A Maintenance Schedule Built for Central Ohio
Most emergency calls here are preventable, and the timing matters more than the effort does.
October, before the mix
Replace the bottom seal if it no longer springs back when pressed, because a hardened seal is what bonds to an icy slab and tears. Clear the bottom track completely - anything left in it in November is frozen in place by January.
November, the balance check
Balance test and spring inspection. Central Ohio spreads spring failures across the whole winter, so finding a tired spring now is the difference between a scheduled visit and a car shut in on a Monday morning.
March, the thaw inspection
The most informative fifteen minutes of the year. Look at both cables at the bottom fitting for corrosion rather than only for fraying. Look at the threshold concrete for spalling. Check whether the door is seating differently than it did in autumn, which tells you the slab moved.
July, mid-summer
Re-lubricate. Ohio summers are humid enough to put a light rust on whatever salt residue survived the spring rinse, and heat drives lubricant out of the bearings. This is the visit most owners skip and the reason doors turn noisy in September.
Lubrication, done properly
A garage door lubricant, silicone or lithium based, and in this climate one that still works in the cold. 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 Columbus. Every job is quoted in person and in writing before any work starts.