Servicing
Garage door servicing that is actually a service
Not a spray of lubricant and a wave. A proper service is a balance test, a load path inspection, a full lubrication, a re-torque and a safety recommission, and it takes the best part of an hour.
Quick answer
What is included in a garage door service and how often is it needed?
A professional garage door service includes testing and correcting door balance with the opener disengaged, inspecting springs for coil separation and corrosion, inspecting lift cables at the drum and bottom bracket for broken strands, lubricating rollers, hinges, bearings and the opener rail with a purpose-made garage door lubricant, cleaning tracks and guides, re-torquing hinge fixings and track brackets, resetting opener travel limits and up and down force settings, and testing both the force auto-reverse and the photoelectric safety beams. A correctly performed service takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes and covers the opener as well as the door, since they operate as one system. Most manufacturers require documented annual servicing for warranty on both the door and the opener to remain valid, and claims are declined where no service history exists. In coastal locations a nine to twelve month interval is recommended, with a fresh water washdown of salt deposits included, and high-cycle commercial doors require servicing every three to six months. Doormec services garage doors across the Illawarra, Wollongong and South Coast for $170 plus parts, with a written service record provided. Phone 0490 774 111.
Multiple doors at one address are one callout. The callout is the cost of getting to you, so a house door plus shed doors are handled in a single visit. Mention them all when you book so we bring the right parts.
Included
What we actually do
- Balance test and adjustment, with the opener disengaged, through the full travel
- Spring inspection for coil separation, corrosion and cycle wear
- Cable inspection at the drum and bottom bracket for broken strands and fraying
- Lubrication of rollers, hinges, bearings and the opener rail with proper garage door lubricant
- Cleaning of tracks, guides and, in coastal suburbs, a fresh water washdown of salt deposits
- Re-torquing of hinge fixings, track brackets and bottom brackets
- Opener travel limit and up/down force settings reset to the corrected door
- Auto-reverse tested against a 40mm obstruction and photoelectric beams tested and aligned
- Bottom seal and weather strip inspection
- Written service record for your warranty documentation
Order of work
How a service runs
- 01
Run it manually first
Everything starts with the door disengaged from the opener, because a powered door hides its own faults. A balanced door feels light and stays where you leave it.
- 02
Inspect the load path
Springs, cables, drums, bearings and brackets, in that order. These are the parts that carry the weight and the ones that hurt people when they fail.
- 03
Adjust, lubricate, re-torque
Balance corrected, proper lubricant applied where it belongs and nowhere it does not, and every fixing checked.
- 04
Recommission the opener
Limits, force, auto-reverse and beams set and tested against the corrected door, then we show you the obstruction test so you can repeat it yourself.
Answers
Garage door servicing questions
How often should a garage door be serviced?
Annually for a typical residential door, and most manufacturers require documented annual servicing for warranty on both the door and the opener. In heavy coastal exposure, Windang, Thirroul, Austinmer and the Shellharbour village, we recommend every nine to twelve months. High-cycle commercial doors need every three to six months.
What does a garage door service cost?
The standard service call is $170, plus parts if you want anything worn replaced while we are there. A proper service takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour. If you have multiple doors at one address, we handle them in the same visit and you pay the callout once.
What is included in a garage door motor or opener service?
The opener is serviced as part of the same visit, because the door and the motor are one system. We check and lubricate the rail, check chain or belt tension, reset travel limits and up and down force, test auto-reverse and the safety beams, check the manual release, re-pair remotes if needed and check the backup battery where one is fitted.
Does servicing keep my warranty valid?
It is generally a condition of it. Manufacturers commonly require a professional service every twelve months and do decline claims where no service history exists. We leave you a written record after every visit for exactly that reason.
Can I service my own garage door?
Partly. Lubricating rollers, hinges and bearings with a proper garage door lubricant, cleaning safety beam lenses and tightening loose fixings are all reasonable. Balance adjustment, spring work and cable work are not, because those components hold enough stored energy to cause serious injury.
What lubricant should I use?
A purpose-made garage door lubricant, either white lithium grease or a silicone-based spray, on rollers, hinges, bearings and the opener rail. Never a general penetrating spray, which is a solvent that strips existing grease and leaves parts drier than before. Never on the tracks themselves or a roller door curtain, where it just collects grit.
Book your annual service
One visit, an hour, a written record and a door that is safe and balanced. $170 plus parts if anything needs replacing.