10 Essential Garage Door Maintenance Tips

Repair Icon

Despite being the biggest moving part in your house, your garage door is still plenty fragile if it’s not properly looked after. Having a broken garage door can be quite the annoyance, but it can also be quite the expense. Fortunately, if you follow these 10 essential tips, you shouldn’t have many problems where this important component of your home is concerned.

1. Look and Listen

All it might take is simply you observing the way your garage door works to catch a problem before it becomes a big deal. So, the first tip is to simply look and listen as your garage door operates. It only takes a few seconds to do so each time you use it, but that might be enough to catch the sound of parts producing friction or the door moving asymmetrically. Both are warning signs.

2. Retighten the Hardware

On average, a garage door will go up and down over 1,000 times a year. That’s a lot of movement resulting in plenty of vibration which can lead to everything from roller brackets to bolts coming loose. So inspect these components throughout the year and use a socket wrench to tighten any back that might need it.

3. Inspect Its Balance

A garage door that isn’t well-balanced also won’t function properly. To check the balance on your door, simply pull the release handle—generally this is a red cord—and then move the door by hand until it’s roughly halfway open. At this point, if the counterweight is working correctly, the door should stay in place. If you experience any issues, call a professional to rebalance your garage door.

4. Replace Any Rollers as Necessary

To move up and down, your garage door needs rollers on each side that run the length of the track. These are generally made from steel or nylon, but will usually need to be replaced about every seven years. However, if you use your door more than most, that may mean replacing your rollers more often as well. Check them no less than twice a year so you can stay aware of any problems with their structural integrity.

Replacing rollers is easy too. You can simply remove the brackets, slip new ones in, and then put the brackets back.

5. Check Your Weatherstripping

Every garage door should have weatherstripping running along the bottom of it. One simple strip is enough to provide a tight seal when the garage door is fully closed.

Keep an eye on yours to catch any cracks, tears or other damage it might incur. If you do, all it takes is a trip to your hardware or home improvement store to get more stripping, which can be bought by the foot.

6. Lubricate

Friction kills moving parts, meaning you need to make sure the ones involved with your garage door are well lubricated. The good news is that it only takes about 10 minutes to get the job done and you shouldn’t have to do it more than once a year. For the overhead springs, spray on some specialty lubricant. You’ll want white lithium grease for the best results with your door’s opening screw or chain.

7. Examine the Cables

Never try messing with your garage door cables on your own. They’re under a lot of tension and could easily turn deadly if you were to make a mistake. This doesn’t mean you can’t examine them with just your eyes however. Doing so is a great way to catch any problems that you can then call in a professional to fix them.

8. Test the Safety Features

Two mechanisms keep your garage from hurting people who get in its way: a mechanical one and a photocell one. The mechanical one is simple enough: if the door comes into contact with something, it immediately reverses. You can test this by putting an object on the threshold of your garage and then shutting the door.

The photocell feature is an invisible beam going across the width of your garage door, about six inches off the ground. If anything moves through that beam when the garage door is closing, it will reverse direction. Just test this by tripping it on purpose.

9. Clean Out Tracks

The tracks on both sides of your garage door should always be cleared out and free from debris. If you have a level on hand, you can check the plumb at the same time, though you’ll want a professional to adjust it if you discover any issues.

10. Groom Your Door

Lastly, take some time throughout the year to clean your garage door. All it takes is some mild all-purpose cleaner and a few minutes. This will also give you time to inspect your door for everything from chips to peels to rust.

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.