Residents in California’s Kern County understand the value of garage doors in their daily lives. For many families, garage doors are the main entryway and exit point of the house, opening and closing many times per day. That’s why proper garage door care is essential, and it all starts with garage door lubrication.
But what is the best garage door lubricant? Are there any advantages of garage door lubricant? The experts at King Door have answers to these questions and more. Read on to learn about the best types of garage door lubricants and why you need to regularly lubricate your garage doors.
Types of Garage Door Lubricants: Silicone vs Lithium
When lubricating your garage door, you may want to grab your trusty can of WD-40 or a similar product, but this will give you undesirable results. These products are penetrating oils, which makes them excellent for cleaning rust and grime off moving components, but that’s where their benefits end. When lubricating your garage door, you should use a product made of silicone or lithium.
Silicone-Based Lubricants
Many people ask, “Is silicone lubricant good for garage doors?” This question may arise from a lack of familiarity with silicone as a lubricating agent. The answer is that silicone lubricants are some of the best products you can use when lubricating your garage door.
When shopping for silicone lubricants, look for the phrase “silicone spray.” Many cans come equipped with a thin, straw-like nozzle for accurate spraying. You can use this nozzle to get the silicone spray exactly where you want it, without having to worry about applying too much or missing your target. It’s beneficial when trying to lubricate hard-to-reach places. And the best part is that you can avoid getting your hands covered in grease.
Silicone is long-lasting. You can feel confident knowing your silicone spray is going to keep your garage door lubricated for months. It can withstand temperature and weather changes, making it an excellent choice for year-round garage door lubrication.
Lithium-Based Lubricants
Lithium-based lubricants come in the form of white lithium grease. Your local hardware store or garage door specialist may sell grease for garage doors in squeezable tubes or containers with lids. Lithium spray lubricant for garage doors may be available, but it is less common than the hand-application varieties. That means you’ll have to get your hands messy while applying it, but among leading garage door lubricants, white lithium grease will provide satisfying results.
White lithium garage door grease gives you full control over how you apply it to your garage door’s components, despite having to use your hands. You can work it into your garage door’s metal springs, hinges and bearings, providing an even coat. After you do so, your garage door will open and close like a charm.
Since white lithium grease adheres well to metal, it’s not going anywhere once you apply it. Avoid overapplying, as this can attract dirt and dust. A small amount of white lithium grease goes a long way to having a healthy garage door.
The Best Garage Door Lubricant
King Door’s garage door lubricant spray can is the preferred garage door lubrication for Bakersfield, CA residents. This lubrication can is specifically designed for garage door maintenance. The cap is adjustable so you can control the amount of garage door spray lube you desire and for accurate application. You can choose to spray on heavy with a strong beam-like spray or you can spray on medium for broader coverage and lite with minimal mist-like coverage. These options help eliminate any unwanted over spray.
At King Door, we stay up-to-date on new innovations to continue improving our products. When purchasing lubrication, you can be sure that the heavy-duty garage door/operator lubricant and rust prevention spray we carry is the best solution for your garage door.
Our research shows that the non-silicon spray is the best option with 53% more oil. Silicon-based sprays can damage your car paint, leaving craters. This damage called “fisheye” is an unattractive occurrence that can happen when dirt, wax, oil, or silicone gets stuck under the paint on your car, causing spots or bubbles in the paint of your vehicle.
How Do You Lubricate a Garage Door?
If you’re new to lubricating your garage door, follow this checklist to guide your process. Have a couple of shop rags nearby if you need to wipe away any excess, and take it one component at a time. Here are the main parts of your garage door you should lubricate.
- Springs: Your garage door’s springs expand and contract with each use. You must lubricate your garage door springs to keep them from breaking. Locate your garage door springs overhead and lubricate their entire surface. Since you want full coverage, the best lubricant for garage door springs may be hand-applied white lithium grease.
- Rollers: Find the rollers on the sides of your garage doors. They’re the little metal or plastic wheels that roll through the tracks when the garage door opens and closes. Lubricate the metal parts of the rollers, specifically the inside where the wheel bearing sits. The bearings may be challenging to lubricate by hand, so silicone spray might be your best option for lubricating garage door rollers.
- Hinges: Your garage door’s hinges allow the panels to fold and unfold day after day. Keep them lubricated to guarantee smooth functioning. You can use either white lithium grease or silicone spray for this step, but white lithium grease might be your best option to avoid dripping silicone spray on your garage door panels. This stage could be when those shop rags come in handy.
- Locks: If your garage door has locks, keep the locking mechanism lubricated to avoid a sticky or frozen lock. Silicone spray is the best option for lubricating garage door locks, since the thin spray nozzle is perfect for reaching into the locking mechanisms. A quick blast of lubricant in the key slot and the locking shafts should be enough. Wipe away any excess with a rag.
Once you’ve finished these steps, open and close your garage door a few times in a row to work the lubricants into the components.
Benefits of Using Garage Door Lubricant
Why go through the hassle of lubricating your garage door in the first place? Lubricating your garage door every year can go a long way in extending the life of your garage door and automatic opener. Here are a few benefits of using garage door lubricant.
- Volume levels: Is your garage door louder than it used to be? That could be a result of metal pieces grinding together, forcing the opener to work harder. You could enjoy a quieter opening experience after lubricating the above components.
- Smooth operation: Friction between parts of your garage door can cause the opener to struggle. If you have two garage doors, you may be wondering why the one you use daily opens more slowly than the one you only use once a week. That’s because more use equals more friction between moving parts. After lubricating your garage door, your opener may work faster than it did before.
- Longer lifespan: Neglecting to lubricate your garage door can lead to compounding issues. One problem leads to another until you have expensive repair costs to deal with. Lubricating your garage door will protect the door’s essential components like springs, rollers and hinges. This DIY task will remove unnecessary stress on your opener. Everything will work in harmony, extending the lifespan of your entire garage door system.
Contact King Door for Garage Door Lubricant Today
King Door in California is Kern County’s solution for garage door repair, services and installation. We’ve been in business for over 35 years, allowing us to get to know our neighbors and provide high-quality, individualized service. Our professional technicians have a reputation for being clean, prompt and professional.
Come visit our 4,000-square-foot showroom to meet our knowledgeable and friendly staff. Or, you can contact us online for more information. Schedule a service appointment or request an estimate today. We look forward to serving you with all your garage door needs.
