Should You Oil Your Garage Door Springs? (You'll be Surprised)

Garage doors make your life easy but if they get noisy, you get too stressed just by hearing the groaning and screeching after a tiring day from work. Should you oil garage door springs when you hear some creaking? It’s a no-brainer. Read and find out how to grease garage door.

Lubing Up Your Garage Door

The garage door is one of the parts of your house that moves often. Proper care is needed for the hinges, rollers, springs, and tracks to ensure that your door can function smoothly. Knowing how to lube garage door with a garage door oil is like buying land to build a house – it’s an essential step in the overall process of maintenance.

The process of lubrication varies based on the configuration of your garage door, but in general, a standard process can be used as a guide.

Proper Process of Lubrication:

1. First, deal with the tracks by cleaning them with a rag. This removes any buildup that interferes with the gentle glide of your door. Lubricating the tracks isn’t necessary but make sure that they are clean.
2. The next part to tackle will be the garage torsion springs. Should you oil garage door springs using a lot of lubricant? The springs on the garage door should be sprayed down with a lubricant but avoid overdoing it so there is no excess lubricant that drips out.
3. Up next to be lubricated are the steel hinges at their pivot positions. Again, only do this for the steel ones and not for hinges made of plastic. Lubricating plastic can make the hinges break down easily.
4. Once done with the hinges, check if your garage doors have nylon wheels. You should only apply lubricant on the bearings without touching the nylon. Rollers made of pure metal can be lubricated but wipe any excess lubricant to avoid any dripping.
5. Lastly, lubricate the locks of your garage door especially if you’re having a hard time opening and closing the lock or the key sticks. The tumbler and other moving parts of the door should be lubricated well too.

While you are applying the oil, you should check the garage door springs for any other issues. After all the parts are lubricated, lift and close your garage door to even out the distribution of the lubricant. If you hear any noise, try to locate where it is since you may just have missed applying lubricant on a moving part.

The Right Lubricant for Garage Door

Applying garage door spring lubricant to your garage door can make any noise go away. The wrong lubricant can damage your system so be specific in ordering the type that suits your garage door best.

Don’t: WD-40

Selecting the lubricant for garage door is like choosing the most scratch-resistant flooring. Whichever type you choose, never spray WD-40 on the parts of your garage door. Some people use this product thinking that it is effective since it can destroy rust and remove garage door grease. Despite its cleaning properties and ability to address garage door grease, WD-40 should never be used as an alternative for a lubricant.

Do: White Lithium Grease or Silicone Spray

A good garage door spring lubricant can either be a white lithium grease or a silicone spray. Small moving parts can be injected with aerosols to prevent dust instead of garage door oil such as engine oil or mechanic’s grease that can gum up.

Choosing the right lubricant for garage door can make sure you go home to a quiet garage. Now that you know if should you oil garage door springs, don’t settle for noisy garage doors. After learning how to grease garage door, you can make further improvements by trying to get a garage door with windows.