How Regular Maintenance Prevents Expensive Home Emergencies

Home emergencies happen. Do you want to know what can cause a very expensive home emergency?

Your Garage Door Breaking Down.

We’ve all been there. You press the button to open your garage door and nothing happens. Or the door opens halfway and won’t go any further. Maybe the garage door opener is making a weird grinding noise.

It’s inconvenient. Annoying. And 100% predictable to happen at the worst time possible.

Whether you’re stuck inside on a Monday morning. Stranded in the cold during the winter. Or about to leave for work and your garage door refuses to close.

Let’s chat about how preventive maintenance can save you from these stressful (and costly) calls for garage door repair.

Table of Contents

• Why Maintenance Matters
• Common Garage Door Repairs
• Garage Door Maintenance Checklist
• Garage Door Maintenance You Should Leave To Pros

Ready?

Why Maintenance Matters

Garage door maintenance is just like getting an oil change for your car. If you don’t change the oil, something is going to break that costs a lot of money to fix.

The International Door Association estimates 75% of garage door breakdowns are attributed to worn out parts and a lack of regular tune-ups.

Think about how often your garage door operates every year. Hundreds if not thousands of times.

Your garage door is the largest moving object inside most homes. It’s also full of heavy parts working under serious tension. Springs, cables, rollers… they all wear down with use.

And they don’t give too many obvious signs when they’re about to give out. They quietly break one little piece at a time until something big snaps.

Once something breaks, you’re looking at an average repair bill of $150-$600.

But emergency repairs and full replacement can quickly exceed $1,000. (With the average door replacement costing around $2,743).

Don’t let your door get to that point.

Invest $100-$200 in a professional tune-up every year and maintain your garage door yourself every few months.

Common Garage Door Repairs

There are only a handful of things that can go wrong with your garage door.

And almost all of them can be detected and corrected with routine maintenance.

The following issues are what you’ll spend your time and money fixing if you ignore your garage door upkeep.

Springs

Broken springs are the leading cause of garage door repair. They also happen to be one of the most dangerous DIY repairs.

If your garage door spring breaks, the door could come crashing down on you. Springs are tightly wound and under a lot of tension. When they break, that tension is suddenly released.

It’s going to take upward of $150 to get your spring replaced. But if the broken spring snaps other cables, rollers, or tears your door open… that cost will quickly rise.

Rollers & Cables

These two work in tandem to lift and lower your garage door along the tracks. Rollers are mounted on top of your garage door and ride along the tracks as it opens and closes. The cable is what connects the rollers to the opener.

As your rollers turn and your cables move, they will eventually wear out. You may start to see your door become crooked as it closes. Or maybe it’ll get stuck off the tracks altogether.

Ignoring worn out cables and rollers will only make things worse. They have to go.

Garage Door Opener

The opener is your biggest investment. Unless you lift your door manually, your garage door opener is the most complicated (and expensive) piece of your garage door system.

Most repair issues are either due to motor burnout or a faulty circuit board. But it can also be something as simple as your door sensor needing to be cleaned or adjusted.

Garage opener repairs will set you back at least $75.

Tracks

Ever notice a grinding sound when you open/close your garage door? That’s the sound of your rollers trying to travel down bent and/or misaligned tracks.

The International Door Association says that about 1 in 4 repairs are due to tracks being out of alignment.

Guess what fixes that? You got it, garage door maintenance.

Garage Door Maintenance Checklist

Garage door maintenance is easy. And the best part is, you don’t need to call a professional every time.

Check out the maintenance tasks below. Print this page and hang it in your garage. Mark your calendar and do these things every 3-6 months.

Visual Inspection

Take a good look at your garage door. Check the rollers, cables, springs and tracks for signs of wear. Do you see any rusted or frayed cables? Are your rollers starting to look cracked? Anything loose or falling off?

If something looks wrong, fix it. Little problems turn into big problems really fast.

Lubrication

Lubrication is by far the simplest and most effective thing you can do for your garage door. All that metal rubbing against metal causes lots of friction. Friction causes premature wear and tear.

Get a silicone-based lubricant and apply it to the moving parts of your garage door. Springs, rollers, hinges and tracks. Proper lubrication can reduce friction by up to 30%.

Balance Test

Your garage door should stay in place when you lift it halfway.

Disconnect your garage door from the opener and lift the door manually. If it doesn’t stay in place by itself, your springs need to be adjusted.

You should also perform this test every few months with your garage door connected to the opener. An improperly balanced door wears down the opener faster.

Safety Sensor Check

Garage doors have sensors to prevent the door from closing on you (or your pets). Stick a piece of paper under the door and try to close it. The garage door should immediately reverse back to the open position.

If it doesn’t, adjust your sensors. You don’t want to take any chances here. Kids under the age of 15 account for almost 40% of garage door-related injuries.

Weatherstripping

This is the rubber seal you’ll find around the bottom edge of your garage door.

If it’s cracked or falling off, now is a great time to replace it. Weatherstripping prevents moisture from getting into your garage. (Not to mention bugs and cold air in the winter months).

Garage Door Maintenance You Should Leave To Pros

Home repairs can be dangerous. There’s always a chance of getting hurt. Knowing when to call a professional is critical.

It is never safe for homeowners to attempt repairs on the following garage door parts:

• Springs
• Cables
• Tracks
• Garage Door Openers

All of those parts are under extreme tension. Trying to fix them without the right tools and training can cause serious injury.

Once a year, call in a professional to inspect your garage door. The average garage door maintenance/tune-up will run you $100-200.

A trained technician will inspect all your hardware, lubricate moving parts, test the balance, and make sure your safety sensors are working correctly.

You can do the other maintenance tasks on this list every few months. But leave this to a professional.

Routine Maintenance Will Save You Time & Money

Don’t wait for your garage door to break before you maintain it.

Like most things in life, neglecting your garage door will eventually cost you time and money.

Here’s what routine garage door maintenance can save you.

Money: Small issues will be caught during your routine maintenance or annual professional inspection. That means no expensive repairs or replacements.

Time: Your garage door is one less thing you have to worry about when you’re already running late.

Safety: Broken cables and springs can be dangerous. You don’t want to take any chances when it comes to the safety of your family.

Do your garage door maintenance. It’s quick, easy and well worth the peace of mind.