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Spring8 April 20266 min read

A spring clean for the garage door: lubricate, tighten, test

Twenty minutes, a can of silicone spray and a socket set. What is safe to do yourself, and the three parts you should always leave to us.

A white garage with two blue timber-clad doors beside a house with a clipped box hedge and a block-paved drive

Most of what keeps a garage door quiet and reliable is simple, and you can do it yourself in twenty minutes once a year. A little of it is dangerous. This guide is clear about which is which.

You will need

  • A can of dry silicone lubricant (not oil, not grease)
  • A socket set or spanners
  • A damp cloth and a stiff brush
  • A stepladder

Clean the tracks

With the door closed, brush out the vertical tracks either side and wipe them with a damp cloth. Grit in the track is what wears rollers flat. Do not lubricate the inside of the tracks: lubricant on the running surface collects more grit.

Lubricate the moving parts

Spray a short burst of silicone onto each hinge pivot, each roller bearing (the centre of the wheel, not the rim) and the bearings at each end of the spring shaft. Run the door up and down twice to work it in and wipe off any drips.

Tighten what has worked loose

Vibration loosens fixings. With the door down, check the bolts that hold each hinge to the panels and the brackets that hold the tracks to the frame. Snug them up; don’t overtighten into thin steel.

Three parts to leave alone

The springs. They hold enough energy to break bones. Adjusting or replacing them needs winding bars and training.

The cables and the bottom brackets. The bottom brackets are attached to the cables and are under full spring tension. Never undo the bolts on the bottom corner brackets.

Anything that needs the door held up. If a job means working under a raised door, call us.

Finish with a test

Release the opener, lift the door to half height and let go. It should stay put. Then reconnect, put a towel under the door and close it to check it reverses. If either test fails, book a service and we will put it right.

More guides

A detached garage with an anthracite sectional door at the end of a tree-lined drive Autumn5 min read The ten-minute autumn check before the cold sets in Springs break most in the first cold snap. Ten minutes with the door in October tells you whether yours is likely to be one of them. A grey-blue timber garage door in an old stone mews building with a clock tower behind Winter4 min read Cold mornings and a door that won't close A door that goes down, touches the floor and springs back up on a frosty morning is rarely broken. Here is what is going on and what to try first. A row of three white up-and-over garage doors in a brick block with a red tiled roof behind a hedge Any season5 min read Repair or replace? What the age of your door tells you Most doors we see are worth repairing. A few are not. The age of the door, and how many times it has failed lately, decide which.

Door stuck open, or stuck shut? Ring before 2pm.

Tell us what it is doing and you get the fixed price on the phone. A van with the parts on board is with you the same day.

Call 01632 960 391 Book online