A Maintenance Schedule Built for Northern Illinois

Most emergency calls here are preventable, and the timing is different from what you would follow in a milder climate.

March, the thaw inspection

The most informative fifteen minutes of the year. Salt inspection as above, check whether the door is seating differently than it did in autumn, and rinse residue off the track and lower hardware before it sits through a humid summer.

July, mid-summer

Re-lubricate with a product rated for cold, since it needs to still work in January. Heat has driven the previous application out of the bearings and summer humidity has been working on whatever salt residue survived March.

September, the pre-winter check

Balance test, spring inspection, cable check at the bottom fitting, reversal test with a solid object. This is the month to find a tired spring, because the alternative is finding it in January with the car shut in.

October, the seal and the track

Replace the bottom seal if it does not spring back. Clear the bottom track completely before anything can freeze into it. Confirm both photo-eyes are aligned and clean before the shovels come out.

Lubrication, done properly

A garage door lubricant, silicone or lithium based, and in this climate specifically one rated for low temperature. Not WD-40, which is a solvent and strips out what you want to keep. Hinges, roller stems, springs and the opener rail - not the track, which should be clean and dry.

Free estimate — no charge for the visit

Tell us what the door is doing and we will tell you what it normally means in Rockford. Every job is quoted in person and in writing before any work starts.

Call (815) 446-3251 Request a callback