Question:
Our house is 7 years old, and we've been living there for 1 year now. We have
a 2 car attached garage, and the garage door seems kinda noisy when it goes up
or down. It makes alot of creaking and groaning sounds, and the rollers on the
sides don't seem to be running very smoothly. The Sears garage door opener
works fine, but from the sound of the motor, it seems to be straining more
than it should. Is there some maintenance I should be doing to the door to
keep it running smooth?
Answer:
If you have a chain drive you should have a rail up top. Lightly put some
grease on the tops of the rail. Put some lubricant like bicycle chain oil, or
even WD 40 on the shafts of the rollers in the track. (just a little bit) If
your house has settled some it might be that the tracks that the rollers on your
door run in might be a little out of whack. Loosen the screws where the track
is attached to your garage. The screws should be in a slot that will allow you
to move the track a little to one side or the other.If you loosen them only to
the point that your track can shift a little, (make sure they are not paint
bound to the wood or anything) then operate your door, if thats your problem
they should shift to a different position. If this helps your dragging problem,
then tighten the screws back down with the tracks in their new position.
A garage door is often neglected as far as maintenance is concerned because
they are not thought of as a piece of machinery, but in fact, that is
exactly what they are.
At least once every year, the electric opener should be disconnected from
the door and the door lifted manually. This usually tells a whole lot about
the state of the door and right now.
The door should open and close with ease, and stay in just about any
position, without falling to the floor or rising up. There should be no
squeaking or grinding noises, an no indication that the door is being held
back or dragging in some way. In other words, completely free wheeling.
(Doors equipped with nylon rollers and or nylon headshaft bearings may have
a slight dragging sensation).
