Checklist for Pre-Lubrication Maintenance
Before you oil your garage door, there are a few vital maintenance activities to accomplish. Here’s a simple checklist to go over before you reach for the lubricant:
- Tighten all of the hinges and latches on your door. Make sure the nuts and bolts are tight, but not too tight. You should also inspect for worn parts and, if necessary, replace them.
- Examine the rollers. The majority of rollers have unsealed bearings, which gather dirt and wear out over time. When rollers fail, they wobble around in the track, making a racket.
- Examine the hinges. Worn hinges might make the door bind at each part as it opens, making it noisy.
- Tighten the chain on the garage door opener. A slapping sound will be made by a loose chain, and the door will jerk about.
You’re ready to lubricate your garage door once you’ve done these basic maintenance suggestions.
Garage Door Lubrication: A Step-By-Step Guide
Are you unsure how to properly lubricate a garage door? The most important thing is to be thorough in your inspection and ensure that all of the moving parts are included. To lubricate your garage door, follow the instructions below:
- Close the garage door and switch off the garage door opener’s electricity (if you have one).
- To remove dirt and debris, wipe the inside and outside of the tracks with a moist rag. Never use a lubricant on the rollers since it makes them harder to move and makes the opener work harder. You can use automotive brake cleaner to loosen the gunk if you’re having difficulties cleaning the tracks.
- Open the door and lubricate each hinge where it connects to the bend in the track.
- Lubricate the rollers thoroughly, including the tiny ball bearings inside each one. To protect the door from becoming imbalanced, wipe away any excess lubricant. Above all, do not oil nylon rollers.
- At the top of the garage door, lubricate the springs and bearing plates. To uniformly disperse the grease, open and close the door several times.
- To make it easier to manually lock the door, lubricate the armbar and lock (if you have one). Make sure the keyhole and huge armbar at the top of the door are lubricated as well.
- Using a rag, lubricate the top of the rail (where the chain travels) and spread the grease about. The chain already has natural lubrication, so there’s no need to grease it.
Garage Door Lubrication Recommendations in General
Every six months, you should lubricate all of the working parts of your garage door. This not only improves the life of your door, but it also makes it quieter. You should lubricate your door more frequently if you live in a hostile climate (for example, near the seashore).
Every six months, you should lubricate all moving parts of your garage door, including the garage door track.
Check that you’re using an all-weather lubricant, as cold temperatures can cause lubricants to thicken and become viscous. This makes opening and closing the door more difficult. It’s also necessary to lubricate your door’s springs in cold weather because they become brittle at low temperatures. As a result, they’re more likely to shatter or snap, which may be both expensive and dangerous.
Choosing the Best Lubricant for Your Garage Door
If you’re wondering how to lubricate a garage door, the first step is to select the correct product. When choosing a garage door lubricant, look for silicone sprays or white lithium grease. When it comes to putting lubrication into microscopic moving parts, aerosol sprays are the best solution. Degreasers (such as WD-40), mechanic’s grease, and motor oil are all vulnerable to dirt and dust buildup, so stay away from them.
Silicone Spray
To keep the spray contained, these items usually come with a long, thin straw attachment. When it comes to getting lubricants into tight locations, these attachments are very useful. Silicone goods are durable and can withstand a wide range of temperatures.
White Lithium Grease
Because this product is administered by hand rather than using an aerosol spray, it is a little messier. However, this makes it easier to distribute evenly. White lithium grease is non-corrosive and sticks nicely to metal since it is formed of soap and oil.
