Maintaining my new garage door

So you finally upgraded that old garage door with a brand new steel insulated door? Congratulations!

Manufacturers will often market their doors as maintenance free offering limited lifetime warranties. What they often don’t tell you is that you are required to maintain your door in good working condition in order to sustain your warranty. Not to worry, there are a couple of ways you can do that.

The first is the simplest. Hire a garage door company once a year to provide preventative maintenance. This is an inexpensive way to keep your door in working condition and in compliance with your warranty. A professional garage door technician will know how to identify existing or potential future issues with your garage door and electric opener. They will perform tasks like lubricating, checking balance and looking for wear and tear. A garage door technician will recommend parts that should be replaced if any.

The second is to do it yourself. Here are some simple things that you can do:

• Wash your garage door using a gentle soap with a soft brush


• Clean your weatherstrip with an all purposes cleaner


• Lubricate your hinges and rollers with a small amount of motor oil or Jig-A-Loo every 6 months. DO NOT apply WD-40
• Lightly lubricate the track that holds the chain or cable in your electric opener
• Every 3 months disconnect the electric opener (pull the cord) and open the door by hand. If the door does not operate smoothly, contact a reputable garage door company

These simple tasks can increase the useful life of your new garage door. That said, regular wear and tear can be expected such as door face fading. For your safety, it is important you know that the spring assembly, hardware attached to it and the cables are under extreme tension. Never attempt to loosen the cables and service the springs yourself. This should be left to a service technician.