Maintaining garage roller doors

We've just moved into our house, and we're having a few issues with the two front garage roller doors. I'd say they'd be about 15 years old, and they are really stiff to raise and lower. The garage was originally a carport that has been filled in with colourbond type sheeting.

We'd love some information on maintaining these roller doors, including suggestions on how to get them to move more freely, as we'd like to install motors/remotes in the next few months. I think the quickest fix would be total replacement, but unfortunately that's going to be too expensive just now.

Thank you,

lonnie

My suggestion would be to try using a silicon spray. I use one on stiff sliding windows and doors. Works a treat.

If the doors are really stiff then perhaps consider a service call by a roller door company.

Good luck

On my recently installed roller doors it has stickers warning NOT to lubricate the door guides. I suggest getting a service call as above

You are certainly going the dearest route, fitting motors to the current doors then replacing them later.

Kaytee, I was wondering about silicone spray, but didn't know if that could be used on the tracks or not

dirkadirk, I guess what I'm asking is what would the roller door company do to free up the movement of the doors, just to see if we could do it ourselves instead.

Sorry Arfur, I wasn't very clear - we're trying to work out if we can somehow fix the doors so that we don't have to buy new ones down the track. I think buying new doors would be the easiest thing to do but as you said it will be expensive. The remotes/motors are on our wish list, but that's a later priority.

Our approximately fifteen year old rollerdoor just broke down.

Is yours a B&D? There's maintenance instructions on their website.

Just a general comment on lubricants, best not to use them unless you have ascertained that they are right for the job. Hubby kept putting stuff in the keyhole and when the locksmith came out he said that had just made things worse. Dad kept putting stuff on the sliding door and when the repairman came out he said no amount of stuff was going to keep it running smoothly when what it really needed was some new ballbearings. Window guy during three month maintenance period put stuff on sticky window and when I made him have a proper look it turned out something was warped in the frame. So as you can see I'm not a fan of the spray lubricant now and ask questions later school of maintenance.

Thanks, Macy, for that info.

We'll try the metho or turps on the tracks and see how that goes.

Cheers.

Hope it works.

We're in the apparently 80% of people who don't do maintenance and it looks like we'll be getting a new door soon.

Lonnie,

It could be that the rubbing strips on each side of the door (normally white in colour and runs vertically on both the front & back of the door inside the tracks) have become ineffective due to build up of dirt and grime. If a company was called they would probably change these strips first, clean the tracks thoroughly (removing all traces of grease/oil/dirt) then reassemble the door. Maybe make minor adjustment to the door mechanism either side so it runs square to the frame.

Not sure if the big stores carry these spares though, if you need to change the rubbing strips that is.

Hope this helps you make a decision
Dirk

what are the chance's of a mod creating a DIY maintenance thread as a sticky and getting people's proven correct maintenance methods listed for us noobs.

im not guilty of doing no maintenance, but after reading through some of this stuff am probably doing it all wrong...

We use Mr Sheen on the installers advise to lube the track works a treat.
In saying that we now have to replace ours as the damn rope has come off.

Thanks for all the suggestions - we used metho on the tracks to clean out the dirt and grime, and can now move the door up and down with a lot less effort

Dirk, we'll look at getting the rubbing strips replaced in the next few months. Thanks for your advice.

My 'rubbing strips' started fraying and falling to bits. I had Gliderol call and was told NO door manufacturer replaces them as it would cost more than a new door door. Apparently the door has to be removed, packed up to avoid scratching, taken back to the factory, worked on, re-packed, delivered then re-installed. So I had a new motorised door installed for under $1300

A friend some years ago backed out his car before the auto roller door was raised enough and damaged the lower panel -- same story it was easier (and cheaper) to replace the entire door rather than repair one panel.

One of our neighbours told me today that neither of the two previous families actually parked their cars in the garage - so maybe our doors were stiff because they rarely got used (or maintained)

A service call will soon sort out IF it warrants fixing.

We found someone who also does repairs, they came out and unrolled the door on our driveway, fixed/replaced whatever was necessary, added an axle clamp which they said is a good idea with motorised doors (the people who added the motor a few years after we moved in never did) and it cost hundreds rather than thousands.
(I wonder what happens to the old doors when they are replaced? )

Being mostly aluminium they end up in a scrap metal yard