Garage Tips: Lubricate Your Garage Door

A garage door looks solid but comprises a series of moving parts. Like any machine or device that features moving parts, eventually, those parts will require lubrication. You can ignore them, perhaps even for a long while. However, when you don’t lubricate the door, the moving parts will begin to interact less smoothly with each other. Wear will increase as they start to rub with each use, and the unprotected metal may even begin to rust.

This wear and rust will result in a very costly repair, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. Yet, with simple garage door lubrication, you can make that “eventually” come much later in your garage door’s life cycle.

What to Lubricate on a Garage Door

You may have some lubricants around the house, but you will want to visit your local hardware store. Every hardware store has an impressive lineup of oils, but nestled among them will be garage door lubrication designed explicitly for a garage door’s moving parts. If you choose another one that is too thin, it won’t do a proper job. It may reach only some areas of the mechanism or attract dirt if it is too thick.

Once you have the lubricant, there are several parts to use it on. These garage door parts include:

Door Hinges – Found inside the door, allowing it to bend as it opens.
Rollers – Rollers are on each inside of the door, allowing the door to roll along the track.
Torsion Springs – This is a tubular spring above the door near the opener. As the door opens and closes, this spring expands and contracts to help bear the weight.
Garage Door Track – Don’t forget the track that the rollers run along. Before lubricating, be sure to clean any dust or dirt away.

How Often to Lubricate These Parts

Lubricating a garage door need not be a weekly task. Instead, it can be done every six months but should be done at least every year. If you notice that your garage door is louder than usual or produces a rattling noise, you may want to lubricate the door. However, if the noise persists, something more serious may be wrong.