How do I lubricate a roll up door?

To lubricate a roll up door, oil the parts that turn and leave the parts that slide clean. That means the roller chain and gears on a chain hoist or motor drive, the bearings at the end brackets, and, on a storage style door, the springs you can see on the axle. Do not grease the curtain or the guides, since grease there holds grit and makes the door drag. The spring tension wheel and the counterbalance are never part of the job: they are under extreme spring tension, and adjusting them is work for a trained technician.

What to lubricate on a roll up door

A roll up door is a steel curtain that coils around a barrel above the opening, with springs inside or along that barrel to balance its weight. The curtain rides in two side guides. Only a few parts turn under load, and those are the parts that want oil or grease.

A sectional garage door, the kind that folds up in panels on hinges and rollers, is a different job. For that door, see how often to lubricate a garage door, which covers the hinges, rollers and springs.

Part	What to use	Notes
Roller chain (chain hoist or motor drive)	Light oil, such as SAE 20	Janus calls for SAE 20 oil between 32 and 104 degrees, applied where the chain is slack.
Hoist and drive gears	Clean first, then grease or oil	DASMA lists "clean and lubricate gears" for gear operated doors. Clear old grit from the teeth before adding more.
Barrel bearings at the brackets	Grease, at the grease fitting	Clopay's checklist says to grease a worn bearing if it has a fitting, and to call for service if it does not.
Open springs on a storage door axle	A light coat of garage door lubricant	Only where the spring sits in the open. Rolling steel door springs are sealed inside the barrel.
Latch, slide lock and lock cylinder	A drop of light oil or a dry lock lubricant	Work it a few times so it reaches the moving parts.
Guides and curtain	Nothing; wipe them clean	If the door's manual allows it, a light silicone spray on the guide wear strips only.

Where not to lubricate a roll up door

• The guides. Grease in the guides catches dust, sand and road grit, then grinds against the curtain ends. Keep them clean and dry.
• The curtain slats. Oil on the slats spreads to the barrel as the door coils and does nothing for how it runs.
• The hand chain you pull. It needs grip, not oil. Wipe it clean instead.
• The tension wheel and counterbalance. DASMA's maintenance sheet for building supervisors is plain: do not try to adjust the tension wheel, and call for service if the spring needs adjusting.

How to lubricate a roll up door, step by step

1. Close the door and cut the power. Lower the door fully. On a motor driven door, switch off or unplug the operator so no one can run it while your hands are on the chain.
2. Clean the guides. Wipe the inside of both guides with a dry rag from top to bottom. Pick out leaves, gravel and packing tape. Look for bent spots while you are there.
3. Clean and oil the roller chain. Wipe off old, gritty oil, then apply light oil to the links on the slack side of the chain.
4. Clean and lubricate the gears. Brush debris out of the teeth, check for broken or worn teeth, then add a little lubricant.
5. Grease the bearings. Give each bracket bearing a pump or two of grease at its fitting. If the bearing has no fitting and it squeals or binds, call for service.
6. Coat open springs lightly. On a storage unit door with springs on the axle, a thin coat along each spring is enough. Wipe off drips.
7. Work the latch and lock. A drop of oil, then open and close it a few times.
8. Run the door and test it. Open and close it a few times. DASMA says a door that runs by hand should take no more than about 35 pounds of pull on the hand chain or 25 pounds on a crank. A door that takes much more has a balance problem that oil will not fix.

What lubricant to use

Use the oil or grease the door's manual names. Most call for a light oil on chains and a grease at the bearing fittings. A general purpose spray such as WD-40 is good for cleaning off old grime, but it leaves too thin a film to protect a chain or bearing on its own, so follow it with a real lubricant. Our guide to the best garage door lubricant compares the common types. Skip heavy grease anywhere it can be wiped onto the curtain. Janus gives its SAE 20 oil a range of 32 to 104 degrees, so on a door that works through a Colorado winter, ask your service company which oil the maker names for the cold.

How often to lubricate a roll up door

Follow the maker's schedule first. DASMA tells building supervisors to evaluate electric rolling doors quarterly and to test the safety sensing devices at least weekly, and it recommends a trained technician inspect and maintain each door at least once a year. A quarterly check is a good time to clean and oil the chain and gears. A busy dock or warehouse door that runs all day needs it more often than a door that opens twice a day. At a self-storage facility, the easiest time is at move out, when the unit is empty. Dusty yards and doors open to the weather need more cleaning than doors inside a heated building.

When lubrication will not fix it

Oil quiets a dry chain and frees a stiff latch. It does not fix a spring or a bent guide. Call for service when:

• The door will not stay open and has to be propped.
• The tension wheel or tension shaft turns while the door runs. DASMA says they must not rotate during operation.
• The door feels far heavier than it used to, or the operator sounds like it is straining.
• The curtain or bottom bar rubs the header, binds in a guide or jumps out of it.
• A bearing still grinds after it is greased, or it has no grease fitting.

A heavy door is usually a spring that has lost tension. Read roll up door spring tension adjustment for why that is a technician's job, and why a commercial garage door won't close if it stops partway down.

Common questions

Can I use WD-40 on a roll up door?

Use it to clean, not to protect. It cuts old grease and grit off a chain or gear, but the film it leaves is thin. Follow it with a chain oil or grease, and keep it off the guide wear strips. More on that in can I use WD-40 on my garage door.

Should I lubricate the guides on a roll up door?

No grease or oil in the guides. Clean them instead. Some makers allow a light silicone spray on the guide wear strips, so check the door's manual first.

Where should you not lubricate a roll up door?

The curtain, the guides, the hand chain and the tension wheel. The first three collect dirt or lose grip when oiled, and the tension wheel holds the spring's full load.

Why is my roll up door still hard to open after lubricating it?

Because the spring, not friction, is carrying less of the door's weight. A door that needs more than about 35 pounds of pull on its hand chain needs its counterbalance checked. See why a storage unit roll-up door is hard to open.

How G Brothers helps

G Brothers repairs and maintains roll up and rolling steel doors, rolling grilles, counter shutters and self-storage doors for warehouses, storefronts, loading docks and storage facilities across Denver, Lakewood and the metro. We work on every brand and every operator type, carry stock on the truck for most repairs, dispatch 24/7 when a door cannot wait and can send a certificate of insurance, usually within 24 hours. See roll up and rolling steel door repair, storage unit door repair and commercial garage door maintenance, call (720) 421-6489, or contact us to have your door looked at.

Sources

• DASMA, TDS 270: Recommended Rolling Door Maintenance Practices for Building Maintenance Supervisors
• DASMA, TDS 269: Rolling Door Performance Evaluation by a Facility Manager or a Building Superintendent
• Janus International, Model 1950 Installation Guide (maintenance section)
• Clopay, Rolling Grille Installation Instructions (maintenance checklist)