Maintenance Checks for your Garage Door

by Zap Garage Doors|20 June, 2023

Garage doors have a remarkably long lifespan. They represent a fantastic investment, which improves the usability of your outdoor areas for many years to come.

But, when it comes to ensuring your garage door achieves its full predicted lifespan, maintenance is key.

A comprehensive, regular maintenance schedule will help you to address any issues before they are allowed to develop and keep your garage door in top condition (both in terms of visuals and its performance) for decades.

So, to help you keep your garage door at its best, our experts have shared their complete list of all the recommended maintenance checks for your garage door.

How often should garage door maintenance checks be carried out?

It is recommended that you conduct garage door maintenance checks once every couple of months, depending on how regularly the door is used. If the door is used on a daily basis, then we suggest performing a quick maintenance check once a month.

However, this might need to increase, depending on whether any issues arise in between checks.

If you spot a potential issue in your garage door, then you should conduct a full maintenance check as soon as possible. This will help you to determine whether or not it is an issue and, if so, resolve it as quickly as possible (before it is allowed to escalate).

Recommended maintenance checks for manual garage doors

There are a number of simple maintenance checks that you can carry out yourself, to ensure that your garage door stays in working condition.

For manual (non-electric) garage doors, we recommend the following maintenance checks:

  • Check the hardware – check the hardware for signs of wear and tear, rust, or other damage. This should include the door’s hinges, rollers, tracks and springs. If you do spot any signs of damage or uneven wear, then you should replace them as soon as possible.
  • Lubricate moving parts – this will include the door’s hinges, rollers and springs. We suggest using a silicone or lithium-based lubricant and applying it directly onto these key areas.
  • Clean the tracks – dirt and debris can quickly build up in garage door tracks. So, we recommend regularly cleaning the tracks (on both sides of the door) using a damp cloth.
  • Check the weatherstripping – visually inspect the weatherstripping surrounding the garage door. Check that the seal is still fully intact and that there are no signs of damage.
  • Inspect the door’s painting or staining – on occasion, you might need to paint over any areas where the paint is peeling or chipping. This is particularly important for wooden garage doors, as the door paint or stain helps to protect the door from weather damage.

Recommended maintenance checks for electric garage doors

For electric garage doors, you will need to complete all of the tasks listed above, as well as these extra maintenance checks:

  • Check the balance – finally, check that the balance of the door is still even. You can do this by disconnecting the door from the opener. Then, manually open and close it, checking that the door slides smoothly and does not move when it is opened halfway.
  • Check the opener – visually inspect the opener belt, checking for any signs of wear and tear. Then, you will need to check that the belt is tensioned correctly and that the opener’s safety features (including the emergency release) are working as they should.
  • Test the rest of the safety features – finally, check that all of the garage door safety features are working correctly. This is particularly important because you won’t see all of these features perform on a daily basis. But, it is absolutely critical that they are in full working order. For example, you can test a door’s photoelectric sensors by attempting to close the door when an object (such as a small stepladder) is positioned underneath. If working correctly, the door should reverse automatically, once it touches the object.
  • By performing these simple maintenance checks on a regular basis, you can ensure the safe usage, high performance and long lifespan of your garage door.

To find out more about the correct maintenance of garage doors, or to arrange the supply and installation of a new garage door for your property, get in touch with the Zap Garage Doors team.

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