Fall is the best time of year to check your garage door. The heat of an Omaha summer is behind you, and the first hard freeze is usually only weeks away. Cold weather is when worn springs snap, seals freeze to the slab and tired openers give out, so a 20 minute inspection now can save you a stuck door on a January morning.

Use this checklist to inspect your door yourself, then book a professional garage door inspection in Omaha for the parts that are not safe to touch.

How long a standard garage door spring lasts

Years until a 10,000 cycle torsion spring wears out, by how often the door is used

View data table

Daily use	Years to 10,000 cycles
2 cycles a day	13.7
4 cycles a day	6.8
6 cycles a day	4.6
8 cycles a day	3.4

Before You Start

• Close the door and unplug the opener, or pull the emergency release cord, before you touch any moving parts.
• Never loosen, adjust or remove the springs, cables or the bottom brackets. They are under high tension.
• Have a flashlight, a rag and a garage door lubricant spray ready.

The Fall Garage Door Inspection Checklist

1. Look and Listen While the Door Runs

Plug the opener back in and run the door up and down twice. Watch for jerky movement, a door that rises unevenly, or a top panel that bows. Listen for grinding, scraping, popping or squealing. A smooth, quiet door is a healthy door; new noises are an early warning.

2. Check the Springs (Look Only)

With the door closed, look at the spring on the bar above the door. Check for a gap between coils, rust, or coils that look stretched unevenly. Springs typically last around 10,000 cycles, which is about 7 to 10 years for most households. If yours are original to a house built before 2016 and you have never replaced them, plan for it. Our spring repair service can replace them before they break.

3. Inspect the Cables

Look at the steel cables that run from the bottom corners of the door to the drums at the top. Frayed strands, rust, or a cable that looks loose on one side are warning signs. Do not touch them. A cable with broken strands should be replaced; see our garage door cable repair page.

4. Test the Balance

Pull the emergency release cord with the door closed. Lift the door by hand to about waist height and let go. A balanced door stays put or moves only slightly. If it slams down or shoots up, the springs need adjustment by a technician. An unbalanced door wears out the opener fast.

5. Test the Auto Reverse

Reconnect the opener. Lay a roll of paper towels or a 2x4 flat on the floor under the door and close it. The door should touch the object and reverse. Then wave a broom handle through the sensor beam while the door closes; it should reverse again. If either test fails, stop using the opener until it is fixed.

6. Clean and Align the Safety Sensors

Wipe both sensor lenses. Both indicator lights should be solid. Clear away rakes, bins or leaf bags stored near them, since a blocked beam is one of the most common causes of a door that will not close.

7. Check Rollers, Hinges and Tracks

Look for cracked nylon rollers, wobbly steel rollers, loose hinge bolts and dents or bends in the tracks. Tighten loose hinge and track bracket bolts with a socket wrench (never the bottom bracket). A bent track should be repaired by a pro; see track repair.

8. Lubricate Moving Parts

Spray rollers, hinges, the spring coils and the opener chain or screw with a garage door lubricant. Wipe the tracks clean but do not grease the inside of them; grease there collects dirt and leaves and thickens in the cold.

9. Replace the Bottom Seal and Weatherstripping

Close the door and look for daylight along the bottom and sides. A cracked or flattened seal lets in cold air, leaves, and meltwater that freezes the door to the floor. Fall is the right time to replace it.

10. Clear Leaves and Debris

Omaha's older tree lined neighborhoods drop a lot of leaves on driveways and into garages each October. In areas like Dundee and the streets around Memorial Park, wet leaves packed into the door track or against the seal are a frequent cause of binding and sensor problems. Sweep the threshold and blow out the tracks before the snow comes.

11. Test the Opener and Remotes

Replace remote and keypad batteries now; batteries fail faster in a cold car. If your opener is over 15 years old, very loud, or lacks a battery backup, consider an upgrade. See our garage door opener options.

What a Professional Inspection Adds

A homeowner check catches the obvious problems. A technician can safely measure spring tension, adjust balance, inspect cable drums and bearings, tighten the hardware you should not touch, and test opener force settings. Most problems we find in fall are small, inexpensive fixes that prevent a winter emergency.

Garage Doors of Omaha inspects doors across the metro, including Millard, Elkhorn, Papillion, Bellevue, La Vista and Council Bluffs. Book an inspection online or call (402) 901-4552.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should a garage door be inspected?

Once a year is a good rule, and fall is the best time in Omaha because cold weather is when weak parts fail.

How long does a professional inspection take?

Usually under an hour, including lubrication and minor adjustments.

What if the inspection finds a broken spring?

Stop using the door. A broken spring is one of the most common emergency garage door repair calls, and we can usually replace it the same day.

Written by the Garage Doors of Omaha service team.