Your garage door is probably the most-used thing in your house.
If you are like most of our customers, you never think about it. Until it breaks. Usually at the worst possible time, like when you’re already late or it’s freezing outside.
Here’s what you actually need to do to keep it working. This isn’t complicated.
1. Lubricate the Moving Parts
Go buy white lithium grease.
(Not WD-40 – that actually removes grease, which is the opposite of our goals, here)
There are a few areas to focus on:
You need to hit the roller shafts where they go through the hinges.
Then spray that big spring that runs across the top of your door. That spring is doing all the heavy lifting, literally. Also get the hinges themselves.
PROTIP: Put a piece of cardboard behind stuff before you spray or you’ll get grease all over your wall. (I learned this the hard way.)
Do this twice a year in Denver. Once before winter, once after. The cold makes everything seize up, and you don’t want to find out your door won’t open when it’s 15 degrees outside.
One more thing: don’t spray the tracks. I know it seems like you should, but you shouldn’t. The wheels need to grip the track. Grease in there just collects dirt and makes a mess.
Your door goes up and down over a thousand times a year. All that movement loosens bolts.
Walk around with a wrench and tighten anything that’s loose. You’ll find stuff. Don’t crank down like you’re trying to break it—just snug.
Denver’s temperature swings make this worse because metal expands and contracts. Check your hardware a few times during winter.
3. Test the Balance
Pull the red emergency release handle and disconnect your opener. Lift the door about halfway up and let go.
If it stays there, you’re good. If it drops or flies up, your springs need adjusting. Don’t mess with the springs yourself unless you know what you’re doing. Those things can seriously hurt you.
An unbalanced door wears out your opener faster. It’s working way harder than it should.
4. Replace Your Weather Stripping When It’s Shot
That rubber seal on the bottom keeps snow and dirt out. Check it every so often for cracks or chunks missing.
Denver winters destroy weather stripping. The constant freezing and thawing makes rubber brittle. When it looks rough, replace it. It’s maybe $20 and takes 10 minutes.
Clean it off with soap and water once in a while. Helps it last longer.
5. Pay Attention to Weird Noises
If your door starts making sounds it didn’t make before, something’s wrong.
Squeaking usually means it needs lubrication. Grinding means something’s worn out—probably the rollers. A loud bang could be a spring breaking, which needs immediate attention.
Metal gets brittle when it’s cold. I’ve seen more garage door parts fail in January and February than any other time. If something sounds off, deal with it before you’re stuck with a door that won’t open.
What Not to Do
Some things you should just leave alone. Adjusting torsion springs is one of them. Those springs are under massive tension. People end up in the hospital trying to adjust them.
If the door won’t balance after you’ve lubricated everything, or if you see a broken cable, call someone. Not worth the risk.
When You Actually Need a Professional
Look, most of this maintenance is simple. But some repairs aren’t DIY-friendly, especially if you don’t have the right tools or experience.
Broken springs, damaged cables, or a door that’s seriously out of whack—these need a pro.
NuLift Garage Doors handles the stuff that’s beyond basic maintenance. We handle Denver weather issues regularly and know what breaks when it gets cold. If your door needs more than a tune-up, give us a call.
The point is to catch problems before they strand you outside in the middle of winter. A little maintenance goes a long way, but when something actually breaks, don’t mess around with it.
