Should I Lubricate A Garage Door? - Look Garage Doors | New Garage Doors and Automation

Picture the scene; you’ve just finished a long day at work and you pull into your driveway. You reach into the glove box and take out the remote control for your garage door. But once you press the button, instead of gliding smoothly open, the door creaks and groans so loud that your neighbours all look outside to find the source of the noise. What on Earth is that horrific grinding sound? Your face turns a vibrant crimson as the entire street stares at you and realises it’s not two rusty steam engines squeezing past one another, it’s your garage door opening. Okay, so that scenario is a bit of an exaggeration, but there are times when garage doors sound uncomfortably loud when you operate them. Here at Look Garage Doors, we’ve been called out to repair several noisy garage doors, but in some cases, we weren’t even needed. A noisy garage isn’t necessarily a sign that anything is broken and it could be a simple case of lubricating it. But how exactly can you tell?

Lubricating A Garage Door

Let’s start by pointing out one thing; if you’ve got a jammed garage door, it’s likely to be a more serious problem. Yes, it can happen due to poor lubrication, but it’s rare. If this has happened to you, your first step should be to check that nothing is blocking it and if not, contact a professional. The tracks could be out of alignment or damaged, so it’s best to get it looked at as soon as possible. However, if it’s still opening and closing properly, but just making a loud and irritating noise, lubricating the door should solve the problem. So, head to your local shop and purchase a lithium-based lubricant. Get hold of a duster and a few old rags that you don’t mind getting dirty and you’ll be ready to go. Make sure you don’t use WD40 though; it can inadvertently cause damage.

What To Do

Start by closing your garage door. Once it’s fully shut, turn off the electricity to avoid any unwanted shocks, then get to work. Wet one of the cloths and use it to clean out the tracks, scrub out loose debris and use the duster (or a hoover) to get into any awkward spots. Admittedly, this step isn’t strictly necessary and you can get away with skipping it, but it’s always worth keeping your garage door in good order, so why not get it done in one go? Plus, there’s always a chance that there’s a small pebble lodged somewhere that’s causing all the noise. Then comes the important part; applying the lubricant. Target all the moving parts of your garage door, from the rollers to the hinges and the top of the rail. The garage door springs are easy to overlook, so don’t miss them, but check they’re not bent or damaged first. Once you’ve lubricated everything, reconnect the power and open the garage door a few times and it’ll spread the lubricant over the whole thing.

Providing you’ve not missed anything, this should solve the problem of a loud door. If there are still any squeaks or clanks, double-check and try again. If the noise persists, contact a repair service. It’s also worth making this part of your garage maintenance routine. Even if it’s not making a noise, lubricate your garage door every few months and it’ll help keep it in good working condition. And if you’ve got any other questions, feel free to contact us and we can give you some help.

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