How to Lubricate Your Garage Door and Extend Its Life

Prolong Your Garage Door’s Performance with Proper Lubrication

Have you noticed that your garage door sounds more like a roaring dinosaur than a smoothly operating system? If so, you may want to consider lubricating the major parts. Not only can this quiet thing down a bit, but it can also extend the life of the door and the opening system. Even more important, a simple lubrication of major components can prevent door failure and an emergency repair call.

Door Maintenance Prevents Major Issues

It is not always possible to recognize that some part of the garage door is about to fail. This is why lubricating can spare you so many headaches. To lubricate properly means checking that all parts and components are in working order. You will also check the emergency release cord and open and close the door manually to gauge conditions.

When you do open and close a door manually, it should weigh roughly eight to ten pounds (3.5 and 4.5 kg.), and be quite easy to lift with one hand. If you struggle to budge the door, there may be a serious problem. Contact us for a check-up.

If everything is in working order and nothing is broken, it is time to lubricate. There are specific areas that need attention.

The Spring System

It does not matter if you have an extension or torsion system, both require their metal parts to be treated with a long-lasting lubricant. This can be something as simple as motor oil (e.g. 5W30), or a pre-packaged lubricant in a metal or plastic applicator.

You will need to oil the top of the spring, allow it to set and then use a cloth to begin spreading it across the entire spring. Never overdo it, and be sure you wipe down any excess to avoid messes.

The reason you will have to regularly lubricate these metal springs is because of the humidity that is so often found inside a garage. It is going to always bother steel springs, causing them to rust. Of course rust can also cause springs to become noisy and even increase friction between coils.

The Rollers

The coils are not the only metal parts that experience friction, and the hinges and rollers (which can contact other metal parts) must be lubricated. This is best done with a light touch, applying the lubricant lightly and immediately wiping away and excess.

Where do you lubricate these parts? For steel rollers, it is best to apply a small amount of oil to the ball bearings (if there are no covers). For black nylon rollers, which are the kind without ball bearings, you apply a small amount of the lubricant between the rollers. You also put a bit on the shaft that hold them. Lastly, if you have steel rollers covered with white nylon, you don’t have to lubricate as they are sealed.

The Hinges

Squeaky hinges are always treated with oil, and for your garage door hinges you will want to lubricate on the points where the hinges open and reclose. There is also a bracket located along the bottom and top of the door. Generally, the rule of thumb is to apply wherever there is metal-to-metal contact.

The Tracks

The horizontal tracks do not need a lot of lubrication because the rollers tend to handle it, but you can wipe a light coating on when you do maintenance.

Where Else?

Your garage door has only one other point that may need lubrication, which is the shaft that holds the torsion spring. This is above the door and you can oil its anchor plate lightly.

The Garage Door Opener

Not all garage door openers are alike. Some use a chain drive and others a belt drive, and it is only chain driven doors that need lubrication. When a belt driven door is installed, there is white grease applied to the drive sprockets and this lasts the entire lifetime of the system.

The chain-driven openers need lubrication periodically, but this varies based on what type of chain drive is at use. There are those with steel cable components and those that use only a solid chain. Both need white grease properly applied, and if owners cannot locate this, they can contact us to purchase.

Final Tips

Lubricate twice annually and you will cut down on issues and repairs. If you would rather have an expert tackle this, make an online request for a service call or get a free quote at 613-547-4566. Our team is skilled, professional and courteous.

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Copyright Garaga Inc. | Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use | Sitemap