RESOURCES
Safety
A garage door is usually the single largest moving object on your home. Proper installation, operation, inspection and maintenance will provide years of safe and trouble-free operation. Please follow these precautions:
• Midland’s residential garage doors are furnished with grip points, a lift handle and step plate for safe manual operation.
• Do not permit children to play underneath doors or with any garage door operating controls.
• Wall-mounted controls should be at least 5 feet above the floor and out of the reach of small children.
• If your door is equipped with an electric opener, refer to the owner’s manual that came with it to ensure safe operation.
• Make sure the door is in view and there are no obstructions before operating the electric garage door opener.
• Periodically check the electric opener’s auto-reverse mechanism by following the guidelines in the owners manual.
• Midland doors use red fasteners on all components under extreme spring tension to warn against inadvertent removal, which may result in serious injury and/or damage. Only qualified professional door technicians should adjust or service any components relating to the torsion spring system. This includes springs, cables, drums, spring shaft, end-bearing plate, bottom fixtures, center bearing plate and anchor pads.
Maintenance
Keeping your garage door clean and performing periodic inspections using the Maintenance and Inspection section below will help ensure years of reliable use.
CLEANING
• For general accumulation of dust and dirt, wash with a mild detergent and rinse with clean water.
• Should rust spots appear, we recommend using:
• Orange Clean Paste Cleaner
• Bar Keepers Friend
• Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound (white)
• Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover
• Iron Out rust stain remover
• If adhesive transfers from the protective film to the face of the door, try:
• Hot soapy water
• Hot soapy water with denatured alcohol
• Straight denatured alcohol
• Goo Gone
• 3M Adhesive Remover
• To restore the luster of the paint, use:
• Turtle Wax Car Wash and Cleaner
• Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound
• Orange Clean
CAUTION: Some of these products are abrasive. Use extreme care to prevent paint removal.
INSPECTION & SERVICE
Inspect your garage door annually. Doors that experience heavy use or operate in harsh environments should be inspected more frequently. Examine the following:
• Door: Overall condition, bottom seal, alignment, operation, rope, spring tension, door balance
• Weather strip: General condition, sealing ability
• Fasteners: Tightness, security of parts and fasteners
• Hinges: General wear, tightness
• Rollers: General wear
• Cables: Fraying, attachment to bottom fixture, wrapping properly on the drums
• Springs: General condition, mounting hardware is secure, shaft condition, bearings, drums, center bearing plate
• Track: Alignment, tightness
• Back hang: Secure
• Control: Reverse functions according to manufacturer instructions
• If service is required, contact your local Midland dealer.
LUBRICATION
During each inspection, use lightweight oil, such as WD-40 or Three-in-One Light Oil, to lubricate the following as needed:
• Hinges
• Steel rollers: Roller shaft in the hinge and ball bearings in the roller
• Nylon rollers: Roller shaft in the hinge and roller shaft where the nylon tire turns; do NOT lubricate the outside of the nylon tire
• Bearings
• Springs: Wipe off excess oil to prevent drips
• Lock: T-Handle and moving parts
• Do not grease the tracks.
PAINTING
If you decide to repaint your door, we recommend the following steps:
• Thoroughly clean the surface with tri-sodium phosphate, SoilMax, Spic & Span or a similar product.
• CAUTION: DO NOT USE HARSH SOLVENTS, SUCH AS LACQUER THINNERS OR MINERAL SPIRITS AS THEY MAY CAUSE PEELING AFTER THE NEW TOPCOAT IS APPLIED.
• Scrub the surface with a brush and sponge. Rinse with clean water and allow the door to dry.
• If the door has been waxed, it is imperative that all wax is removed.
• If damage has occurred and the galvanized substrate is compromised, it is necessary to treat these areas with a rust-inhibiting primer. Contact a paint store professional for recommendations.
• Scuff the door’s surface with a Scotch-Brite™ pad. Clean the door as required.
• Use a quality acrylic latex exterior paint for the topcoat. Apply per manufacturer’s instructions.
• Repainting will affect your warranty. See the warranty for details.
