Garage Door Maintenance
On a tune-up, a technician goes over your door top to bottom. The door gets lubricated, balanced, tightened and safety-tested, and it's the easiest time to catch a frayed cable or a rusty spring.
Why Regular Maintenance Matters
Your garage door is the biggest moving thing in your house, and it probably runs a few times every day. Here's what a yearly check gets you.
Longer Spring Life
Clean, lubricated springs rust slower in Houston humidity
Fewer Surprise Breakdowns
A frayed cable or cracked roller is cheaper to replace before it fails
Quieter Door
Dry hinges and rollers cause a lot of the squealing and grinding
Safe Operation
The auto-reverse gets tested on the spot instead of assumed to work
What a Tune-Up Covers
Here's what the technician does on a tune-up visit, and what they look for along the way.
Lubrication
Garage door lubricant on the hinges, roller bearings, end bearings and spring coils
Balance Check
Opener disconnected, door lifted by hand to the halfway point to see whether it holds
Balance Adjustment
Spring tension adjusted if the door drifts down or rises on its own
Hardware Tightening
Hinge bolts, track brackets and opener mounts snugged up. Daily vibration loosens them.
Auto-Reverse Test
Door closed onto a 2x4 laid flat on the floor. It has to back off when it touches the board.
Photo Eye Test
Something passed through the beam while the door closes. The door should stop and go back up.
Roller Check
Looking for cracked wheels, worn bearings and rollers that wobble in the track
Cable Check
Frayed strands and rust, especially down by the bottom brackets
Spring Check
Rust, stretched coils and early cracks on torsion or extension springs
Report Before Repairs
If a part is worn out, you get a price for it. Nothing extra gets replaced without your okay.
When to Book a Tune-Up
If any of these sound like your garage, it's a good time to have someone look at the door.
- Nobody has looked at the door in a year or more
- It squeaks, grinds or shudders on the way up
- You just bought the house and don't know the door's history
- The springs show rust or a cable looks frayed
- You aren't sure the door would reverse if it hit something
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I have my garage door serviced?
Once a year suits most homes. If the garage is how your family comes and goes every day, twice a year is better. Humidity here rusts springs and cables faster than in drier parts of the country, so try not to let it go much past a year.
What's included in a tune-up?
We lubricate the moving parts, check the balance and adjust spring tension if it's off, tighten loose hardware, and test the auto-reverse with the photo eyes and a board under the door. We also look over the rollers, cables and springs for wear and tell you what we find.
How much does garage door maintenance cost?
Call us for current tune-up pricing. If the tune-up turns up a part that needs replacing, you'll get a separate price for that before any work is done, and you decide whether to go ahead.
Can I do maintenance myself?
Some of it. You can lubricate the hinges and rollers, wipe dust off the photo eye lenses, and run the reversal test by closing the door on a 2x4 laid flat. Leave spring adjustment, cables and bottom brackets to a technician. Those parts are under heavy tension.
What lubricant should I use on my garage door?
A silicone or lithium spray sold for garage doors. Regular WD-40 is mostly a cleaner and water displacer, so it doesn't stay on the parts long. Skip thick grease as well. It collects dust and grit.
Schedule a Garage Door Tune-Up
Pick a time online or call the shop in Sugar Land. We cover homes across Greater Houston.