At Johnson Garage Doors, our focus is keeping your garage door operating at its peak performance. And while we’re available 24/7 to provide professional assistance, we know there are times when a simple fix can be prevented, simply by following a few helpful tips on basic garage door maintenance. Unlike your high-maintenance automobile, your garage door requires only minor upkeep annually to keep it running smoothly throughout the year.

Following these helpful garage door maintenance tips is no guarantee your garage door will never fall into disrepair. But with a little TLC, you’ll notice a quieter, smooth-running door – and potentially avoid the headache of a more serious problem down the road…

Lubricate the hinges, springs, and rollers

This is the number one tip to help keep your garage door running smooth. Lubricate the springs, hinges, and rollers once a year and you’ll be in good shape!

It is recommended to use a non-silicon-based lubricant. Motor oil is often the best household lubricant used for garage door lubrication.

Do not let lubricant come in contact with nylon roller wheels or roller tracks.

Clean the garage door

This is often an overlooked maintenance tip. Cleaning the door itself will prevent dust and dirt from collecting, which will eventually make its way into the moving parts of your garage door opener, chain, and wheels.

Use a cleaning solution of detergent and water (one cup of detergent for every 5 gallons of water) and wash the entire exterior of the garage door

Rinse with a hose and (optionally) seal with car wax

Clean the garage door tracks

Again, this will only need to be done once per year, but will aid tremendously in keeping the wheels running smoothly. A clean cloth and brake cleaner will get the job done.

Tighten bolts and screws

It’s inevitable, after years of opening and closing, bolts and screws will begin to loosen. Keeping everything tight is a simple task that can potentially save you from a serious malfunction.

Check for proper performance

There are a few general tips to see if your garage door is running as intended, it’s best to catch these problems before they develop into something more serious.

Unhook the opener and lift the door by hand to see if it is running smoothly and easy to move

Test for proper balance by manually raising the door to waste height – it should balance without rising or falling

Place a 2×4 under the door and see if the door bounces back up – if not, your opener safety settings are wrong and you should have you door inspected

Check for light showing through the sides of your door when it is closed – replace weatherstripping if necessary

Look for cracked or bent hinges – these will need to be replaced

Perform the “talk test” – you should be able to carry on a conversation while door is running

Winter test – simply open and close on a cold morning, if door does not perform on first try, it will need a tune-up

Of course, we understand that sometimes the unfortunate and unexpected garage door malfunction can occur without warning. But that’s what we’re here for! Our highly-experienced garage door technicians are available at a moments notice for your unexpected garage door mishaps.

Give us a call today – (720) 233-1588