How to Lubricate A Garage Door?

Lubricating a garage door is an integral part of maintaining it. It gets all the more important if the garage door is noisy. The most common causes of a noisy door can be loose hardware, worn rollers, or the need for lubrication. In case your garage door needs lubrication, it is quite easy to do so.

In this article, we would be discussing in detail the steps involved in maintaining your garage door by keeping it lubricated.

Tools and Materials Required

Before you can begin the process of lubricating your garage door, it is vital to ensure that you have all the required and necessary tools to carry out the project. In general, this will save you a lot of time as well as frustration. You would need the following tools:

• Wrench set
• Adjustable wrench
• Impact driver
• 4-in-1 screwdriver
• Stepladder
• Socket/ratchet set

Additionally, there are also some additional material and tools which need to be kept handy while carrying out the task of lubrication of garage door:

• Garage door lube
• Replacement hinges
• Rubber anti-vibration pads
• Lag screws
• Fender washers
• Nylon rollers

The Process To Lubricate A Garage Door

Below we have listed down the steps to lubricate a garage door properly. Keep on reading to find out more!

Step 1: Clean your Garage Door Thoroughly

For properly maintaining the garage door, the first step involves keeping it clean. It needs to be done at least once in a year with the help of a sponge or a cloth and washing it with a good cleaner. Take off any dust or dirt that might have accumulated on the door and afterward rinse it correctly with the help of a hose. In case your garage door is made from wood, clean it using a clean and soft cloth.

The garage door made from wood might need repainting or staining depending on the condition of the door. It also depends on the weather and quality of wood with which the door was made. Ensure you clean the door both from the inside as well as outside.

Step 2: Check if the Garage Door is Safe

Next, you need to check the door for safety. Inspect the cables, brackets, hinges, rollers, and tracks on their condition. This needs to be done every three months to ensure safety. Also, ensure that the bolts and screws are tight enough. Look for parts that might be worn out or frayed and replace them at the earliest. Check the balance of the door too. So, this can be done by:

• Disconnecting the power attached to the door
• Next, move to disengage the opener. You can do this by pulling the cord and the handle from the central track
• Work on lifting the door manually up to the level of your waist. After that, release it slowly. In case the door drops or rises, the balance is not right, and it needs to be adjusted by calling a technician or a professional. The balance is fine if the door does not move from its place.

Step 3: Lubricate the Garage Door

Lubrication is the most crucial step to maintain a garage door. For this, you need to find the correct lubricant for garage doors and precisely do the process so that the door runs for a long time. It also keeps the garage door in the best shape and makes sure that it does not make any noise. The springs, hinges, and screws of the garage door need to lubricated every three months.

A good lubricant is essential in this step. You can search online for the best garage door lubricants or also consult an expert regarding them. Following are the steps to follow if you want to lubricate your garage door properly:

1. Tighten up the hardware: You can tighten up the whole hardware by using the ratchet and the deep socket to tighten the nuts. Ensure that you do not over-tighten them as it can result in stripping the lagging screw holes.
2. Inspect the rollers and worn hinges: After years of use, you might observe that the unsealed bearings are falling apart. This can be the reason for the garage making noise. It might also result in shaking or wobbling of the garage door. In case you find that the garage door rollers are worn out, it is a good idea to replace them and consider using nylon rollers in their place. The rollers need to be replaced one at a time, and in case you feel that the task is difficult, then it is better to call a technician and ask them to replace. Although worn out hinges are not conventional, they tend to make noise. Replace the hinges, if required.
3. Inspect the chain of garage door opener: If the chain of the garage door opening is loose, it can cause a clapping sound. It is advisable to tighten the chain and subsequently lubricate it with the help of grease. For precise instructions, the process of tightening can be checked in the owner manual.
4. Spray on the springs, hinges, and roller bearings using a lubricant: Lubricants for garage doors can be easily found online or any hardware store near you. All you have to ensure that you hit on the right pivot points with the lubricant. This includes all the springs, hinges, and roller bearings.
5. Fit the anti-vibration pads: Lastly, do not forget to slip the anti-vibration pad between the mounting bracket and the ceiling. Also, make sure to slide a second pad below the bracket. Next, place the fender washer in the new screw while driving it to the rafter with the help of a socket wrench or an impact driver.

Conclusion

The above was a short tutorial on how to properly and effectively lubricate a garage door. It is quite easy to fix a garage door when you have the required material and tools at your disposal. It can be done within a matter of hours and is sure to relieve you from noisy garage doors.