In many homes, the garage door is the single largest moving object. Your residential garage door can raise and lower more than 1,500 times every year. It is big and heavy, and over time the motion of opening and closing causes friction and stress on the supporting tracks, bearings, and other mechanicals.
A squeaky garage door can be a nuisance and even an embarrassment. You may find yourself trying to ignore it, hoping the noise will go away. It’s hard to enjoy resting in your den or entertaining guests with that irritating squeal present. Before you repair the garage door, you may want to try lubricating it as a quick fix.
Lubricating the rollers and other moving parts of your garage door is a frequently overlooked maintenance process, but it’s a quick and simple process you should perform every 6 months or so to keep your garage door operating smoothly. Here are the do’s and don’ts of garage door lubrication.
1.Clean all non-moving parts
Be careful when working around the door itself, as it is dangerous to lean over the track while the door is moving. The best time to lubricate is in the morning when the garage is cold.
Inspect and clean the door before lubrication. Debris on the track or rollers can prevent lubricant from being effective. Remove debris with a broom handle or dry brush.
2.Lubricate the moving parts
When your garage door squeaks, it’s a sign that the noise-reducing, dust-collecting lubricant that your door manufacturer applied during installation has dried out.
The process of lubrication is relatively easy to perform, but you want to make sure you use the right type of lubricant. Some products on the market don’t have the chemicals that can stand up to the elements for long-term protection. Others don’t have enough lubricating qualities to keep your door quietly gliding down.
Shop online or at your local hardware store for lubricants marked “silicone” or “garage door lubricant” on the label. It’s best to not use popularpetroleum-based lubricants such as WD-40, as they tend to attract dirt and debriswhich can then get trapped in the moving parts and cause more friction, andcan drip on your garage floor, or worse, your car. Plus,these lubes can cause the door to stick when the temperature dips below freezing.
Clean any debris or dirt from the tracks and hardware, then lubricate the moving parts. Pay particular attention to hinges, rollers, including the bearings and shafts, roller shafts, spring shaft and end bearings, as well as the spring itself. There is no need to lubricate the tracks.
3.Test your garage door
After lubricating and cleaning, open and close your garage door a few times to distribute the lubricant over all bearing surfaces. Hear that? You shouldn’t. The squeaks should be gone, and you’ll have peace of mind in knowing that your garage door investment is being properly maintained.
Garage doors have one of the biggest impacts on a house’s curb appeal. Making sure your garage door is in good shape is important for getting the most value out of your home.A creakyor squeaky garagedoor can not only be a nuisance, but it can also actually damage the garage door and require more frequent maintenance and repair.
Fortunately, solving this problem doesn’t require a lot of work. With regular lubrication, your garage door system will last for years to come.
If you do need the help of a professional garage door repair technician, contact your local Raynor dealer.
