Regularly lubricating your garage door is critical to ensuring it runs smoothly — quiet as a mouse. But it’s important to not just use any lubricant — WD40, for example, will cause the parts of your garage door to rust prematurely. Instead, we’d recommend LPS 2 — a non-silicone lubricant specifically designed for garage door repair. It not only keeps moving parts on your garage door fluid, but protects them against the weather and minimizes wear and tear.
What Parts You Should Lubricate
Most people don’t realize that many parts on their garage door require regular lubrication. It’s something you should do every couple of months — ideally once or twice a season, perhaps more in the winter and spring because of heavier precipitation.
How Do You Lubricate Your Garage Door
Before you begin lubricating your garage door, refer to the owner’s manual and check what types of silicone or oil can be used on your garage door.
Perform a visual inspection of the garage door by standing inside and watching the moving parts such as the hinges, rollers, and springs. Pay close attention to the entire tracking system and listen for grinding or squeaking as the door lifts and closes. Before lubricating your door, clean the parts with a dry cloth to remove dust and debris. This way dirt isn’t simply oiled onto the door parts, essentially forming a glue.
Always use a high-quality silicone spray. Apply it lightly onto the entire length of the torsion springs and hinges to ensure the oil penetrates between the seams. As you oil the door, it’s also a good idea to remove excess oil with another dry cloth to eliminate drips. Apply the oil with a clean paint brush specifically used for this purpose. This will allow you to get into the crevices and cracks with ease.
Using a non-bleach detergent solution and water, use a sponge or cloth to clean and remove loose debris, grime, and the build-up of grease on the track. Do not attempt to make adjustments or fix issues yourself to avoid creating further damage to these components. Contact a qualified garage door technician for further assistance with fixing these issues.
Lubricate the following parts:
- Springs: Lubricating the torsion springs that lift and lower the door will improve their lifespan as well as efficiency. You don’t need a lot, just enough so they move fluidly.
- Rollers: The rollers are the wheels that run along the tracks of your garage door when it moves up and down. If you have metal rollers, apply as much lubricant as you need to coat them. If your rollers are nylon, avoid getting oil on the nylon part because it can cause the nylon to prematurely crack. With metal rollers, you can be less precise.
- Hinges: Apply oil to your hinges at their pivot points.
Don’t worry about lubricating the track or the bearings of your garage door. It won’t help your door perform any better. It is a good idea to clean these areas with a dry rag, however. You should also check your tracks to ensure they are straight to avoid your door coming off the track.