Garage Door Maintenance You Should Do Now

Like many things in your home, the garage door needs routine maintenance. Especially since your garage door works harder than most systems in your house. Let’s go over garage door maintenance that you should be doing monthly and annually.

Keep in mind some garage door opener manufacturers, as well as install technicians, may suggest different things depending on the model and type of opener and door that you have. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be discussing recommendations by the manufacturer of Chamberlain and Liftmaster garage door openers, and Overhead Door company. We’ll cover both belt drive and chain drive models.

Monthly

Chamberlain/Liftmaster recommends that you test the safety and operation of your garage door once per month.

• Manually Operate Door. If it is unbalanced or binding, call a trained door technician.
• Check to ensure door opens and closes fully. Make adjustments if needed.
• Finally, test the safety reversal system. First, when the door is fully open, place a 1 1/2″ board (or a 2X4), laid flat, on the ground, centered under the garage door. Next, press the remote control push button to close the door. The door must reverse when it makes contact with the board. If not, make adjustments if needed.

Annually

Additionally, there are a couple of things to do annually. Like lubricate some of the garage door parts. Use a lithium based grease for this application.

Recommendations From Chamberlain/Liftmaster Owners Manual:

• Oil door rollers, bearings, and hinges. The garage door opener does not require additional lubrication. Do not grease the tracks.
• Test the battery back up and consider replacing the battery to ensure the garage door opener will operate during an electrical outage.

Recommendations From Overhead Door:

• Oil the torsion spring, drums, rollers, bearings and hinges. Use either a silicone or lithium based grease.
• Vinyl garage doors: clean the inside and outside of your garage door. For garage door materials such as vinyl, steel and fiberglass, simply rinse off the door with a hose and then wipe it down using a sponge, mild dish detergent and water. Additionally, they recommend cleaning behind the weather-strips on both sides and top of the door. 
• Wood garage doors: clean and inspect annually. Since this material is different compared to others, they recommend removing dirt, chalk and mildew by washing a wood door with a diluted solution of mild household detergent at a concentration of one (1) cup in five (5) gallons of warm water, then rinsing it with clear water and allow it to dry completely. 

If in your annual inspection you find that repairs are needed, you can contact Overhead Door as they have locations throughout the United States.

And that’s all there is to it. This is a very simple and quick task that will ensure your garage door works as it should for many years. Grab your free copy of the Home Maintenance Checklist to remind you to do this, and many other home maintenance items to keep your home in top shape.

How To Lubricate Garage Door on YouTube

Maintaining your garage door is easier than you might think—watch this detailed video to learn how to lubricate a garage door effectively and keep it running smoothly with our garage door maintenance DIY tips.