When do I need maintenance on my garage door? It’s a fair question. It’s important to realize that your garage door requires regular maintenance. Even the best garage door has parts that will wear out eventually, and the sooner you see signs of a problem, the better chance you have of correcting it before it becomes a major repair.
It’s tempting just to wait until something goes wrong to get someone to service your garage door, but that could be costly and inconvenient. So, what should your garage door maintenance schedule be?
How Often to Schedule Garage Door Maintenance
You should have your garage door professional come over to do maintenance once every three months, or whenever your door fails a balance test. A balance test is when you lift the door up and let it drop. The door should rise smoothly and come to rest about three or four feet above the ground.
Once you have disengaged the automatic garage door opener, if you struggle to lift it up, if it drops all the way to the ground or if it only comes down a short way, you should call a technician for service immediately.
Garage Door Maintenance Checklist
Even if you only have someone come to service your garage door every three months or so, there are some steps you can take more often to make sure those maintenance visits go smoothly. Here is a basic garage door maintenance checklist you can follow without the assistance of a professional:
- Lubricate Everything
This is a great habit to get into to preserve the life and good functioning of your garage door. Every month, lubricate all the parts — rollers, hinges, tracks and pulleys or bearings — with WD-40. Then, after wiping everything clean, put some 3-in-1 oil on the parts as well.
- Remove Rust
Although most quality steel garage doors are treated to prevent rust, some might occur occasionally. It’s best to take care of it as soon as possible. Get rid of any rust you see with steel wool, then wipe everything clean.
- Lubricate the Garage Door Opener
Lubricate the full length of the chain or drive screw, depending on what kind of garage door opener you are using. This just keeps everything moving efficiently.
- Check Weather Stripping
Weather stripping helps keep everything sealed, so you want it in top shape. If you notice it’s looking a bit worn or if it’s missing altogether, replace it as needed.
- Check Torsion Springs
Do an eye test to make sure no torsion spring looks hopelessly worn out. If you’re sure one is about to go, don’t replace it yourself. Contact your garage door professional immediately.
- Reversal Test
Assuming the door is properly balanced, place a 2 x 4 flat on the floor in the center of the door. When you activate the garage door opener to close the door, and it strikes the wood, it should immediately reverse. If it does not, you need professional maintenance.
How to Tell If Your Garage Door Is Ready for Maintenance
A garage door is one of the most often used appliances in a home, but all that raising and lowering can begin to take a toll over time. Make sure you avoid expensive garage door repair costs by signing up for regularly schedule garage door maintenance.
When you choose to regularly maintain your garage door, you help avoid emergency situations and the skyrocketing costs associated with them.
Here are five things to look for as you try to determine if garage door repair service is in order:
- Noise: A garage door includes a number of moving parts, each under a significant amount of weight and pressure. When these parts are working together collaboratively, you enjoy the dependable and smooth operation of a garage door — but when you begin to hear loud noises as your garage door opens or closes, that’s a sign that you may need garage door maintenance. There’s no one source of this noise. It could be a need for lubrication, or it could be tracks out of alignment. No matter the reason, a loud garage door is a good sign that you need garage door maintenance.
- Leaks: Are you finding that water is sneaking into your garage when it rains outside? That’s not a good thing. Again, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact source of this problem, as it will be different for different homeowners. However, it’s important to address this issue before it becomes something bigger. When you see water sneaking into your garage, it’s time to call for garage door repair or maintenance — whichever the situation requires.
- Heat and cold: Is your garage hotter than it should be in summer and colder than it should be in winter? If so, that’s a good sign you’re in need of garage door repair service or maintenance. The excess heat or cold could be an issue with the integrity of your threshold, or your garage door could be out of alignment — which means one side of your garage door is leaving space open while the other is not. Either way, it’s time to proactively seek out garage door maintenance or repair. Another sign of excess heat or cold will be rising utility bills — if your heating and cooling costs are significantly more than the same month from the prior year, have a look at your garage.
- Slow and fast: Does your garage door seem to be opening and closing particularly slow or fast? Is this a relatively new change that has you concerned? It’s definitely worth checking out. Call for garage door maintenance, and a garage door professional should be able to tell you why your garage door is closing slower or faster — and what you can do to fix it.
- Non-operation: If your garage door has stopped operating altogether, you need garage door repair service, and you need it fast. Non-operation doesn’t always mean an expensive problem. Sometimes it’s just a small part that needs replacement. But it’s important, for problems big and small, that you have a trusted source for garage door repair service in your area.
In Ohio and Michigan, Call Quality Overhead Door for Regular Garage Door Maintenance
If you are located in Northwest Ohio or Southeast Michigan and you require immediate garage door service or regularly scheduled maintenance, the company to contact is Quality Overhead Door. Family-owned and operated in Toledo since 1982, we have been servicing, installing and maintaining garage doors in the Ohio area for decades. We know what to look for during maintenance and how to provide solutions that will save you money and keep your garage door running the way it should.
If you’ve been looking for a reliable garage door company with a great reputation in the northwest Ohio or southeast Michigan areas to handle your garage door maintenance, you don’t need to look any further. Contact Quality Overhead Door to schedule your garage door maintenance today.
Additional Resources On Garage Door Repair:
- My Garage Door is Broken. Can I Fix it Myself?
- How to Care for Your Garage and Prevent Costly Repairs
- Guide to Seasonal Garage Door Maintenance
- Summer Home Maintenance Checklist
- Do I Need Annual Garage Door Maintenance?