A Simple Garage Door Maintenance Checklist: Monthly, Seasonal and Yearly

A garage door is the biggest moving thing in most homes, and it gets used every day without much thought. Most breakdowns don't come out of nowhere. They build slowly: a roller that dries out, a bolt that works loose, a cable that starts to fray. A simple routine catches those things while they are still small.

This checklist is split into three parts. The monthly checks take a few minutes. The seasonal list takes maybe half an hour. The yearly work involves springs and cables, and that part belongs to a professional.

Before you start: what not to touch

Springs, lift cables and the bottom brackets where the cables attach are under heavy tension. They hold the weight of the door. Don't loosen, adjust or pry on any of them. Everything on this list is either looking, listening, cleaning, lubricating or tightening simple hinge and track hardware.

Unplug the opener before you work near the door or the opener rail, and keep kids and pets out of the garage while you do it.

Monthly: a five minute look and listen

Open and close the door once while you stand inside the garage and pay attention. You are looking for anything that changed since last month.

• Listen. Grinding, scraping, popping or new rattles usually point to a specific part. Our guide to common garage door noises explains what each one tends to mean.
• Watch the movement. The door should travel smoothly and evenly on both sides. Jerking, hesitating or one side running lower than the other is worth a call.
• Look, don't touch. Check the springs above the door for a visible gap in the coil. Look at the cables near the bottom corners for fraying or rust. Check rollers for cracks or wobble.
• Test the safety features. Check that the photo eye sensors stop and reverse the door, and that the door reverses when it meets an object. We walk through both in how to test your safety sensors and auto-reverse.
• Clear the path. Keep bikes, bins and boxes away from the sensors and the tracks.

Seasonal: a few times a year

Doing this at the change of seasons is an easy way to remember it. Cold weather thickens old lubricant and stiffens seals, and summer heat and dust dry things out.

• Lubricate moving parts. Use a lubricant made for garage doors on the hinges, the roller bearings and the opener chain or screw if your opener's manual calls for it. A light coat is enough. Wipe off the extra.
• Clean the tracks, don't grease them. Wipe the inside of the tracks with a dry cloth to remove dirt. Grease in the tracks collects grime and can make rollers slide instead of roll.
• Tighten hinge and track screws. A door shakes a little every time it moves, and screws work loose over time. Snug up the screws on the hinges and the track brackets. Leave the bottom brackets alone, since those connect to the cables.
• Check the bottom seal. Look for cracks, gaps or a seal that has gone hard and flat. A worn seal lets in water, drafts and pests.
• Check remotes and keypads. Replace batteries if the range has dropped.
• Know your manual release. Find the red release cord and make sure everyone in the house knows what it does. Only pull it with the door fully closed.

A careful balance check

Door balance tells you a lot about spring health. With the door fully closed, pull the manual release so the door is off the opener. Lift the door by hand to about waist height and gently let go, keeping your hands ready.

A balanced door stays about where you left it, or drifts slowly. If it drops quickly, shoots up, or feels very heavy to lift, the springs likely need adjustment. Don't try to fix that yourself. Lower the door, reconnect the opener and have it looked at. If the door feels heavy from the start, or you already see a gap in a spring, skip this test entirely.

Yearly: the work to leave to a pro

Once a year, have a professional go over the parts that carry the load. That usually means inspecting the springs and cables, checking and adjusting door balance, looking over the drums, pulleys and bottom brackets, testing the opener's force and travel settings, and a full safety inspection.

These are the checks that prevent the most disruptive failures, like a snapped spring on a busy morning. If you want to know what a good visit covers, see what a garage door tune-up actually checks.

Signs you shouldn't wait for the next checklist

Some things are worth acting on right away. Stop using the door and have it checked if you hear a loud bang from the garage, see a frayed or loose cable, notice the door hanging crooked, or find that the door won't reverse when it should. Our list of signs your door needs a tune-up covers the quieter warnings too.