How Often Should You Have Garage Door Maintenance Done?

In general, we would advise you to have all of the components associated with your garage door opener serviced by a professional at least once a year, preferably twice. The reason we recommend such frequent servicing is that a garage door opening mechanism has quite a few moving parts, along with some sensitive electronic components, all of which should be checked on a regular basis to ensure they remain in serviceable condition. The alternative – a stuck garage door at the worst moment possible – can be a major inconvenience that is only fixable by paying for some costly repair work.

To help you minimize the chances of running into any difficulties, we asked our garage door repair and installation team to share some general maintenance tips that you can put to good use in between scheduled visits from a qualified technician. Keep reading to see what they recommend you do in order to keep your garage door working flawlessly.

Our Loveland Garage Door Installation and Repair Team Share Their Top Maintenance Tips

Assuming that you have your door opening mechanism and all of the springs serviced on a regular basis by a qualified professional, you should be able to avoid the most costly repairs that we run into in our line of work. However, if you want to ensure that your garage door operates flawlessly at all times, we recommend performing the following checks and maintenance tasks yourself, in between servicing visits from your local experts:

• Weekly Visual Inspections– Once a week, we suggest having a good look around to make sure that everything is as it should be. A visual inspection of springs, cables, and other moving parts is often enough to enable you to spot potential issues before they have the chance to become major problems. After you complete your visual inspection, we recommend that you open and close your garage door once or twice, to listen for any out-of-the-ordinary sounds. Unusual squeaks and groans may alert you to failing components or to moving parts that simply need a little lubrication.
• Monthly Test/Tightening of Roller Brackets and Bolts– When you consider how many times your garage door opener is used every year, it should come as no surprise that some of the bolts and brackets can work themselves loose over time. With this in mind, we recommend a monthly hand tightening/test of the roller brackets and bolts.
• Feel for Drafts in Wintertime– When the weather gets cold, take the time to feel around the edges of your garage door when it is closed, to see if there is a cold draft coming through from outside. The seal along the bottom of your garage door (and to a lesser degree those around the top and sides) is subject to quite a lot of wear and tear and will probably need to be replaced occasionally.
• Weekly Safety Test– We recommend that you test the auto-reverse functionality of your garage door once a week, to make sure it is working as intended. Assuming you have a door that was manufactured in the last 20 years or so, it should have an auto-reverse safety feature, which reverses the door if it senses an obstacle when it is closing. You can test this functionality by placing a box or a block of wood on the ground where it will be in the way of the door. If it does not work, either check the sensors on either side of the door for damage or call your local garage door repair team.
• Test the Balance– To test the balance of your garage door, you first need to disconnect it from the garage door opener. Then, open it about three to four feet and let go. A well-balanced door should stay where you left it, fully supported by the springs. If it slowly rises or falls after you let go, this is generally considered acceptable. However, if it moves quickly in either direction after being released, it is too far out of balance for safe operation and should be adjusted by an experienced technician.
• Biannual Spring and Roller Inspection– We suggest that you perform a thorough visual inspection of all springs and rollers twice a year. If you are also having your door serviced by a professional twice a year, we recommend performing your inspections in between theirs. What you are looking for is any obvious signs of wear or damage. Springs may start to deform as they wear and rollers can become loose or even detach completely from the shaft. If you spot anything that concerns you, we recommend calling your local repair team to come and take care of it for you.

By performing all of the above tests and inspections, you can ensure that your garage door remains in excellent working order all year round. However, if you are not confident in your ability to perform these tasks, we urge you to leave them to a professional. Garage doors are heavy and can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.

If you happen to live in Loveland or the surrounding area and you are looking for a professional to help you out, please feel free to get in touch with us. We specialize in garage door installation and repair in this part of the country and would be delighted to provide you with any assistance that you may need.