A garage door that opens every morning is still a machine with moving parts, and the upkeep is small enough to slip off everyone's list. The job is a short checklist, one named owner, and a current count of remotes. Keep those three things up to date and the door keeps doing what everyone takes for granted.

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Start with the manual

The owner's manual lists the maintenance intervals, the lubricant it wants, and the safety test it describes. Find it, keep it in one place, and write the page numbers on your sheet. Where the manual and this page disagree, the manual wins, because the manufacturer set those intervals for its own parts.

The monthly look and the reversal test

Once a month, watch the door close and listen for grinding, rubbing, or a jerk partway down. Check the photo eyes, the two small sensors near the floor on either side of the opening, for dirt and alignment. Then run the reversal test the manual describes, which usually means placing an object in the door's path and confirming the door reverses when it touches it. If the door does not reverse as described, stop using the opener until it has been checked, and call a technician before anyone relies on it again.

The once-a-year service

Once a year, clean the track, wipe the rollers, and lubricate only the parts the manual names, which are typically the hinges, the rollers, and the opener's moving parts. Tighten the visible bolts on the brackets. Look over the cables and springs for fraying or gaps, but do not adjust spring tension yourself. The springs are under high tension, and that work belongs to a technician.

The remote count

Count the remotes and keypad codes today and write the number on the sheet. Name who holds each one. When someone stops helping, moves, or no longer needs access, delete their remote or code the same week, not when the next problem shows up. Replace remote batteries when a remote starts to lag, and note who buys them.

Who owns the list and who pays

The list needs one owner. That person does the monthly look, books the yearly service, keeps the manual, and holds the repair receipts. Decide in advance who approves a repair above a small amount you agree on, who calls for the part, and whether the owner's time is treated as a line item the family agrees to. The sibling who owns the list is doing real work, and the sheet is what makes that work visible when the bill arrives.

When the door will not close

Before you call, check the obvious: the photo eyes are clean and lined up, the opener has power, the remote batteries are fresh, and nothing is sitting in the track. If the door still will not close, do not force it, keep the people in the house clear of its path, and call the technician on your list. Make sure everyone who might need to open the door by hand knows where the emergency release cord is and how to use it.

For the wider set of decisions about who helps with what, the Start here page walks through where to begin.