How to Service Garage Door (7 Steps)

Whether you suspect your garage door may need repair or you’re interested in learning how to perform regular maintenance, you’ll find it beneficial to consider the following tips below.

In this article, we’ll share a few tips so you know how to service a garage door like a pro.

How to Service Garage Door like a Pro

There’s probably no other part of your home that works as hard as your garage door.

You’ll be using it every day to get in and out of your garage door, so you’ll be raising and lowering it all of the time. Over time, parts will wear out and break, so you need to service your door to keep it in top shape. Our trained garage door technicians have years of experience performing regular garage door tune-ups, which includes some of the steps below.

Here’s how to service garage door quickly and efficiently.

1. Safety First

Before you start, you’ll need to know that your garage door is a dangerous object if treated incorrectly. If you’re going to work on it, you’re going to need to take the right safety precautions.

First of all, never work on the torsion springs yourself. These are what give your garage door the tension needed to open up when you need it to. If you need to replace the springs, have a professional do it for you. These springs hold a lot of tension, and if they break or come loose they can cause serious injury.

Next, unplug your automatic garage door opener. This will stop it from activating while you’re working on the door and keep you safe. If you need the door to be open while you work on it, clamp the door open to stop it from coming down unexpectedly.

2. Lubricate The Moving Parts

There are several moving parts on your garage door that need to be lubricated once a year. This includes things like the chain or screw, the hinges, and the door lock. Lubricating them ensures they will be able to move smoothly and easily, stopping larger problems from arising. If you can squeaking noises as your door opens or closes, this could mean it needs to be lubricated.

Choose a spray-on lithium-based grease for lubricating garage door parts. This is the best type, as opposed to options like WD-40 as many homeowners would use. This is because WD-40 is actually a solvent or rust remover, rather than a lubricant.

3. Test The Balance Of Your Door

A balanced garage door is important. If it’s balanced, it will put less stress on the garage door opening mechanism, and is much safer to use all round. To test if your garage door is balanced, disconnect the garage door opener, and then open the garage door about halfway. If the door sits in that spot without moving, it’s balanced. If it falls, then you’ll need a technician to come and adjust the balance for you. This is often an issue with the springs and so is unsafe to do on your own.

4. Test The Auto Reverse Feature

The auto-reverse feature of your garage door is more important than you know. If the door is closing and someone walks through it, or a pet was to come through, then the sensors will recognize them and pull the door back up. You need to ensure the auto-reverse is working as it should.

Open the door as normal, place a 2×4 of wood in the path of the door, and try to shut it. If it’s working properly, it should open back up before it hits the wood. If it does, then you may need to adjust the auto limits on the garage door opener. Check your manual to see how to do this.

5. Inspect For Wear And Tear

Your garage door works hard, so you should expect some wear and tear on the moving parts. Take a close look to see if anything needs mending or replacing. For example, take a look at the spring,s cables, rollers, and other hardware. Look for signs of damage or wear, such as a loss of tension in the springs. If you do find any damage in the springs, you’ll need to call a professional to come and put it right for you. Ensure that the garage door isn’t used again until these issues are put right.

6. Clear The Tracks

Over time your tracks will get dirty and this will affect the working of your garage door. If left long enough, it may actually stop the door opening a closing altogether. To stop this from happening, you just need to clean the tracks out. Just use a soft cloth to wipe off the tracks and ensure they’re clean.

Now’s a good time to check the tracks are perfectly plumb, as in vertical, against the wall. If they’re bent or warped, this will affect the way the door operates. If it’s only a minor bend, you can fix this yourself. Unscrew the tracks so they come loose from the wall, and find the bend. Use a 2×4 and a rubber mallet to gently tap the track back into shape, and then screw the tracks back up again. Try opening and closing the door to see if this has helped the issue. If the bend is more severe, you will need a professional to mend or replace them.

7. Check The Weatherstripping

The weatherstripping on your garage door is the rubber seal that sits on the bottom. This helps keep out the weather, debris, and any pests that want to get comfortable in your garage. Over time though, it will be damaged by the weather and general wear and tear as the door opens and shuts. If it’s looking worn, it’s time to replace it.

This isn’t too difficult in most cases. For example on wooden doors, the weatherstripping is simply nailed on. You can buy weatherstripping by the foot in most hardware stores, so measure what you need to ensure you properly protect your garage from the elements.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to service garage door, you can rest assured you know how to maintain your door and keep it running for years to come.

If you do these tests and checks on your garage door, you’ll see that you’ll be able to keep it safe and sound, no matter what life throws at it. Check for broken parts, make adjustments, and do safety checks to ensure that your garage door will be able to keep going for a long time to come.

If you need help with your garage door, check out the professional garage door services we offer here at Your Garage Door Guys.