The time you spend waiting for your garage door to open is time you'll never get back. When you perceive that your garage door is moving at a glacial pace, it makes sense to troubleshoot the problem and see if you can get any more speed out of your door. These ideas will give you a starting point for improving the pace of your door.

Check the Speed Setting

First things first: check your garage door's speed settings. There may even be a switch that allows you to adjust the speed setting, but if not, consult your user manual. You don't want to go through the steps of troubleshooting your garage door if you can speed it up with a simple flip of a switch.

Check the Track Alignment

For a door to operate efficiently, the tracks, rollers, and garage door opener should be perfectly aligned. When they aren't parallel, the garage door opener will have to work harder to overcome the friction it encounters. It's a good idea to refasten and realign tracks periodically anyway, since everyday use can create small shifts in the position of your garage door components.

Lubricate the Door

The problem mentioned above, where a garage door encounters a lot of friction, could also be a result of garage door parts that need to be lubricated. Occasionally, the door should be cleaned and re-lubricated for the best performance. Little bits of debris from the general environment can get in the garage door tracks and slow down its performance. You can wash the door tracks with regular soap and water, but make sure you clean away the soap scum and do this task while the garage door is not connected to a power source. For lubrication, graphite powder is a good choice. Keep it on hand so that you can add a bit more lubrication any time the door starts to get sluggish again.

Get a Garage Door Upgrade

Finally, if you and your garage door repair specialist, one like Doors Unlimited, can't find a way to bring your door up to speed, it might just be time to replace the door. Perhaps you perceive your door as going slowly compared to other doors you're used to; those doors may be significantly more modern than your door. The technology of garage door is constantly changing, and newer doors have faster speeds due to more powerful openers and streamlined efficiency designs.