Modern garage doors simplify our lives. Yet, without regular maintenance, these conveniences might begin to make too much noise, malfunction, or break. Learn how to lubricate your garage door parts for proper operation and longevity of your garage door.
Ideally, You should lubricate the moving parts on your garage door every six months to keep everything moving smoothly. With the proper supplies, anyone can learn how to grease garage door rollers and other components.
Tools You May Need
- Vacuum cleaner with hand tools
- Rags
- Step ladder
- White lithium grease
- Silicone lubricant spray
How to Lubricate Your Garage Door
Pre-Lubrication Maintenance
There are a few other key maintenance tasks to complete. These include inspecting the rollers and hinges, tightening the chain, and checking to ensure that all the nuts and bolts on the door are tight.
When performing these tasks, you may identify other issues to address that could contribute to the excess noise your garage door is making. After you complete these maintenance tasks, shut the garage door and disconnect the power supply before moving on to the following steps.
Lubricating Garage Door Parts
Close the garage door and turn off the power to the opener (if you have one).
Wipe the inside and outside of the tracks with a damp rag to remove dirt and debris. Never use a lubricant on the tracks since this makes it harder for the rollers to move and forces the opener to work harder. If you’re having trouble cleaning the tracks, use automotive brake cleaner to loosen the grime.
Open the door and lubricate each hinge where they meet the bend of the track.
Thoroughly lubricate the rollers, including the tiny ball bearings inside each roller. Be sure to wipe away any excess lubricant to keep the door from becoming unbalanced. Most importantly, never lubricate nylon rollers.
Lubricate the springs and bearing plates at the top of the garage door. Open and close the door to distribute the grease evenly.
Lubricate the armbar and lock (if you have one) to make it easier to lock the door manually. Be sure to lubricate the keyhole and large armbar at the top of the door, too.
Lubricate the top of the rail (the rail the chain rides in) and spread the grease around with a rag. You don’t need to grease the chain since it already has a natural lubricant.
Choosing the Right Lubricant
When selecting a garage door lubricant, look for silicone sprays or white lithium grease. Aerosol sprays are the best option for injecting lubricant into small moving parts.
Do not use standard degreasers, WD-40, mechanic’s grease, or engine oil, as these are susceptible to dirt and dust buildup.
Silicone Sprays
These products typically contain a long, thin straw attachment to keep the spray contained. These attachments are also helpful for getting lubricants into small spaces. Silicone products are long-lasting and hold up in a variety of temperatures.
White Lithium Grease
This product is hand-applied, so it’s a bit messier than aerosol sprays. Yet, that means it’s easier to spread around evenly. White lithium grease is made of soap and oil, so it’s non-corrosive and adheres well to metal.
Related Articles
Garage Doors Play Vital Role in Curb Appeal
Garage Doors Play a Vital Role in Curb Appeal for homes and businesses. For homes, they are often located on the front of the house and can cover up to 40% of the front [...]
Garage Door Security Tips To Prevent Home Invasions
You can use different garage door security devices outside your garage door: openers, lights, cameras, and home alarms. You’ve invested significantly in your home, family, and belongings, so keeping your home and garage space [...]
2 Devices You Need in Your Garage
When it comes to home safety, homeowners think about safety for their homes, not necessarily for their garages. They install alarm systems and incorporate deadbolts and security cameras within and around their homes. Yet [...]
Key Garage Door Accessories
To ensure the durability of your garage door, you need to understand key garage door accessories. A garage door comprises many parts that work in harmony to enable it to open and close safely. [...]
Top Reasons Garage Door Springs Break
Garage door springs do all the hard work when opening and closing doors. Broken garage door springs are a perplexing problem for businesses and homeowners who do not know precisely when this will happen. [...]
Garage Door Transformations
Most people probably don't think about replacing their garage door until it's necessary, putting it off until it's dingy, or the door stops working. However, curb appeal-conscious homeowners know the value a statement garage [...]
How to Lubricate Your Garage Door
Modern garage doors simplify our lives. Yet, without regular maintenance, these conveniences might begin to make too much noise, malfunction, or break. Learn how to lubricate your garage door parts for proper operation and [...]
How to Open a Garage Door Manually
Almost all garage doors feature a manual release function that bypasses the opening mechanism during power outages, malfunctions, or emergencies. Locate the short rope from the garage door track to trigger the manual release. [...]
Best Ways to Keep Your Garage Cool This Summer
Garages make an excellent workspace, but not when they’re uncomfortably hot – especially if you live in a climate prone to extreme heat. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to keep your [...]
Garage Door Maintenance Tips
Here are Garage Door maintenance tips to keep your garage door in working order and spare you from costly, time-consuming repairs. Each tip helps homeowners identify issues sooner, extend the life of their garage [...]
Call a Professional to Repair Your Garage Door
Garage doors are the unsung heroes of our homes, standing guard and ensuring their security and accessibility. However, like all appliances, they are susceptible to wear and tear. While DIY can be satisfying and [...]
DIY Garage Door Repairs
The desire to save money and be self-sufficient is ever-increasing in today's world. It’s no wonder many homeowners take the DIY Garage Door Repairs approach to various tasks around the house. Working through a maintenance [...]
Call us Today at (858) 264-3650
Overhead Door Company of Southern California™ – 12215 Kirkham Road Suite 200, Poway, CA 92064
Call Us Today at (858) 264-3650
Or Email us on the Form Below.
Business Hours: Monday – Friday 7 AM–4 PM
Call us Today at
(858) 264-3650
Or Send us an Email.