Keeping Dust Out of the Mechanism

Nowhere else on this list needs a dust routine. Here it is the core of the maintenance calendar, and it is mostly free.

Lens cleaning

Both photo-eye lenses, with a soft dry cloth, monthly through wind season and weekly through harvest. A film you can barely see is enough to break the beam, and this single job prevents the most common call-out in the city.

Flushing the track

Twice a year: after spring wind season and again after harvest. Sand and lint packed in the bottom track is what grinds rollers. Flush it out rather than brushing over it, and let it dry before operating the door repeatedly.

Choosing the right lubricant

A tacky lubricant is worse than none here, because it turns airborne dust into grinding paste. Use a silicone or lithium product that stays thin in heat, apply sparingly to hinges, roller stems and springs, and keep it off the track entirely.

Sealing the opening

An intact bottom seal and side stops keep a surprising amount of sand out of the garage as well as out of the mechanism. In this climate seals harden faster than the label suggests, so replace on condition rather than on schedule.

After a dust event

Wipe both lenses, sweep and flush the bottom track, and check the seal line before running the door repeatedly. Operating a door with packed sand in the track is what turns a free clean-up into a roller replacement.

Free estimate — no charge for the visit

Tell us what the door is doing and we will tell you what it normally means in Lubbock. Every job is quoted in person and in writing before any work starts.

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