Garage Door Maintenance / Tune-Up

A tune-up is a straightforward yearly visit where we inspect everything, lubricate what moves, tighten what has come loose, and check the balance and safety features. It is the cheapest service we offer and the one most likely to save you money.

Why it is worth doing

• Catches problems early. A frayed cable spotted during a tune-up is a small job. A snapped cable on a Saturday morning is not.
• Makes the door last longer. Doors and openers both wear out faster when the system is dry and out of balance.
• Keeps it safe. We test the auto-reverse and the safety sensors, which most homeowners have never checked.
• Makes it quieter. Most of what makes a door loud is fixed during a tune-up.
• Protects your opener. An unbalanced door forces the opener to do work the springs should be doing. That is what burns out motors and strips gears.

What we check and do

Hardware

Every bolt, hinge and bracket on a garage door loosens over time from constant vibration. We go over the whole door and tighten it all.

Moving parts

Hinges, rollers, pulleys, bearings and springs all get the correct lubricant — not household oil, which attracts dirt and makes things worse over time.

Weather seals

We check the rubber strip along the bottom and the seals up the sides and across the top. Cracked seals let in water, cold, leaves and mice.

Balance and spring tension

We disconnect the opener and lift the door by hand. A properly balanced door will stay put at waist height. If it drops or shoots up, the spring tension is wrong — and your opener has been quietly overworking.

Cables and springs

A close look for fraying, rust, broken strands and gaps in the coils. This is where we spot the failure that would have happened next month.

Tracks and rollers

Checked for bends, dents, debris and worn rollers. Cleaned and aligned.

Safety tests

We test the auto-reverse by placing an object in the door’s path, and check both safety sensors are aligned and working. These are the features that protect children and pets, and they should be tested every year.

Opener check

Travel limits, force settings, chain or belt tension, and remote operation.

How often?

• Normal household use: once a year.
• Garage used as the main entrance, or several drivers: twice a year.
• Detached or unheated garage: once a year, ideally in the fall.
• Older door with original hardware: once a year without fail.

Best time of year: the fall

September and October are the ideal months, and here is why. Ontario winters are what break garage doors. Cold makes grease thicken so rollers drag. Metal contracts and tired springs snap. Water freezes under the door and glues it to the concrete. Cracked seals let snow blow in.

A tune-up before the first freeze deals with all of that. Most of our January emergency calls could have been an October service visit.

What you can do between visits

• Listen. New noises are the earliest warning you get.
• Watch it move. It should run smoothly and evenly. Jerking, pausing or leaning means something is wrong.
• Test the balance. Twice a year, pull the release cord with the door closed, lift by hand to waist height, and let go. It should stay. Then reconnect.
• Keep the sensors clear. Nothing stored near them, lenses wiped.
• Clear snow and ice from under the door before it freezes.
• Do not oil the tracks. Tracks should be clean and dry. Grease there collects dirt and makes things worse.