Twelve checks, twice a year, for a door that lives with 130°F garages and monsoon dust
A West Valley garage door is the hardest-working moving part on the house, and the desert is hard on it in specific ways. This checklist takes about forty minutes in spring and again in fall. Most of it is yours to do; two items are the technician's.
Do the list in April, before the heat, and again in October, after the monsoon. Items marked (tech) are not safe to do yourself.
The checklist
| # | Check | What you are looking for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balance test | Pull the red cord with the door closed and lift the door to waist height. It should stay there. A door that drifts down has springs losing tension. (tech to adjust) |
| 2 | Springs | Look, do not touch. Rust pitting, a gap in the coils, or a spring that looks stretched. (tech) |
| 3 | Cables | At the drums and especially at the bottom brackets: fraying, rust, broken strands. (tech) |
| 4 | Rollers | Spin each one. Grinding, wobble or a flat spot means steel rollers at the end of their life; nylon replacements are quiet and last. |
| 5 | Hinges | Cracks at the knuckle, bent leaves, missing bolts. The center hinges on the bottom sections take the most load. |
| 6 | Track and lag bolts | Sight the vertical track for bends; try to wiggle the brackets. Loose lag bolts into stucco foam are a West Valley special. |
| 7 | Lubricant | A silicone or lithium garage door lubricant on rollers, hinges, bearings and the springs' surface. Never a penetrating solvent spray; it strips what is there and attracts dust. |
| 8 | Bottom seal and weatherstrip | Cracked, flattened or brittle rubber lets dust, heat and geckos in. Seals here last three to five years in the sun. |
| 9 | Photo-eyes | Wipe both lenses, confirm both lights hold steady, check the wire for chew damage and pinches. |
| 10 | Opener force | With the door closing, press up on it lightly with both hands. It should reverse easily. If you have to push hard, the force is set too high. (tech to adjust) |
| 11 | Reverse test | A block of wood flat on the floor under the door; the door must reverse on contact. See the test guide. |
| 12 | Backup battery | Unplug the opener and run the door. Batteries last three to five years and die quietly; find out in April, not during the outage. |
Desert-specific notes
Dust. After a haboob, the rollers and the bottom seal have collected grit. A dry brush and a wipe, then lubricant, is the order. Sun. The bottom seal and the weatherstrip on a west-facing door go brittle years before a shaded door's do; budget for them. Irrigation. Any sprinkler head that reaches the door is shortening the life of the bottom section, the bottom brackets and the cables. Aim it away. Monsoon. A plug-in surge protector on the opener outlet, before July.
The technician's visit
The annual service, $89 to $169, covers items 1, 2, 3 and 10 properly, plus the lubrication, the reverse test and a battery check, in about an hour. Rollers, seals and springs found due are quoted on the spot and replaced only with your go-ahead. On a Sun City door that opens all day, twice a year is the better rhythm.
Questions on this topic
What lubricant should I use?
A product sold as garage door lubricant, silicone or white lithium, on rollers, hinges, bearings and springs. Not a penetrating solvent spray; it cleans rather than lubricates and attracts dust.
How often should the door be serviced by a technician?
Once a year for a family door; twice for a door that opens a dozen times a day, which describes most of the Sun Cities.
Why does my door drift down when I let go?
The springs are losing tension and the door is no longer balanced. It is the earliest sign of a spring near the end, and it loads the opener on every cycle.
Can I adjust the opener's force myself?
The dials or buttons are on the powerhead and the manual explains them, but set it to the lightest value that still closes the door and then run the reverse test. If in doubt, leave it for the visit.
What is eating the bottom seal?
Sun and heat make it brittle; dust abrades it; and the occasional packrat chews it. A new seal is $55 to $130 and keeps the garage noticeably cleaner.
Is the backup battery really that short-lived?
Three to five years in a hot garage, and it fails silently. Testing it in April takes a minute.
See also: Safety reverse test · Spring replacement · Sensor repair · Repair cost table