it is in motion. Evaluate how the garage door moves up and down. Does it rise smoothly? Does it get stuck? If you notice jerky movements or hear scraping noises, that’s a good indicator that your garage door needs repair.

A garage door in good condition is quiet and moves up and down without hesitation. Additionally, check the tracks, cables, and springs on both sides to ensure they are symmetrical.

2. Lubricate Moving Parts 

Lubrication is one of the most beneficial things you can do to maintain a garage door as it will reduce stress on all moving parts. The simple act of lubricating can stave off the need to buy a replacement garage door.

Lubricate a garage door at least twice a year. Use a high-quality lubricant, such as white lithium grease. Also, a spray lubricant is ideal when you want to coat overhead springs.

3. Tighten the Garage Door Hardware 

Your garage door moves up and down thousands of times over its lifespan. The movement causes vibration, which over time, may loosen the track and hardware. Ensure that you examine the brackets that hold the door’s tracks and use a socket wrench to tighten any loose bolts and brackets if necessary.

4. Ensure the Garage Door is Balanced

Test whether the garage door is properly balanced by the springs. If not properly balanced, the electric motor will have to work twice as hard. If a garage door is balanced correctly, it only requires minimal force to move up and down.

When halfway open, ensure the door remains stationary. If it doesn’t, it can mean that the springs are worn out or are improperly balanced. Only a qualified garage door technician should perform spring adjustment or replacement.

5. Repair the Weatherstripping 

The rubber weatherstripping is located at the bottom of your garage door. Its primary purpose is to guard against water, dirt, dust, rodents, and cold air. There is also weatherstripping across the top and down each side of the garage door. Ensure that the weatherstripping is in good shape, carry out regular inspections, and replace the seal when you notice it is cracked or brittle.

6. Clean and Re-Paint the Garage Door

Always keep your garage door looking fresh and clean. For a steel door, check for rust spots that require priming and painting. If it is a wooden door, pay close attention to warping and peeling paint. Additionally, clean the garage door using an all-purpose cleaner.

7. Check the Auto-Reverse Feature 

Automatic garage doors have an auto-reverse safety feature. For a pressure sensor system, place an object on the ground, and the door will stop and reverse when it touches it. Test a photoelectric system by waving your hand or foot in front of the sensor. The door will retract as soon as it detects an obstruction.

8. Clear the Tracks 

Occasionally, examine the tracks to ensure there is no debris or rust. Use a level to ensure that the tracks are perfectly horizontal/vertical for a smooth garage door motion.

9. Check the Cables 

You should check the lift cables for broken strands from a safe distance. However, never touch the high-tension cable wires because it can be dangerous if it snaps. 

10. Replace the Rollers

Experts recommend that you inspect the garage door rollers at least twice a year. Also, you need to replace them after five to seven years. Ensure that you replace cracked, worn, or chipped rollers as soon as possible.

Follow the maintenance tips above to prolong the lifespan of your garage door. A garage door is an investment just like the rest of your home, so maximize its value by ensuring its functionality for years to come.

While most homeowners can do minor repairs such as weatherstripping and painting, you should always call the professionals at Dodds Doors for serious garage door repairs such as track realignment and spring replacement.

Call Dodds Doors today at 1-877-503-6337 to schedule an assessment.