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The Handyman

The Handyman

Don't overlook door maintenance when preparing home for winter.

By Glenn Haege

Doors are a major defense against Old Man Winter. They help keep out the cold, while letting us come and go as we please.
It is not at all unusual for homeowners to pay little or no attention to their entrance and garage doors. As long as they open and close, we expect them to last forever. We actually get angry when one day the door won't open, the lock won't turn or the garage door comes crashing down on our car.
Winter is the worst season of the year for door and lock failure because the oil and grease that lubricates them gets very sticky and tugs on all moving parts.
The best defense is to give every moving part of your doors a thorough cleaning and lubrication before the onset of winter. It is very important to choose the proper lubricating agent to do the job. There is a big difference between lubricants and grease. Lubricants are usually thin liquids that reduce friction between metal parts. Grease acts like a cushion between metal parts. White lithium grease is very weather resistant and stays on the metal no matter what the temperature or weather condition.

Entrance doors
Treat the hinges on exterior and storm doors with a squirt of 3-in-One oil. If you see traces of black grease take the door off the hinges and clean the door pins and hinges thoroughly before spraying lithium grease on the pins and put the door back up.
WD-40 makes an excellent metal cleaner. You could spray WD-40 on hinge pins or any greasy metal part to cut through old grease. After the WD-40 cuts through the old grease, wipe it off and apply the proper lubricant.
Locks should be dusted with graphite. If they don't work effortlessly now, they will be a problem this winter. Squirt WD-40 into the key hole and let it dry for a few minutes. When dry, puff in powdered graphite.
Check the door sweep at the bottom of each entrance door. It may have worn away changed shape. If it shows wear or is no longer flexible replace it with the original equipment, or a brush-style sweep.

Sliding glass door walls
The rollers on sliding glass doors see heavy action. Clean the lower guide thoroughly. Wipe old grease off rollers with a rag dampened with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol, then lubricate with 3-in-One oil or white lithium grease.

Garage doors
As soon as the weather gets cold, many garage doors moan and groan when raised or lowered. That noise is a sign of improper lubrication or alignment and could take years off the life of the door.
There are two steps to lubricating a garage door.
First, the old grease and gunk has to be removed; then the hinges and moving parts should be oiled. We recommend using 3-in-One Oil or a good silicone or Tri-Flow spray. I prefer to use white lithium grease on the door pin hinges and use the 3-in-One Oil or Tri-Flow spray on other moving parts.
Taking the old gunk off is more important than applying the new lubricant. Once it turns cold, old grease build-up pulls at moving parts and causes premature door failure. Spray WD-40 everywhere there is old, sticky grease. Then remove the mess with paper towels.
It is especially important to clean roller guide tracks and other places that should not really have been greased. If your garage has an older Stanley Door with a tube-type door opener, spray the tube with WD-40 and remove grease buildup with paper towels. Once the grease is removed, lightly lubricate all moving parts with 3-in One-Oil.
There are basically two different types of garage doors -- old-fashioned tilt-out garage doors and sectional garage doors.
"On old tilt-out garage doors, be sure to lubricate the pivot points where the arms connect to the wall. There are two garage door pivots, left and right. Also lubricate the roller where the arm connects to the door and where the spring connects to the arm.
"On sectional garage doors, lubricate the overhead torsion springs, rollers, hinges and anything that moves. Do not accidentally lubricate roller tracks.
The tracks should be kept clean and dry, so that rollers move back and forth effortlessly".
When it comes to lubricating garage door opener systems, do not lubricate the track or the tube on the door openers. Lubricating these parts makes them so sticky that movement becomes almost impossible during cold weather.
Check the manual that came with your garage door opener before lubricating the chain or tracks on the garage door opener. On some models, grease buildup can cause such problems that lubrication is forbidden. On the other hand, some screw drive openers need to be lubricated to function properly.
Garage door weather stripping wears away because it rubs against the concrete every time you close the door. Replace it whenever it gets worn or wind, water, leaves and snow can blow in.

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