How to Extend Your Garage Door Opener’s Lifespan

Your garage door opener is one of the hardest working appliances in your home, as it opens and closes a heavy door several times per day, day in and day out. Most residential garage door openers will last about 10-15 years, but with some care and maintenance, you can help it last even longer. In this article, we will outline some best practices to help you maintain your garage door opener overall lifespan, including regular service and smart use. There are three main types of garage door openers, chain drive, belt drive and screw drive. We will provide general tips, as well as basic technical maintenance that any homeowner can perform.

Identify Your Garage Door Opener Type (Chain, Belt, or Screw)

The following recommendations will vary depending on the type of garage door opener you have, so before diving into maintenance you should know the type of garage door opener you have, as each type works slightly differently as detailed below:

Chain Drive Openers: A chain drive garage door opener uses a metal chain (similar to a bicycle chain) to pull open and closed the door. Chain drive garage door openers are very strong and capable but tend to be the loudest option. Maintenance for a chain drive garage door opener includes lubricating the chain and checking the chain tension periodically. Chains can loosen or sag over time and should be evaluated on occasion.

Belt Drive Openers: This type of opener uses a reinforced rubber or fiberglass belt instead of a chain. Since belt drive garage door openers are generally more quiet than chain drives, they are commonly found in attached garages. There is typically very little maintenance for a belt drive garage door opener as the belt does not need lubricating. However, you should lubricate the other moving parts of the opener, and check the belt for the proper tension and for wear.

Screw Drive Openers: These utilize a long threaded steel rod (like a screw) to move the door. Screw drives have fewer moving parts (therefore relatively simple mechanics) but can be noisier than belt drives. Maintenance on screw drives is mainly to keep the screw mechanism clean and lubricated to limit friction.

Regularly Inspect & Clean

Take a few minutes each month to monitor and inspect your garage door opener system. Regular inspections and a few simple cleaning procedures can identify problems early and extend the life of your opener:

Visual Inspection: Stand inside of your garage and watch the opener working. Watch the moving parts, the door move, and listen for unusual sounds while your door is opening and closing. If you see the door jerking, hear the opener grinding or squealing, or notice anything that "just doesn't sound right," be aware that these sounds can be early indicators of parts wearing-out or coming out of alignment in the operator.

Dusting & Cleaning: Since garage environments are often dusty a build-up of dust, debris, or spider webs can interfere with the garage door opener’s components. The best approach is to use a soft cloth or brush to remove any dust or deposition from the motor housing, light covers, and safety sensor eyes at the bottom of the door tracks.

Tighten Loose Hardware: It’s not uncommon for parts of your garage door and opener to loosen up over time, as hardware can rattle, vibrate and normally loosen up through normal use. Check your hardware on a regular basis. Using a wrench and screwdriver, tighten the bolts on the hinges of the door, the brackets on the track and the brackets from the opener.

Track and Roller Check: Check the door’s tracks on either side to be sure they are clean, straight and have no obstructions. If you see dirt or little debris that is attached to surface area of both tracks, you will want to clean it out so that your rollers can glide easily and smoothly. Also be observant of any bends or misalignments in both tracks - tracks need to be perpendicular, if they aren’t, the door may bind and as a result make the door opener work harder. If you have some misalignment it may be adjusted slightly by loosening the track brackets and gently moving the track, but if you have a bend or other large adjustment, it is recommended you call on a professional service. Be sure the tracks are clean and lined up so the opener is doing the least amount of work to lift the door.

Lubricate Moving Parts for Smoother Operation

Lubrication is probably the most important maintenance task for prolonging your garage door opener's life. All the metal moving parts that comprise the door and door opener mechanism should be able to move freely. Good lubrication reduces friction and prevents excess wear and tear to the motor and drive components. Here is how to lubricate it properly:

Use the Right Lubricant: You do not want to use heavy grease or common spray lubricants such as general-use WD-40 for this application. Instead, use silicone-based spray lubricant or a light lithium-based garage door lubricant. These are specifically designed for the moving mechanical parts, and do not draw as much dust and muck as other options. A couple of products are marketed for garage doors specifically, and they often include a thin straw to use for hard-to-reach areas.

What to Lubricate: Twice a year (often at the start of summer and winter), go through and lubricate the following:

• Door Hinges and Roller Bearings: If you have metal hinges that attach the door or panels together, spray a little at the pivot points of the hinges. Also spray the ball-bearing portion of the roller where is attached to the wheel (the roller axle).

• Chain Drive or Screw Drive: If your garage door has a chain drive opener, then apply a light spray of lubricant along the length of the chain. A thin coating will do; you don’t have to soak it. After you spray the lubricant, you can wipe the chain with a rag to disperse the lubricant evenly. If your garage door has a screw drive opener, apply lubricant along the threaded rod (screw) that runs the length of the opener rail.

• Belt Drive: Do not lubricate a belt. Belts are made of rubber, and rubber does not need oil. In fact, oil can break down the belt material or cause slippage. Instead, focus on lubricating the other metal parts: hinges, springs, rollers, and the pulley or rail the belt rides on. Check your owner’s manual and/or the manufacturer of your opener to ensure it allows for lubrication.

Wipe Off Excess: After lubricating, you should wipe off any drips or puddles that are left over. You want the parts to have a thin film of lubricant, not a messy job. You do not want to apply too much lubricant, which could attract dust and dirt, which could be ground into a paste. You only need a clean thin coat.

Check the Door Balance and Alignment

A garage door that is balanced properly is important for the health of the opener.A door that is properly balanced (meaning the springs are adequately counterbalancing the weight of the door) will significantly reduce the wear and tear on the opener and its motor and gears since it has to do a lot more work in the hard-to-lift or hard-to-close scenarios.

To check to see if your garage door is balanced, first, close the door and disconnect the garage door opener from the door by pulling the emergency release cord (which is typically a red cord hanging down from the mover’s trolley). This will allow you to manually lift and lower the door. Lifting the door by hand around halfway up, firmly let go of the door. The door should remain suspended at halfway, and if the door slams down or launches upward, the door is not balanced.

Adjust the Limits and Settings of the Opener

Garage door openers have adjustable settings that control how far the door goes and how much power the opener uses. The ideal settings, if incorrect, will either overstress the opener or not open/close the door correctly. The two most important settings to identify would be the travel limits and power (sensitivity):

• Travel Limits (open and close limits): travel limits determine how far the door goes up or down. If you find that the door does not go all the way down, or if it goes too far down and the motor continues to push.... it is time to adjust the limits.Virtually all openers have two dials or screws (most labeled "Up Limit" and "Down Limit" or similar description) on the opener itself or a method to set the limits through the control panel if it is a newer digital opener. Refer to your opener's manual for specific instructions. In general, you will adjust the setting just a small bit in order to adjust how far your door can travel on each operation. You want to set the door to stop or close just at the floor level (so that the weather strip is just compressed) and to stop at the correct height when opening without pushing beyond its mechanical range. Use small adjustments and always test the door after each adjustment by running the door down and back up until the door opens to the full height and closes to the full height without over-traveling. Correctly set travel limits will stop the opener from slamming into the floor and trying to push a closed door, which causes stress on the opener.

• Force and Sensitivity Settings: Most of today's openers have a force limit (also sometimes called down-force or up-force) to limit how much resistance the opener will tolerate before stopping or reversing. This is a safety feature as well - when the door hits something, the opener should sense the added resistance and reverse. If the door does not reverse when hitting an obstruction (like a piece of wood placed under it for a testing close) or reverses too easy (stopping even when the path is clear), then it may be necessary to adjust the force setting. Similar to the travel limits, there are probably dials on the unit for “Down Force” and “Up Force.” You will want to consult your manual again. You want the force low enough that the opener will reverse for safety, but not so high that the opener falsely triggers the reverse for normal friction that would allow a complete closure of the door. After making any force adjustments, you will want to test the auto-reverse by placing something solid on the floor (like a fairly sturdy block of wood or 1.5 inches height) under the open door and closing the door. The door should bump the object and immediately reverse itself off of it. Adjust again as needed to get it right.