The Critical Importance of Regular Garage Door Maintenance

A garage door sees a lot of wear and tear. As the largest, heaviest moving part of your home, it gets used multiple times per day, enduring wind, rain, sun damage, and extreme temperatures. Like any frequently used mechanical system, periodic maintenance is crucial to ensure safe, reliable, and quiet operation for years to come. When well maintained, your garage door system will have a longer lifespan, fewer unexpected repairs, and sustained good looks that contribute to your home’s curb appeal.

Why Consistent Garage Door Care Matters

A garage door that is properly maintained and balanced moves smoothly and forcefully enough to completely close without slamming down dangerously. This protects you and your family from potential harm caused by mechanical imbalance or electronic sensor issues. Ensuring safety measures like automatic reverse mechanisms on openers work properly provides essential protection as well.

Averts Costly Emergency Repairs

Catching minor problems early on prevents them from escalating into serious issues requiring expensive emergency garage door repairs by professionals. Something as simple as lubricating rollers and hinges periodically protects the door’s movement and avoids the metal parts grinding on each other to a breaking point. Getting minor dents or cracks repaired quickly also protects the underlying structure.

Saves You Money Over Time

While DIY garage door maintenance requires an occasional small investment in tools and materials, the time you’ll save by preventing major repairs is money in the bank. And the longer your system lasts before needing any expensive parts replacements, the more value you’ll gain from each dollar spent on basic upkeep costs today. Consider it regular preventative medicine to avoid painful fixes down the road.

Maintains Appearance and Value

A squeaky, unsightly garage door with peeling paint can negatively impact your home’s exterior curb appeal and resale value. Keeping panels properly sealed and painted makes an excellent first impression and keeps your house looking its best. And freshly sealed concrete garage floors maintain their clean, polished appearance longer too.

What Does Regular Maintenance Entail?

While hiring a professional garage door company annually to inspect and tune-up your entire system is advisable, there are also basic maintenance tasks that you as a homeowner can easily perform yourself on a regular basis:

Seasonal Visual Inspections

• Check that all mechanical parts including springs, rollers, cables and pulleys are moving appropriately without strange noises
• Inspect concrete for cracks/pitting and reseal as needed
• Identify any potential problems needing repair

Test the Safety Systems

• Reverse system sensors should detect objects and activate to stop and reverse the door
• Photo eyes should be clean and properly aligned for sensing
• Ensure the auto-reverse mechanism on the opener motor works too

Lubricate the Moving Components

• Oil the tracks, rollers, pulleys, and hinges
• Lube torsion springs per manufacturer specifications
• Avoid over-greasing which can collect more dust and debris

Preserve Door and Opener Surfaces

• Gently clean inside and outside of panels as needed
• Spot paint areas showing rust
• Reseal exterior door surfaces with clear caulk if needed
• Vacuum out cobwebs around opener motor

Check Connections are Fastened

• Examine cables for fraying and pulleys for smooth rotation
• Tighten any loose screws, bolts, or fasteners
• Check trim molding and weather-stripping for solid seals

Recommended Maintenance Schedule

Here is a general guideline of key garage door maintenance tasks and how often you should perform them:

Know the Warning Signs of Problems

In addition to sticking with the maintenance routine above, it’s important to watch for any of the following signs of potential trouble and address them promptly:

• Door struggles under normal effort to open or close
• Grinding or loud squeaking noises when operating
• Visible cracks, dents or holes in metal panels
• Peeling paint or rust spots forming on surfaces
• Door reverses or stops working mid cycle for no apparent reason
• Intermittent functionality with opener remote

Don’t ignore these red flags. Unresolved, apparently minor issues can worsen over time and end up costing exponentially more in parts and labor to fix down the road.

The Value of a Professional Garage Door Tune-Up

While diligent DIY care will go a long way, having an annual tune-up with a licensed professional garage door company is recommended for most homeowners.

These technicians have years of daily hands-on experience maintaining and repairing all makes and models of equipment. They can detect and resolve subtle problems you might miss through a routine inspection, and make expert adjustments to balance, lubricate and test sensors that you simply shouldn’t tackle as a do-it-yourselfer.

For example, the torsion springs which bear enormous pressure are extremely dangerous if mishandled or adjusted incorrectly. Technicians have specialized tools and know-how to make spring adjustments safely. And they have access to factory authorized parts at wholesale prices for any repair components needed.

Investing $125 on an annual tune-up is inexpensive insurance to catch small problems before they become budget-busting repairs. And your service contract may even include future discounts on parts.

DIY Garage Door Maintenance Reminders

• Use the manufacturer’s lubricant specifications: Whether you opted for an all-steel, aluminum or wood garage door, use the lubricant type and process recommended by the original manufacturer. Your installer should provide documentation with explicit specifications on lubricating hinges, rollers and moving metal parts. This avoids unnecessary wear, protects warranties, and prevents problems operating the balanced weight of the door.
• Examine weather stripping routinely: Visually inspect the rubber weather stripping around the perimeter of your garage door at least twice per year. Over time the compression can allow leaves, dust and outdoor debris inside. If the seals look cracked or flattened, contact a company to arrange replacement to protect against costly weather damage.
• Learn your Spring Type: Determine if your door has extension or torsion springs. Torsion springs consisting of coils winding down from above are notorious for injuries if DIY repairs are attempted incorrectly. Have a clearly visible warning tag system to prevent someone from hand-adjusting them. Always call a trained professional for torsion spring adjustments or replacements.

Performing routine DIY maintenance combined with annual professional tune-ups and parts/labor warranties is the winning combination to get safe and reliable long-term service from your garage door system. Protecting this large investment pays dividends for years to come through sustained good functionality, safety and aesthetic appeal.

Conclusion

Properly caring for your garage door pays off tremendously in the long run. Just like changing the oil in your car, keeping up with basic DIY tasks like inspection, cleaning, lubricating and testing door functions prevents much larger issues over time. The minor investments of your time and some elbow grease on routine maintenance will save you money and headaches for years.

Combine preventative upkeep with annual professional tune-ups and any warranty coverage you have. This small expense upfront provides reliable operation and catches minor repairs before they become budget-busting replacement costs. Keep your family safe, maintain your home’s resale value, and prevent unexpectedly large repair bills with prudent regular garage door maintenance.

FAQs

How much does basic garage door maintenance cost?

For DIY maintenance, you only need a few tools and inexpensive lubricants, protectants and paint which most homeowners already have. Invest an hour or two per quarter inspecting and lubricating components. Professionally, standard annual tune-ups average $100-$150 depending on your location and garage door type.

What maintenance can I do myself vs. hire a professional for?

Homeowners can perform visual inspection for damage, testing reversals systems, cleaning panels, lubricating hinges/rollers and checking balance. However, repairs beyond simple tightening or bolt replacement should be left to trained garage door technicians to prevent injury or further system damage.

Does my garage door need maintenance even if it’s only a few years old?

Yes, even newer garage door systems need periodic maintenance for optimal performance and longevity. Lubricating rollers/hinges, ensuring reversal systems function properly, and fixing minor dents or seal damage protects operation. Letting problems go leads to more expensive repairs sooner regardless of age.