We recommend checking garage door alignment at least twice a year: once in early spring, after the freeze-thaw cycles of winter, and again in early summer, before the heat has a chance to warp tracks and loosen hardware. Homes searching for garage door repair often only think to call once the door is already sticking, but a quick seasonal check catches the problem earlier.
Why Twice a Year Makes Sense in This Climate
Ontario’s swing from winter cold to summer heat is harder on garage doors than the moderate weather many manufacturers design for. Cold contracts steel tracks and stiffens weatherstripping, while summer heat expands the same metal and softens seals. Two checkups a year, timed around those swings, catch misalignment before it turns into a stuck door or a strained opener motor.
What a Seasonal Check Actually Covers
A proper check looks at track bolts, roller wear, cable tension, and the gap along both sides of the door. Our professional garage door repair services in Ontario typically take under an hour and often catch a loose bracket or worn roller well before it causes a breakdown.
We also test the opener’s force settings during these visits, since a door pushing harder than it should is often an early sign that the track has shifted, even before the door looks or sounds any different.
Wm. Haws Overhead Garage Doors technicians regularly catch small issues during these seasonal visits, most of which take only a few minutes to fix once caught early.
What Happens If You Skip the Seasonal Check
Homeowners across Elora, Fergus, and the areas we serve near Point Clark and Kincardine sometimes go two or three years without a check, and the pattern is usually the same. A small drag turns into a grinding noise, then the opener starts straining, and eventually a cable slips off its drum.
We regularly see this in Guelph area homes where a checkup gets pushed off for a few years: by the time the Wm. Haws Overhead Garage Doors team is called out, a bent track has already begun to chip the bottom panel, turning what would have been a routine overhead garage door repair into a same-day panel replacement.
Skipping the seasonal check doesn’t just risk a bigger repair bill. A door that’s out of alignment can also fail to seal properly, letting in drafts and moisture that affect whatever is stored in the garage.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can extreme heat damage a garage door opener, not just the track?
Yes. The tracks usually show wear first, but sustained heat can also affect an opener’s sensors and force settings, which is why both get checked during a seasonal visit.
- Should a south-facing garage be checked more often?
Garages that face south or sit in direct sun tend to experience faster expansion and contraction, so an extra mid-summer check beyond the standard spring and early-summer visits can help.
- What’s the difference between a maintenance check and a repair visit?
A maintenance check is a preventative look at tracks, rollers, and hardware before anything fails, while a repair visit addresses a door that’s already sticking, grinding, or binding.
- Can I still use my garage door if it’s slightly misaligned?
You can, but it’s worth booking a check soon. Continuing to run a misaligned door adds strain to the opener and increases the chance of a cable or roller failing without warning.
When to Book Your Next Alignment Check
If it has been more than six months since anyone looked at your track alignment, that alone is a reason to book a visit. The Wm. Haws Overhead Garage Doors team offers emergency garage door repairs for doors that have already started sticking, along with routine seasonal checkups for homeowners who would rather catch the problem early.
Reach out at (519) 763-4297 or wmhawsdoors@bellnet.ca for garage door repairs in Guelph and surrounding areas before the next major temperature swing puts additional strain on your garage door tracks.
