One of the most essential garage door maintenance tasks is lubrication. This substance allows the moving parts of your garage door to easily work together to keep your garage door operational. You might have a professional garage door technician do this, or maybe you’re someone who likes to do their own maintenance. It’s one thing to know how to lubricate specific parts and what kind of lubricant to use, but have you ever really known when to lubricate your garage door? The timing is just as important as the procedures, so keep reading this blog to get a better understanding of when to lubricate your garage door parts.
Which Parts Need Lubrication?
Before diving into when to lubricate your garage door, it’s important to review which parts require lubrication. After all, you aren’t just smearing your front garage door panels with lubricant, but ideally spraying silicone lubricant onto the essential moving parts. These parts include springs, hinges, rollers (unless they are nylon), rails, bearing plates, and (depending on your opener) the chain drive.
When To Lubricate Your Garage Door
Now that you’ve had a chance to review which parts of your garage door need lubricating, you are ready to dive into when to lubricate your garage door.
1. Every Three Or Six Months
As far as routine maintenance is concerned, the first answer to the question of when to lubricate your garage door is to do so every three or six months. The climate conditions of where you live and the frequency at which you use the garage door will play into whether you lubricate the moving parts every three or six months. If you live in an environment that’s subject to extreme climate conditions and weather phenomena, you’re best bet is to lubricate your garage door parts every three months. Otherwise, if you live in a milder area, six months will be sufficient.
2. When The Garage Door Is Noisy
Knowing when to lubricate your garage door is not just limited to a schedule; it also involves recognizing signs that certain parts of your garage door urgently need lubrication. One example of such an instance is if your garage door is unusually noisy during operation, especially if there’s grinding, screeching, or squeaking. This noise can be indicative of increased friction between parts of your garage door. Take time to lubricate the parts of your garage door that could be responsible for the noise and see if that makes a difference in reducing it. If the noise persists, it means there’s another, potentially greater issue with your garage door that needs professional attention as soon as possible.
3. If The Movements Are Slow
Has your garage door been moving in a slow or jerky manner lately? If so, this might be a sign of excessive dirt and debris buildup getting in the way of your door’s operation. The increased friction that this buildup creates between the moving parts will ultimately slow down your garage door. If you suspect this to be the case, clean out the parts and reapply the lubricant where necessary.
4. Visible Wear And Tear
If you are inspecting your garage door and notice visible signs of wear and tear, you’ll need to apply some lubricant as soon as possible. If the wear and tear aren’t too severe, you should be able to easily return your garage door to working condition by lubricating the parts in question. Severe wear and tear, however, will require those parts to be completely replaced, so try avoiding this situation by keeping up with lubricating your garage door.
5. Signs Of Rust
Finally, the last example of when to lubricate your garage door is if you notice any signs of rust. If the rust isn’t severe or is very minor, lubricate that part and continue paying attention to it. If the rust doesn’t increase or stays very minimal, keep up the maintenance. Severe rust, like severe wear and tear, means that the part needs to be replaced.
Call Garage Door Repair Service Alvin To Lubricate Your Garage Door!
Now you know when to lubricate your garage door parts beyond the standard maintenance schedule. If you’d rather have a professional lubricate certain parts or if those parts have sustained extensive wear, tear, or rust, you have access to the best garage door repair service team. Contact us at Garage Door Repair Service Alvin for all your garage door lubrication and maintenance needs today.