Repairs and servicing
How often should a garage door be serviced?
Most UK engineers recommend servicing a garage door once a year, costing £80–£150 inc. VAT, with electric doors benefiting most from regular checks. For doors used at a place of work, PUWER 1998 sets a duty to maintain the equipment but does not fix a specific interval — that is set by the duty-holder's own risk assessment.
What an annual service covers
A typical UK garage door service includes lubricating hinges, rollers and tracks, checking spring tension and condition, testing cable wear, checking photocell alignment and the operator's force settings, and confirming the door reverses correctly on an obstruction test. For workplace doors this visit is also the natural point to update the log book.
Why electric doors need it more than manual ones
An electric operator relies on correctly calibrated limits and force settings to work safely — these can drift over time as cables stretch slightly or hinges wear. A manual door has fewer things that can silently drift out of adjustment, but still benefits from a yearly check of springs and cables given the tension they hold.
Questions people ask
- Is servicing a legal requirement for a home garage door?
- No — there is no statutory requirement to service a domestic garage door on a fixed schedule. Annual servicing is a manufacturer and trade recommendation for reliability and safety rather than a legal obligation for private homes.
- Is servicing required for a business premises?
- PUWER 1998 places a duty on employers to keep work equipment, including power-operated doors, in efficient working order with a documented maintenance schedule, but it does not set a fixed interval — the frequency is determined by the duty-holder through risk assessment.
- What happens if I skip servicing?
- Neglected doors are more likely to fail suddenly rather than gracefully — a spring that has not been checked for years is more likely to snap without warning than one that has had periodic inspection, and small faults like a slightly misaligned photocell can go unnoticed until the door stops working altogether.
UK standards and regulations referenced
- PUWER 1998
Related
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