Garage Door Lubrication

Garage doors should be lubricated every six to 12 months to keep them in good shape and running smoothly, quietly and safely.

You can hire a professional to do it for you, but it’s not hard to do yourself.

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Do It Yourself

Don’t use an oil lubricant like regular WD-40. Use a white lithium or silicone spray. Make sure to use an aerosol with a straw so you can target your spray on small parts and hard to reach areas.

Unplug your garage door opener if there’s a risk of someone opening the garage door while you’re working on it! Or, while the garage door is DOWN, pull the release handle (red rope) down to disengage the opener. To reconnect when you’re done you might only need to push the button to open the garage door and it will reconnect itself. On some units you might have to pull the red cord towards the garage door, listen for a click, and then run the garage door opener. If you have trouble, read this article or watch this video. Of course, you can always read your garage door opener’s manual. If you lost it, you can search for it online.
Have a rag handy to wipe up any drips.
Consider wearing safely glasses to avoid getting lube in your eyes and gloves to keep your hands clean.

Lubricate the Hinges

Lubricate the points of the hinge where it opens and closes.

Garage Door Hinge — Image courtesy Raynor Garage Doors

Spray the pivot points – where metal is moving against metal. It’s not easy to get into the joints, so make sure to use the straw to focus the spray.

Lubricate the Roller Shafts

Try to spray inside where the roller shaft sits. Spin the shaft and work in the lubricant. Don’t forget to spray the hinge as well.

Lubricate the Rollers

Garage Door Roller — Image courtesy Raynor Garage Doors

If you have steel rollers with ball bearings, spray the ball bearings and the shaft. Don’t spray the outside of the wheels.

If you have nylon rollers with exposed ball bearings, spray the ball bearings.

If you have nylon rollers with sealed ball bearings, you don’t need to spray.

If you have plastic or nylon rollers without ball bearings, some people suggest spraying the outside of the roller. Others say this is unnecessary.

Lubricate the pins in the arm bar

Spray the pivot points in the arm bar – pins or nuts and bolts.

Lubricate the top face of the bottom of the rail where the trolley moves back and forth

First, if the track is dirty, clean the track with a rag.

Don’t spray the belt or chain. Spray the top face of the bottom of the rail that the trolley moves on. Spray along the entire track on both sides.

Put cardboard on the floor, under the rail, to catch any drips.

The chain shouldn’t need to be lubricated. It comes from the factory with a protective coat already on it that should last many years.

If you have a Torsion Spring garage door:

Spray lubricant on top of the spring if you have an exposed spring. Opening and closing the garage will help work in the grease. If the spring in inside a tube, don’t try to lubricate it – it shouldn’t be necessary.
Lubricate the end and center bearing plates.

If you have a Extension Spring garage door (A spring above the track on either side):

You shouldn’t need to grease the extension springs.
Check if the cables are frayed. If so, they need to be replaced!
Spray the ball bearings inside each pulley.

Image courtesy Lowe’s