How To

It is essential to lubricate the garage door regularly. Not lubricating the garage door will cause excessive wear and tear to wheels, channels, and other moving parts. Lubrication is the most ignored part when it comes to the garage doors. In addition to the excessive wear & tear, lack of lubrication will also make the garage door squeaky. In this article, we have listed the detailed process of lubricating the garage door. Follow the steps listed below.

• One Step at a Time – Start by closing the garage door and ensure that you are inside the garage. Once you close the door, you will get access to the tracks and all other moving parts. You can close the garage door using the remote or manually.
• Disconnect Power – In this step, you need to disconnect the power source of the garage door opener. It is essential to disconnect the power source because it would avoid accidental opens or avoid a situation where you get an electric shock.
• Cleaning the Track – Do not start the lubrications yet. You should first clean the track with a damp rag. Clean all the area which are in contact with the rollers. Cleaning them will remove the debris from the door and remove the slag that would be there. Do not use a wet cloth but use only a damp cloth for the cleaning process.
• Vacuuming the Dirt – If the grime is stuck to the garage door slide, you can also use the brake cleaner to clean the parts. Brake cleaner will loosen the dust particles, and you will be able to clean it properly. If you notice dust or debris that can’t be cleaned via rug, use your vacuum cleaner and suck out the duck from grooves.
• Use of Correct Lubricant – Now is the turn to lubricate the garage door. A common mistake done by the people is the use of WD-40 or Oil to lubricate the garage door. You should not do this. Instead, you should use lithium-based grease (buy here) or silicone-based lubricant (buy here) to lubricate the garage door. These lubricants are available in spray, and they are straightforward to apply.
• Avoiding Oil – The reason we do not want you to use oil is that oil will lead to a buildup of dirt, and this would become very difficult to clean the next time you are performing maintenance activities on your garage door. Ensure that you are not over applying the lubricant on the moving parts.
• Lubricating Hinges – Many people miss lubricating the hinges, so do remember to lubricate the hinges as well. To lubricate the hinges, you can start lifting the garage door and lubricate each hinge slowly. You must also lubricate the rollers as they take a lot of abuse when you open or close the door without any obstruction.
• Lubricating the Exposed Parts – You should also take care to lubricate the exposed ball bearings. At the same time, ensure that you are not lubricating the nylon roller. You must also lubricate the springs, bearing plates, lock, arm-bar, and top of the slide.

These are the necessary steps to clean and lubricate the garage door. We also recommend you to check the owner’s manual to understand the right lubrication procedure as it may vary from one product to another. For any other questions, you can reach out to us.

Here is a video demonstration on how to lubricate your noisy garage door.

If you are spending a lot on your energy bills, then it is possible that you have not insulated your garage door yet. Insulating the garage door will reduce energy bills and reduce the noise that finds a way into your house. Insulating the garage door is a DIY project, and we have listed the steps involved in the project below. Go ahead and check them out now.

Go through the list of tools & materials that you would require for this project.

• Safety Glasses & Gloves
• Tape Measure & Knives
• Markers
• Fiberglass Insulation
• Garage Door Seals
• Foam Board Insulation
• Composite Fastener
• Insulation Accessories & Adhesives

Steps for Insulating the Garage Door

• Purchasing the Insulation kit – Start by choosing the right insulation material. Check the thickness, weight, and R-value of the insulation material. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation would be. If you have a wooden door, then you would also need a foam board. Similarly, You can insulate the metal garage door with fiberglass insulation. Make a choice depending on your needs. Find out some of the best Insulation kit by clicking here.
• Markings & Measurements – Now, start marking the location of the fasteners. Ensure that they are parallel to each other. You should have the fasteners separated by a distance of 12 inches from the sides of each panel. You must also measure the panels’ size so that you can cut the insulation in the exact dimensions.
• Apply Adhesive tape – Now, use the industrial-grade double sided tape and apply it to the markings you made. Ensure that the tape’s size is optimal as the smaller size would not hold the material very well. You should also ensure that the surface was clean before applying the adhesive tape. Press it with force to get a perfect bond. In this step, you need to remove the peel from the adhesive tape and you need to attach the retainer clip to each marking. This will help you connect the retainer clip on the garage door panel, and it is a required step for securing the insulation material.
• Measure the Door panel & Cutting Insulation Material– You have the insulation measurements that you took in the previous step. Verify those measurements and start cutting the insulation material in the given size. It is essential to measure the panels differently as these panels may be of different sizes. The insulation material should be at least 1 inch longer than the panel size. Remember to wear safety glasses, gloves, and a respiratory mask if you are dealing with fiberglass.
• Tucking the Insulation Panel – In this step, you need to tuck the insulation pieces in the door panels. Ensure that the vinyl is facing the outside. If the insulation has a reflective radiant barrier, then the radiant barrier should be outside.
• Fastening the Clips – In this last step, push the insulation against the door and allow the retention clip to pass through the insulation. Now, attach the front piece of retention clip to the pack piece, which will secure the insulation material.

This was the complete process to insulate the garage door. You can buy the insulation kits that come with all the required material that you would need to insulate your garage door. If you face any difficulty, you can write to us, and we will get back to you with the answer to your questions.

If you are about to replace a broken garage door spring, you can charged a lot to replace a simple garage door spring. You can do this job yourself and save a lot of money. The door tension spring provides the lifting force, and they need replacement after a specific time. You should note that this is a whole day project, and it requires a set of tools. Below are more details of this procedure. Learn more about Garage Door Springs in this post.

Tools Required

• Adjustable Wrench
• Clamps
• Drill
• Gloves, Safety Glasses
• Hammer
• Plier
• Socket Set
• Winding Bar

Material Required

• Double Life Torsion Spring
• Bottom Bracket
• Lift Cables

Steps to Replace the Garage Door

1. In the first step, you need to lock down the door, and you should clamp the door to the track. This step will help you in ensuring that the door doesn’t shoot up. You must also remove the garage door opener before you start the repair.
2. Position the ladder near the spring but do not directly face the spring. Wear all the protection and shove the winding bar in the bottom hole of the spring’s winding cone. Loosen the screws and ensure that you are holding the winding bar tight.
3. Now, you must use the second winding bar and unwind the broken spring. Do it slowly and take time so that you do not injure yourself. You can go ahead and remove the nuts from the stationary spring cones and then slowly slide the spring towards the end bracket.
4. In this step, you can snap the locker plier on the center bracket so that you can hold the torsion tube in the bracket. You must also slide the torsion tube on the right side, which would help you remove the old spring.
5. Look at the diameter of the spring and get the measurement of the spring. This will help you in buying the correct size spring if you haven’t already purchased it. You should also check the wind direction as this would help you in the proper installation. You should also take measurements of the inner diameter of the spring.
6. You can find the replacement parts in a hardware store, or you can find them online. It isn’t easy to get it directly from the garage door companies.
7. After getting the spring, you can install the left spring, and you can also reassemble the parts. You would need to reinsert the torsion bar in the bearing bracket. Also, install the right spring and push bearing into the stationary cone.
8. You would need to reinstall the drum and connect the stationary cones to the center bracket. In this step, ensure that you have also replaced the bottom brackets along with the lift cables and rollers. This would reduce the chance of any malfunction soon.
9. In the 9^th step, you would have to thread the cable carefully. You would also need to anchor the cable in the right slot. Doing this step properly would avoid door jams.
10. Tighten the drums after you have completed the steps listed above and ensure that you have made the tension equal on both sides. If the tension is not equal, then the door will not open evenly.

You have almost completed the project now. In this step, you need to wind the tension springs and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Ensure that you have stretched the spring and tightened the screws.

Now, lubricate the spring and all other moving parts. Try the door, and you should be done.

If you want a video tutorial on how to replace your garage door opener spring here is the one.