How to Service Your Garage Door: 9 Tips

It’s hard to overstate how important it is to service and take care of your garage door. It’ll be used a lot over time, and the more it’s used, the more the parts will wear out. You need to be paying attention to this, as you don’t want the door to suffer a breakdown at the worst time. Here’s how to service your garage door, so you know it’s in the best possible condition.

When and How To Service Your Garage Door

Firstly, you need to think about when you’re going to service your door. Typically you’ll want to have a garage door tune-up or inspection once a year. This allows you to catch any problems before they really start to create issues and put them right.

As such, try to service your garage door during the early spring and late fall. You’ll only need to spend an hour or two doing it, and it can save you a huge amount of time and money in the long run. In the meantime, here are nine tips.

1. Operate The Door And Observe

The very first thing you’ll want to do is take a look at your garage door and see how it’s working. You should see it open and close smoothly when you press the button on your garage door remote. Look for any signs that the door isn’t working as it should. That includes jerky movements or scraping sounds as it moves.

These are signs that the parts may be wearing out. These could be the springs, cables, rollers, or pulleys, so you’ll want to take a look and see if there are any obvious signs of wear. They should all be symmetrical, so if there’s any variance, that’s a sign you’ll need to replace or repair those garage door components.

2. Tighten Up The Hardware

A quick and easy job to service your garage door is to tighten up the hardware on it. As you open and close the garage door so many times a day, the hardware, such as the nuts and bolts, is going to come loose, thanks to vibration. As such, you’ll want to check them and tighten them up during your check-up. 

It’s fairly simple to do this. Check the brackets holding the door tracks and the fasteners attaching the garage door opener unit to the framing. Use a socket wrench, and tighten up any loose screws that you come across. 

3. Clean The Tracks Out

Your garage door needs clean tracks to move up and down freely, but over time, grime will build up in the them. If you leave this for long enough, then that dirt builds up and affects how the door moves. You can quickly solve the problem during your servicing.

You just need a soft, damp cloth to run through the tracks, to capture dust and dirt and clean them out. At this point, you may want to check whether they’re aligned, too. You can make some minor adjustments yourself. 

4. Check The Rollers

The rollers that sit around the edge of your garage door should be inspected along with the rest of the garage door at least twice a year. Garage door rollers need to be replaced every six to ten years, so you’ll want to make a note of that when you’re doing your servicing. When were yours last replaced?

Look for any chipping, cracking, or wear on the rollers. If you see any, you can easily remove the roller by removing the brackets holding them to the door. However, don’t remove the bottom roller bracket. This is attached to the lift cables and so is under a lot of tension. This is a job that a professional garage door fitter should handle. 

5. Check Your Cables And Pulleys

Next, take a look at the cables and pulleys on your garage door. These are what connect the springs and door, giving it the tension it needs to open and close. You’re looking for any signs of wear on them. If you do see any wear, you’ll want to ask an expert to come replace them for you. Handling the cables and springs on your own can be dangerous, so it’s best to err on the side of caution. 

6. Lubricate The Door

The next job is to lubricate all the moving parts on your door. It’s important that you choose the right lubricant for this job. Many homeowners will reach for the can of WD40, but it isn’t actually a lubricant. Instead, look for a lithium grease that comes in a spray can. These are often marketed as garage door lubricants. 

Spray the lubricant into any moving parts of the door, including the rollers, hinges, pulleys and bearings, and the garage door opener chain or screw. 

7. Test The Door’s Balance

Next, you need to check the garage door’s balance. This is a fairly simple test. Disconnect the garage door opener by pulling the release handle, and then open the door manually to about halfway. If the door is balanced correctly, it should be able to stay open on its own. If it starts to slide down, that’s a sign that the springs are wearing out and need to be replaced. 

8. Test The Auto Reverse On Your Opener

Your garage door opener should have an auto-reverse feature, which ensures that the door won’t shut on a car or person going through the doorway. Check this feature to ensure that it’s still working correctly. You can use a 2×4 of wood to sit in the way of the sensor and see if the door auto-reverses. If it doesn’t, you may need to adjust the auto-reverse or clean the photo eyes on them to get the right results. 

9. Clean And Paint The Door

Finally, give your garage door a good clean, and check it for any rust that needs to be sanded out. Then, remove any chipped or peeling paint, and finish by repainting the door so it can look its best.

Expert Garage Door Services in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties

If you’re not feeling confident in attempting or learning how to service your garage door, leave it to the experts!

Your Garage Door Guys can do it all, from installations, replacements, and repairs. Send us a message or request a garage door estimate today for all your garage door needs.