A Yearly Garage Door Check: What to Look At and When to Call

A garage door is the biggest moving part in most homes, and it works several times a day for years without asking for anything. That's exactly why it gets neglected. SCI Door's guidance is that most residential doors should be serviced at least once a year to keep them safe and smooth. Between professional visits, there's a short list of things you can check yourself, and a clear list of things you should leave alone.

What you can check yourself

Start with your eyes and ears. Stand inside the garage with the door closed, then run it up and down a couple of times while you watch and listen. A healthy door travels evenly and quietly. Look at the panels, the weatherstripping along the bottom, and the tracks on both sides. Dents, cracked panels, frayed rubber, rust or bent track edges are all worth noting.

• Watch the door move. Does one side rise faster than the other, or does the door shake or jerk?
• Look at the rollers. They should turn smoothly in the track. Worn, chipped or wobbly rollers make noise and wear the track.
• Look at the tracks for dents, gaps or anything bent. Tracks should be firmly mounted and line up evenly on both sides.
• Check the hinges between panels for cracks or loose screws.
• Check the weatherstripping along the bottom edge. If it's cracked or flattened, wind, dust and cold get in.
• Look at the cables beside the door for fraying. Look, don't touch.

Test the balance

A properly balanced door is why the opener lasts. With the door fully closed, pull the red emergency release cord to disconnect the opener. Lift the door by hand to about waist height and let go slowly. A balanced door stays roughly where you left it. If it falls, or if it shoots upward, the spring tension is off. Don't adjust it yourself. Re-engage the opener by following its manual, and have a technician look at the springs. Never do this test on a door you suspect has a broken spring, because it may be too heavy to hold.

Test the safety sensors

Two small eyes sit near the floor on either side of the door. They send an invisible beam across the opening, and if something breaks it while the door is closing, the door should stop and reverse. Close the door with the opener, then wave a cardboard box through the beam as it comes down. If the door doesn't reverse right away, the sensors need to be cleaned, realigned or replaced. Don't use the door until that's sorted out, especially if you have kids or pets. These sensors exist to protect them.

What to leave to a technician

Springs, lift cables, the drums on the spring bar and the brackets at the bottom corners of the door are all under high tension. Don't loosen, tighten or adjust them. Technicians use specialized tools and know the sequence for working on them safely. When SCI Door does a maintenance visit, the technicians check every component, from the springs and cables to the rollers and safety sensors, and that full inspection is the point of the annual service.

Lubrication in a valley with real winters

Moving parts like rollers, hinges and the bearing plates at the ends of the spring bar do better with a light coating of lubricant made for garage doors. Don't grease the tracks themselves, since grease catches dust and grit and makes the rollers sluggish. Cold weather also thickens old lubricant, which is one reason a door that behaved all summer can act up the first hard freeze of the year. A door stuck open in the middle of winter is a miserable surprise in Yakima or Naches, and it usually means something was already wearing.

Signs a door needs service now

• Noise: grinding, scraping, squealing, popping or a loud bang. Garage doors should be quiet enough to talk over.
• Slow movement: the door takes longer than it used to, or the opener groans as it works.
• Uneven travel: one side sags, the door looks crooked, or it binds in the tracks.
• A door that reverses on its own, or stops partway, with nothing in the way.
• Visible damage: bent panels, frayed cables, gaps in a spring, loose hardware.
• A door that's heavy to lift by hand when the opener is released.
• The door falls too fast after you let go at waist height.

Any one of these is a reason to stop and call instead of coaxing the door through another few weeks. A small problem handled early is usually a smaller repair. A door that's run until something gives can take a spring, a cable, a panel and a track with it.

Why a yearly visit pays off

Garage door hardware wears in a predictable way, which makes it easy to catch with a trained eye. A technician looks at the springs for fatigue, checks that cables aren't unraveling, tests the balance and the sensors, tightens hardware that works loose with vibration, and listens for what the door is telling them. Fall is a good time to book it, before the cold sets in and before a stuck door gets in the way of a morning commute.

Your next step

To book a service visit or ask about something you've noticed, call SCI Door at (509) 575-7955 or stop by 1118 N 6th Ave, Yakima. The shop is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and the team serves homes and businesses in Yakima, Selah, Moxee, Wapato, Union Gap, Toppenish, Sunnyside and the surrounding valley.