Tune Up

A tune-up is a single scheduled visit — one appointment, after which the door has been inspected, adjusted, and lubricated. It suits a door that still works but has not been looked over in a year or more, as distinct from putting a door on a standing maintenance schedule.

The visit starts with a look over every major component: springs, cables, rollers, hinges, tracks, weatherstripping, and the opener itself. Springs are checked for fatigue and corrosion, cables for fraying, rollers for flat spots and worn bearings. Damp air and repeated temperature swings are hard on metal hardware, so finding rust early matters more here than it would in a dry climate.

Next is the balance test. A balanced door stays where it is put when raised halfway by hand and released. If it drifts up or down, spring tension needs adjusting — and an unbalanced door makes the opener pull harder on every single cycle, which shortens the life of the motor. Adjusting spring tension is a trained-technician job because of the forces involved.

The safety reversal system is then tested. That covers both the auto-reverse that backs the door off when it meets an obstruction and the photoelectric beam near the floor that stops the door when something breaks it. Both protect children, pets, and whatever is parked underneath, and both need checking rather than assuming.

Finally every moving part is lubricated with a lubricant made for garage doors, loose hardware is tightened, and the weatherstripping along the bottom and sides is inspected — worn stripping lets in rain, draughts, and pests. Whatever the visit turns up is walked through afterwards so nothing is a surprise.

• ✓Visual inspection of springs, cables, rollers, hinges and tracks
• ✓Door balance test with spring tension adjustment
• ✓Safety reversal tested — auto-reverse and photo-eye sensors
• ✓All moving parts lubricated with door-specific lubricant
• ✓Weatherstripping inspected, with replacement advised where worn
• ✓Loose hardware tightened and hinges checked
• ✓Findings walked through at the end of the visit