"LUBRICATION"
The lack of lubrication is the #1 reason why garage door parts wear out and break. Moving parts, such as hinges, rollers and springs need to be lubricated. How often parts need to be lubricated depends on temperatures, humidity, the weight of your door and how often its used. If you're like most homeowners, your garage door is your main entrance and exit. You go in and out every day, numerous times, and never give it a second thought. Just like oil changes and tune-ups, if its not done, they'll break down.
SECTIONAL GARAGE DOORS:
Sectional garage doors have more moving parts then most things in your home. All the door hinges should be lubed on a regular basis. Regular can be once every 2-4 months, or if you live in an arid climate like Reno, once a month. Steel rollers have ball bearings and should be serviced regularly. If your door has torsion springs (coiled springs on a torsion bar over the door) they should be sprayed with WD-40, often enough to keep them shiny and wet looking. If your door has extension springs (springs that stretch from the rear of the track and work on a pulley system) you should lube the bearings in the pulleys. To check extension springs for wear follow these steps. Open the door. Look at the spring when it's not stretched. If there are any gaps in the coils your spring is losing tinsel strength and should be replaced. You can never tell when a torsion spring is ready to break. NEVER USE GREASE OF ANY KIND ON RESIDENTIAL GARAGE DOORS. Grease will harden, get caked up, it can freeze and it collects all dusts and airborne dirt.
TILT-UP DOORS (one-piece):
On tilt-up style doors there are only a few places that need lubrication. The entire pivot points on the jamb hardware and any other area that hinges.
AUTOMATIC OPENERS:
Most chain drive openers don't require any kind of lubrication. If you have a screw drive, you'll need to lubricate the long screw on a regular basis. (See chain drive or screw drive?) for greater detail.
THE DOOR MAN RECOMMENDS USING A LIGHT AEROSOL LIKE WD-40 ON ALL MOVING PARTS. WD-40 IS INEXPENSIVE AND A GOOD PENETRATING LUBE. IT'S ALSO EASY TO SPRAY ON PARTS. YOU CAN USE ANY PENETRATING LUBE LIKE "TRI-FLO" OR "3 IN 1".
===============================================================