Top Tips for Garage Door Repair, Maintenance, & Service

Posted Thursday, December 7th, 2017

Your garage door is most likely the hardest working and largest moving part on your home. Many families open and close their garage doors as many as ten times per day or more. And with all of that movement, those parts can wear out overtime. It important to inspect your garage door periodically and perform some simple maintenance tasks regularly.

Cressy Door and Fireplace recommends the following inspection and maintenance tasks and schedule.

Garage Door Service, Repair and Maintenance Tips and Schedule

Monthly Recommendations

Visual Inspection – What to look for:

1. Springs – broken
2. Cables – worn strips or fraying
3. Rollers – move smoothing and quietly
4. Sections – peeling paint, rust or dents
5. Track – bent or twisted, securely attached
6. Hinges – bent or broken

Caution – the International Door Association or IDA recommends contacting a garage door maintenance professional to replace springs, cables, rollers, tracks or hinges. Garage doors are under extreme tension and can cause serious harm and even death.

Garage Door Balance Test
For Garage Doors with an automatic opener system:

1. Close the door.
2. Disconnect the automatic opener.
3. Lift the door manually.

Pass – The door opens easily and stays fully open.

Fail – It is difficult to open and/or it doesn’t remain fully open.

If your garage door does not pass the Garage Door Balance Test, the door may be out of balance and should be serviced by a trained service technician.

Reversing Mechanism Test
For Garage Doors with an automatic opener system:

1. Open garage door fully.
2. Lay a piece of wood such as a 2×4 on the floor in the center of the garage door opening where the door would touch the floor.
3. Push the garage door opener’s transmitter or wall button to close the door.

Pass – When the door strikes the wood, it automatically reverses.

Fail – When the door strikes the wood, it doesn’t automatically reverse.

If your garage door does not pass the Reversing Mechanism Test, the door may be out of balance and should be serviced by a trained service technician.

Photo Eye Test
For Garage Doors with an automatic opener system:

1. Open garage door fully.
2. Push the opener’s transmitter or wall button to close the door.
3. Wave a long object such as a broomstick in front of the door’s photo eyes so that it breaks the beam.

Pass – The garage door will automatically reverse and reopen when the beam is broken.

Fail – The garage door does not reverse or reopen when the bean is broken.

If your garage door does not pass the Photo Eye Test, close the door and try cleaning the photo eyes with a soft, dry cloth. You may also gently adjust the photo eyes by hand if they appear to be out of alignment. Open the door and repeat the Photo Eye Test. If it still fails, a trained service technician should service the door.

Warning: Garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993, are required by federal law to be equipped with a reversing mechanism and a photo eye or edge sensor as added measures of safety to prevent entrapment. If your garage door system does not have these features, the IDA recommends replacement of your system.

Force Setting Test
For Garage Doors with an automatic opener system:

1. Open garage door fully.
2. Push the opener’s transmitter or wall button to close the door.
3. As the door closes, hold the door up with your hands outstretched and stiff.

Pass – The garage door will automatically reverse and reopen when the pressure is applied.

Fail – The garage door does not reverse and continues to close. Warning: move your hands away immediately.

If your garage door does not pass the Force Setting Test, the closing force on your garage door is excessive, and a trained service technician should service it.

Bi-Yearly Recommendations

Lubrication
Twice per year it is advisable to spray lubricant on your garage door. Be sure to lubricate all of the following:

1. Hinges
   

   Garage Door Hinges

2. Rollers
   

   Garage Door Rollers

3. Roller Shafts & Bearings
   

   Garage Door Roller Shafts

4. Spring Shaft End Bearings
   

   Garage Door Spring Shaft End Bearings

5. Springs
   

   Garage Door Springs

Yearly Recommendations

Cressy Door and Fireplace recommends a yearly check-up by a trained service technician. A residential garage door system service check is quick and affordable. We charge a $55 travel fee and $42.50 per half hour. Most homeowners can expect to pay $97.50 or $140 for a yearly maintenance check.

For more information on garage door service, repair and maintenance, visit the IDA’s Garage Door Care Website.

You may also watch the IDA’s public service announcement: Garage Door Service, Repair and Maintenance.

The Buzz: An interview with IDA president Bill Gibson on garage door service, repair and maintenance tips and schedule.