The link between proper maintenance and product life-span cannot be argued. The better you clean and maintain your garage door, the longer it will last. To get the most out of your garage door, you need to maintain it regularly and when you notice a problem to try and address it immediately.

Simply cleaning your garage doors about four times a year with a soft car brush and a mild detergent is a good start. Washing your garage doors will avoid the build up on corrosive elements. Don’t use abrasive cleaners or chemicals.

If you have wooden garage doors, they should be maintained and cleaned according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. They usually recommend that you paint them on both the inside and outside initially and repaint the exterior surface at least every second year. It is important to paint both sides initially so the door does not warp due to moisture infiltration.

Lubrication of moving parts is an integral part of maintenance. Apply any light weight oil to all the hinges and rollers at least every year. Lubricate all pivot points. There are end hinges which hold the rollers in the track and also centre hinges which pivot when the door moves. See the picture below this article.

Your garage door springs should be coated once every season. Allow the oil to drip down in order to coat the cables on the sides of the garage door.

A good time to check your garage door hardware parts is while lubricating. Because of repeated use, the hardware on the garage door tends to loosen over time. If you notice loose bolts, screws or nuts, tighten them so hardware parts won’t fall out of adjustment.

Tracks should be properly aligned to guide garage door rollers to prevent binding. If one or both of the tracks needs adjustment you would need to loosen the mounting bolt(s) and use a hammer and a wood block to persuade it in the proper direction. Re-tighten bolts once the track is realigned.

A common issue with garage doors that may occur is that the opener strains when opening the garage door. This means that the door may be out of balance or that one or more of the springs may be broken. Be sure to close the door and disconnect it from the motor track by pulling the emergency release handle. Now open and close the garage door manually. You will clearly pick up a spring tension problem if the doors seems unusually heave to lift. A properly balanced door will stay at any point of travel while being supported entirely by its springs.

For help with springs, you need your garage door specialists’ support. Springs are under very high tension due to the loads they must lift and trying to fix this without knowledge is extremely dangerous.

Extention springs:

Torsion springs:

 Do not attempt to adjust spring tension by yourself if you are not experienced or qualified!

Have you ever wondered why your garage seems drafty or cold? Well, the extent of drafts through your garage doors can be reduced! Sectional doors and roller doors come with weather resistant strips at the bottom of the door that creates an effective seal to keep the wind out. You could also consider insulating your garage door because it will provide an energy-saving air- and watertight seal.

Again, it’s best with insulation to get your Garage Door specialists’ advise and support. If you are inexperienced, trying to do this yourself may affect the balance and proper operation of your door.

Are you faced with a garage door opener that does not operate from either the optional door control or remote? Does the opener have electric power? You should check the fuse box or circuit breaker and keep in mind that a wall switch may control some outlets.

Make sure you have disabled all the locks on the garage door and check that there are no obstructions. Again, if you have pulled the emergency release cable and tried to life the garage door without any success, you are dealing with broken springs and you need your Garage Door specialist to fix it.

Another question that is asked a lot is why the remote control has such a short range. We recommend that you move your remote control to a different location in your car. Check that the battery is not flat; in which case it needs to be replaced and that it is properly installed.

Interestingly, steel garage doors with foil backed insulation or metal garage sliding can interfere and decrease the range for remote controls.

As a final thought in this article, you may find it interesting to know that if the noise of opening your garage door is extremely loud within your home, this can be minimized by having a Vibration Isolator Kit installed. Replacing chains with belts also minimize noise. If your garage is below your living quarters, adding ceiling insulation or thicker padding for carpeted areas will help reduce that noise transmission also.