Garage door maintenance

[u0362565]

Hi all,

I'm thinking to do a bit of a service on our garage door. We've only lived in the house for a year but I think the door and opener are at least 25years old. I've attached pictures of a lot of the lubricated parts minus the opener and chain as according to the manual these don't need maintenance/lubrication-probably they do after 25years though! I guess I'm seeking advice as to whether I should remove all grease and start again? Some of it is contaminated, you can see the rollers are gunked up. And if removal and start afresh is a good idea how do you remove this kind of grease? I think just adding a different product on top would be a bad idea. Also springs seem greased too but wondering if that would have been done with a different product and if so what is a good replacement? Was thinking lithium grease for most parts as this is what seems to be recommended online.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[CombatNinja]

I can't believe that door even works. Hit it with garage door lube and wipe all the gunk off with a rag. It will be quieter and work great for two days at which point it will catastrophically fail.

 

[nadogail]

Garage door maintenance is often overlooked.

A little time spent applying lubricant to the wear and pivot points can save you a lot of money and grief.

I paint the screw drives with White Lithium Grease and give the rollers and hinges a shot of Garage Door Lubricant about twice a year.

 

[Metal-Marc]

I guess I'm seeking advice as to whether I should remove all grease and start again?

LoL

And if removal and start afresh is a good idea how do you remove this kind of grease?

Really?

 

[u0362565]

I can't believe that door even works. Hit it with garage door lube and wipe all the gunk off with a rag. It will be quieter and work great for two days at which point it will catastrophically fail.

Why will it fail?

 

[u0362565]

LoL

Really

Because it's impossible?

 

[u0362565]

Garage door maintenance is often overlooked.

A little time spent applying lubricant to the wear and pivot points can save you a lot of money and grief.

I paint the screw drives with White Lithium Grease and give the rollers and hinges a shot of Garage Door Lubricant about twice a year.

Thank you for the constructive comment. I assume the garage lubricant is a spray and more of a liquid? Not sure it's going to mix with the grease that's there is the only thing but I can try to remove as much of that as possible

 

[CombatNinja]

I'm (half) joking. It's like a transmission that has not been serviced for 100,000 miles and 15 years. Some well-meaning third owner gets hold of it and figures he'll catch up on the maintenance. Transmission immediately fails. It's a thing.

 

[u0362565]

I see, so I should leave it alone and wait for it to break and then replace? To Be honest we don't need an electric door it's a bit overkill but wouldn't get rid of it for no reason, so long as it doesn't collapse on us..

 

[CombatNinja]

I'd clean it up and see how long she runs. The most important thing for smooth operation is cleaning and lubing the big torsion spring.

 

[Jeepster04]

Just wipe the excess grease off and spray some garage lube on it, possibly yearly. It'll be fine.

 

[nadogail]

Thank you for the constructive comment. I assume the garage lubricant is a spray and more of a liquid? Not sure it's going to mix with the grease that's there is the only thing but I can try to remove as much of that as possible

WD-40 makes a product called Garage Door Spray, a lube. It closely resembles Fluid Film, it’s in a spray can and looks like a syrup as you spray it.

 

[u0362565]

Hi all,

Thanks for the info I will get some garage lube then. I assume I can use this on the springs too? I just noticed that the springs seem to have clear grease not the thick brown stuff like on the hinges.

 

[BillK]

I have never bought anything specific for that purpose. I always have some light oil of some type in my squirt oil can and that is all I use. Mostly whats left in the oil bottles after an oil change. I run a line across the torsion springs maybe once a year and the same on the opener chain and rollers. Wipe the excess off with a rag and its done. House is 45 years old and I have only had one spring break in all that time between two 16" doors.

 

[Wrench97]

Grease is bad because the dust/dirt/debris get stuck in the grease and act as a abrasive rather then a lubricant.
Wipe off the best you can and use a garage door spray lube twice a year.

 

[The Cobbler]

there's been lots of lube on that door over the years by the looks of it.
kind of an ugly mess.
Mineral spirits and an old brush would clean that up pretty quickly . just put something down on the floor to catch the drippings .
I have a can of Lube the door guy gave me, as well as another can I bought. not sure of the brands . a bit oil on the spring every once in a while is a good idea too .

 

[olytdi]

Someone should do everyone a favor and define what the hell "garage door lube" is.

Is it lithium grease?
Is it an oil of some type?:
Is it silicone spray?
Etc., etc., etc...

 

[u0362565]

Ok thanks all, I'll give it a clean up and then maybe try oil, I see what you mean about grease attracting dust etc this has definitely been an issue here but to some extent that might be because it's not regularly cleaned and maintained. Hopefully a mineral oil would be ok like three in one. Interestingly on the WD website they seem to recommend lithium grease of the products they sell..

How To Lubricate A Stuck Garage Door

Is your garage door stuck or queaky? Fix this problem easily with a little help from WD-40 and its innovative lubricating formula!

wd40.co.uk

 

[Wrench97]

Someone should do everyone a favor and define what the hell "garage door lube" is.

Is it lithium grease?
Is it an oil of some type?:
Is it silicone spray?
Etc., etc., etc...

Clopay Synthetic Pro Lube for Garage Doors 4128043 - The Home Depot

Clopay Pro Lube for garage doors offers a convenient way to keep your garage door operating like new. This easy to use no drip synthetic formula provides maximum lubrication for your door. The Clopay ProLube is an anti-friction, anti-rust lubricant that provides a long lasting thin lubrication...

www.homedepot.com

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

Thank you for the constructive comment.

Why will it fail?

Because it's impossible?

You can always tell when a millennial or GenZ joins. They have no idea if someone is kidding, joking, making fun and they always look for "contractive" comments, feedback, etc.

Also, they never do a google search on how to do something before asking, even if it is something like should I get rid of 25-year-old grease that has been attracting **** and has turned into gunk.

 

[u0362565]

@AffableCurmudgeon
Reading online what to do is fine but sometimes its good to get opinions of others who have been in this situation and you can get feedback on the state of your particular situation if you post pictures which I've found very helpful, so thank you to those who've offered some of that contractive advice you mentioned.

All cleaned up, tracks were filthy with grease too and rollers were dragging and not turning. I decided to use a spray wd40 lithium grease on moving parts except the springs on which I used a wd40 silicone spray. Will see how these do for it. Seems to run fine but then it ran ok with all the gunk that was there previously! Thanks the advice

 

[HalfTonTom]

I see no reason to put any kind of lubricant in the tracks. It'll just gum things up and negatively affects door movement. Lubricate the axles of the rollers, yes, plus the axles of any and all pulleys. Done.

 

[firebirdparts]

Keep in mind here that the people selling "garage door lube" don't mean this style garage door. I would not just assume the words printed on the can are the ultimate appeal to a higher power.

With that style bearing and the obvious heavy loads, you'd want a heavy grease on the kickout mechanism.

On the tracks, you'd want no lubricant ever. I think that is pretty obvious but you all discuss amongst yourselves. The track wheels don't require lubricant anywhere but they could certainly be a little quieter if they are. There's just no weight on them to speak of.

the springs don't require grease but it doesn't hurt them. Maybe somebody wanted to stop them from rusting.

 

[Lorydr]

Keep in mind here that the people selling "garage door lube" don't mean this style garage door. I would not just assume the words printed on the can are the ultimate appeal to a higher power.

With that style bearing and the obvious heavy loads, you'd want a heavy grease on the kickout mechanism.

On the tracks, you'd want no lubricant ever. I think that is pretty obvious but you all discuss amongst yourselves. The track wheels don't require lubricant anywhere but they could certainly be a little quieter if they are. There's just no weight on them to speak of.

the springs don't require grease but it doesn't hurt them. Maybe somebody wanted to stop them from rusting.

The lubed tracks would help quiet down the ride of the rollers a small bit. The roller's axles need a lube to move freely, stay quiet and prolong wear. The springs certainly need a lube to ease friction of the coils between each other. I prefer a small dribble of oil across the length of the springs, as mentioned already by BILLK. Certainly it would slow down rust encroaching. After oiling, I run a few up/down cycles, then wipe any excess that would drip. Wiping a few times for a day or two.

Then of course all the hinges, drums, cable connection points, cables as well for rust prevent, all bearings of the long horizontal shaft. Of course chains, screw drives, And the bracket that connects the door to the trolley arm.

Any point that metal rubs on metal should be lubed with simple WD-40, or lithium grease for chains & screw drives, twice a year. Metal to plastic or nylon parts can benefit while one is spraying everything else.

I have a bit of work history in this industry, and the simple maintenance helps to keep the bad door things from occurring. My Genie is darn quiet, not just because of the belt drive, but also all the parts glide along without binding. The belt trolley rail gets lithium grease.

 

[bluedog225]

Please leave the springs alone unless you know the danger.

 

[mrbc]

Thank you for the constructive comment. I assume the garage lubricant is a spray and more of a liquid? Not sure it's going to mix with the grease that's there is the only thing but I can try to remove as much of that as possible

PB blaster has a garage door lube spray. Go to Lowes/HD, there are several. I believe PB is a dry lube with a solvent carrier. You should be able to use the same stuff on the springs, or WD40, or a thin bead of motor oil (along the top). It will wick between the coils. If you want to remove the old stuff, probably just blast it with brake cleaner.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

All the grease you see isn't doing anything. Clean it off if you want to but I'd avoid washing grease out of the pivot points.
Garage door lube is usually lithium or silicone spray. I haven't done extensive testing but seems like the lithium is a bit thicker and messier (white build up, collects dirt) but lasts longer.

 

[u0362565]

Thanks all, a lot of info and opinions to go on there. I haven't actually touched the chain as the manual says it doesn't require additional lubrication but by the same token as the other bits it will have collected dirt etc over the years so don't really believe that.

The biggest issue arguably is that the door makes contact with the ground (concrete) when closed. This contact not only puts additional pressure on the opener but it's also causing the bottom of the door to rust as it sits in the wet. Could this have been like this from new or is it likely the door has dropped somehow over time.. Even if it were possible to adjust the door height now, it's quite tight at the top too, where it meets the wooden head jam if that's the term.

 

[SteadyC]

 

[BTL-A4]

I have a screw drive door and I made the mistake of using grease that was too thick on the screw. The motor would not turn the screw. I had to remove the screw, clean off the grease and apply garage screw oil. It was a thinner weight oil and has worked fine.

I use lithium spray on the other moving parts.

 

[nadogail]

Thank you for the constructive comment. I assume the garage lubricant is a spray and more of a liquid? Not sure it's going to mix with the grease that's there is the only thing but I can try to remove as much of that as possible

Garage door lube is a syrupy product usually packaged in an aerosol can. To the best of my recollection WD-40 packages a Garage Door Spray.