Lubricating Rollers and What to Keep Off Them
More wheels are ruined by the wrong can than by mileage, and the mistake is usually made with good intentions. The maintenance page at Garage Door Roller Repair Orange County CA 4 Rue Montmartre sets out what actually takes lubrication on a garage door, because the standard household aerosol does the opposite of what an Orange County owner expects when it goes anywhere near a bearing.
The Aerosol Problem
The common blue and yellow spray is a solvent and a water displacer. Aimed into an open race it dissolves the packed grease that was doing the work, runs out carrying it with it, and leaves the balls drier than they were. The wheel is quiet for two days and noisier than ever a fortnight later.
What a Sealed Bearing Wants
Nothing. The shield exists to keep the factory grease in and the world out, and no product applied from outside gets past it. Anything sprayed on simply sits on the shield collecting dust, which then works its way to the edge of the seal and does harm. Leave sealed parts alone and change them when they are finished.
What an Unsealed Bearing Wants
A light application of a proper garage door lubricant or a white lithium spray, directed at the race where the wheel meets the stem, with the excess wiped away. Applied with the door closed and the power off, working position by position, and never so heavily that it runs down the section below.
The Stem and the Hinge
The point where the stem passes through the hinge is a genuine sliding surface and it does want a film of oil. So does the hinge knuckle itself. These two are what most people are actually hearing when they describe a squeak, and they respond to treatment immediately.
Keep It Off the Running Surface
The inside face of the rail should be clean and dry. Grease there collects grit and turns the channel into an abrasive, so the wheel then rides on a paste that wears both the tread and the steel. If a rail has already been greased, wipe it out with a dry cloth and leave it bare.
Frequency Near the Coast
Twice a year suits most of this area, and the wipe matters as much as the spray. Applying lubricant over a layer of salt dust seals the chloride against the metal instead of excluding it, which is worse than skipping the job. Clean first, apply second, wipe the excess third.