The average speed for a garage door should be between 12-15 seconds. If your garage door is taking over 20 seconds or is just moving too slow for your taste, then there are some simple fixes you can make to improve its speed. The first thing you should do is put a stepladder underneath the opener and climb up until you reach it. Next, open up the access panel. If it’s a new opener, then the factory will have set it to the lowest speed by default.
You’ll notice that there’s a screw that decides the door’s speed. Using a flat-head screwdriver, just twist the screw until you get the speed you want. If it runs like you want it to run, then the problem solved.
If it still isn’t running properly, then you may need to lubricate the door. Before you begin, make sure the door is closed. Next, take a damp cloth and wipe away all of the dirt, dust, grease and grime on the hinges. Do the same to the rollers and the roller pins.
For the next steps, you’ll need to get some penetrating oil. Just apply two drops of this oil to the hinge seams. The best way to do this is to drip it on the tops of the seams so it drops down through them. You should use the stepladder to reach the upper hinges. Next, apply two more drops of penetrating oil onto the roller mount bracket seams. Do the same to the roller pins, which can be found inside the brackets.
When that’s done, move the ladder to one side of the door and climb until you can reach the door’s track. Starting at a distance of one foot from the track’s curve, apply six drops of oil along the length of the track. Move the ladder over to the other side and repeat. If, however, your track has nylon rollers, then skip this step entirely since nylon rollers are designed to be non-stick. Otherwise, open and close the door several times to ensure that the oil is evenly spread among all the door’s components.
If your door still won’t speed up or is sticking, then a DIY job isn’t recommended. You also shouldn’t fix it yourself if the door appears unbalanced or opens weirdly. These are usually signs that something is wrong with the pulleys or springs. If that’s the case, contact a garage door repair in Bucks County to fix the problem.