A garage door is designed to operate year round through freezing conditions, hot temperature, and constant abuse. However, to keep your garage door operating properly will require periodic maintenance.
Maintenance of a garage door is simple and should be done at least twice yearly. By properly maintaining your garage door, you will be assured that it will operate smoothly, operate quietly, and operate as intended.
There are numerous moving parts on both the garage door assembly and the automatic garage door opener that require maintenance. The maintenance required is generally no more than cleaning and lubricating moving parts, though some garage door openers may require additional adjustments, find more info.
Maintaining your garage door and opener system will make it last longer and provide better operation. A garage door is costly, ranging from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars; the garage door opener can range in price from $100 to over $300. The garage door and opener combined are a large investment. Therefore, proper maintenance is critical to protect your investment.
To begin the process of maintaining your garage door and opener assembly you will have to purchase a few products. You will need a soft brush to clean debris off of the rollers on the garage door, you will need a solvent similar to WD-40 to remove old grease from the rollers and pins as well as the overhead track system, and you will need a quality lubricant to relube the moving parts of the garage door and opener assembly. I recommend a white lithium spray lubricant because it lasts a long time and performs well under freezing conditions.
Now that you have gathered everything that is needed, you can begin the process of maintaining your garage door and opener assembly. To begin, locate the rollers on the garage door. These rollers attach to the garage door and insert into the track on the edge of the garage door. Inspect the roller for damage. If any are broken, you will need to replace them. If they are not broken, you will need to clean and lubricate them.
Begin by spraying a solvent on them, WD-40 works well for this. The solvent will break down the old lubricate and allow you to easily remove any grime. Once you have sprayed the solvent on the rollers and pins, wipe down the area with a rag and allow it to dry. Once dry, take your brush and remove any other dirt that you could not reach with the rag. Once all of the dirt is removed, apply a generous coat of the white lithium spray lube to the area where the roller pin makes contact with the metal hanger bracket. This is easily accomplished by simply spraying the whole area near the roller and bracket. Additional lubricant will not hurt anything.
Next turn your attention to the various hinges located on the garage door. Repeat the procedure above to clean and lubricate the hinges. There are hinges located at the intersection of each garage door panel. Clean and lubricate each hinge.
Now we will move on to the garage door opener assembly. Our focus here is to clean the track mechanism that the garage door opener slides on. Over time, this track will accumulate dirt on the outside surface of it which can hamper the garage door from opening smoothly. To clean the track, spray the outside surface of it with WD-40 and wipe it down with a rag. This will remove dirt and grime and allow the garage door to open smoothly.
Certain types of garage door openers will require lubrication, but many are self lubricating. Refer to your owner’s manual to determine if you have to lubricate the actual garage door opener within your own garage.
Maintenance is now complete and you will be able to enjoy many months of smooth operation from your garage door opener and your garage door. Repeat the above process every six months or as needed and you will have a properly working garage door for years to come.