There are several reasons why you should be maintaining your garage door. Apart from the most obvious — breaking down and leaving you trapped inside — it may not be opening correctly, is making strange noises or simply isn’t responding.
Your garage door is one of the hardest working components of your home, considering it opens and closes just over 1000 times a year and weighs in just over 100kg. It’s just a matter of time before wear and tear starts to take over and thus you start to notice all the symptoms mentioned above.
This is why it’s important to make sure you maintain your garage door. With basic DIY maintenance you are able to catch small problems in the early stages before they become much larger, more expensive problems.
Practicing routine maintenance will ensure the longevity of your garage door and help keep your home safe and secure. Here’s a quick maintenance checklist you can do at home.
Routine maintenance checklist
Do a visual inspection of the door
Check your garage door for any dents, cracks or scratches. This includes making sure weather seals are intact and that you can’t see any daylight coming through or feel any draughts. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to remove garage door dents: view the guide.
Inspect the hardware
Check all moving components including hinges, pivot points, stems, lift arms, locks, bars and pulleys for any signs of rust or damage. Make sure they are in good working condition and not broken.
Inspect the rollers
If the rollers are rusty or damaged, they will most likely need to be replaced. However, we highly recommend leaving this one up to the pros. You can attempt to apply lubrication first to see if that fixes the issue. If it doesn’t, contact the professionals at Gryphon Garage Doors.
Tighten up hardware
Nuts and bolts (on roller and support brackets) may also become loose over time. It’s a good idea to check and tighten any loose components every 6 months using a socket wrench.
Check the tracks and sensors
Visually inspect the tracks to make sure nothing is caught in the tracks or obstructing the sensors.
Leaves, small rocks, dust and other debris can prevent them from opening or close the whole way.
Give the sensors a good clean and that beam lens is aligned.
Replace remote batteries
If your garage door is not responding when you press the remote, it might be time to swap out the batteries.
Check this article to find out how to change the batteries of your remote: read article.
Apply lubrication
Apply lubricant to all moving parts including pulleys, bars, stems, locks, arm lifts, pivot points, rollers, chains and hinges.
Make sure to only use a silicone or lithium based lubricant and to avoid water based products like WD-40, as it will prevent the grease from sticking. This will help keep your motor operating quietly and prevent it from wearing out.
NOTE: DO NOT lubricate the tracks as this will attract unwanted dirt and dust, which will clog up the tracks.
Replace weather seals
If you notice daylight coming through from under the door or started to notice pests or rodents, it’s time to replace the weather seals. Important to note: The bottom seal is not a waterproof seal, it is designed to stop debris like leaves.
Inspecting your garage door system can be quite a technical task and may require you to rummage through your storage to find it’s ancient manual that you probably haven’t seen in years.
If your garage door is starting to act up, it may be time to call in the professionals to either fix it or replace the door altogether.
If you’re thinking of renovating or giving your home’s exterior a facelift, check out our Ultimate Garage Door Buying Guide.
