If your garage doors squeak and squeal every time your garage door opens and shuts, this likely means that your garage door rollers are just about ready for a replacement.
Though garage door rollers can last quite a while without necessitating a complete replacement, they are not immune to the basic wear and tear that most home features undergo.
Did you know? A garage door cycle means 1 opening + 1 closing.
Are you aware of all the work your garage door performs? Watch this video . We measured your garage door’s everyday challenges.
Attending to the state of your garage door rollers as soon as they show symptoms of disrepair will save you time and effort in the long run. Should they malfunction more seriously, they might make an overly difficult situation out of a simple remove-and-replace job.
In the following article, we’ve consulted with a professional garage door installer to teach the ABCs of garage door rollers, from maintenance to repair to replacement, and the simple steps required to replace the rollers.
First – What Kind of Garage Door Rollers Do You Have on Your Garage Door?
There are 3 types of garage door rollers:
- Black Rubber : Without ball bearings. Recommended for doors under 10 feet in width.
- Steel : With ball bearings. Ask for rollers with at least 10 ball bearings.
- Nylon : Quieter, for single or double doors, with 12 ball bearings.
99% of residential doors come with 2-inch diameter rollers.
Before Starting to Work, Always Cut Off the Power!
Before you perform a technical operation on your garage door, it is crucial that you:
· Cut the power
· Unplug the garage door opener
If the garage door opener is still plugged in while you are working underneath it, you are putting yourself directly in harm’s way.
How to Lubricate Your Garage Door Rollers
Do not use oil lubricants on your garage door rollers under any circumstance. The type of garage door roller does not play a factor in this – whether you choose nylon, steel, or black rubber garage door rollers, they cannot be lubricated with an oil lubricant, as this will only serve to exacerbate the squeaking issue by drying out the rollers.
A silicone-based lubricant will be the best and most effective choice with which to treat most of your nylon or black rubber rollers.
However, if you opt for steel rollers and nylon rollers with exposed bearings, you will have to lubricate using the following instructions:
Steel Rollers : Lubricate the ball bearings directly, in the innermost component of the roller
Nylon Rollers with Exposed Bearings : Apply the lubricant to the area outside of the roller and the area where the shaft and the roller connect
If you have nylon rollers with sealed ball bearings, your garage door rollers will not need to be lubricated at all.
Always remember the following:
- Use the straw that comes with the lubricant
- Use the lubricant in thin coats
- Wipe down any excess lubricant immediately, with a clean rag
- Rollers are meant to roll, not to slide, in their track
- Perform this routine maintenance at least once every six months
If you have the lubricant on hand and you have some spare time, you might want to consider lubricating the following as well:
- Hinges , in the area where the garage door opens and shuts
- Locks
- Arm Bars
- Bearing Plates
- Springs, which you must leave to a professional, as they are carrying a lot of tension and can be a dangerous component to maintain without the help of a garage door installer. Again, springs should be lubricated, but, under all circumstances, only by a professional garage door installer .
Should You Go with Nylon or Steel?
If you are purchasing replacements for your current garage door rollers, you’ll have a decision to make: nylon or steel?
It’s worth weighing the pros and cons before laying down the money.
While nylon garage door rollers are more expensive than steel rollers, they are:
- Quieter
- Tougher
- Durable, with a lifespan of up to 10 years
According to Tim, from GarageTransformed , steel rollers are:
- Noisy
- Susceptible to corrosion and rust
- In need of frequent maintenance
- Less durable than nylon rollers, with a lifespan of 3 to 5 years
How to Replace Garage Door Rollers in 5 Steps
Safety Disclaimer: You should not attempt to perform this garage door roller replacement by yourself.
DO NOT loosen the bolts attaching the bottom fixture to the garage door, and DO NOT remove the cable from that bottom fixture.
If these disclaimers are not heeded, the tension-bearing spring could give out, causing the door to collapse or to seize up. This could result in significant damage to your property, injury, or death.
Performing a garage door roller replacement entails a great amount of risk as a result of these concerns, in concert with one another:
· The weight of the garage door
· The tension in the springs
If a full garage door roller replacement is a necessary course of action, it is likely that there are other problems to be addressed. Those problems cannot be solved without an experienced eye; they must be addressed by a professional garage door installer in your area.
With all of that said, here are the 5 steps involved in replacing garage door rollers:
One – Unplug the garage door opener
The garage door opener should be unplugged, as opposed to simply turned off, just in case the power button is accidentally pressed in the replacement process.
Two – Unwind the springs with a winding bar
As a measure of precaution, hinges and rollers should be replaced while the door is in its “down” position , but the springs should be unwound beforehand.
In order to keep the cable in place, add a vise-grip to the shaft of each spring.
Three – Remove the garage door rollers
- Loosen the screws from the hinge attached to the roller
- Detach the hinge by tapping it with a hammer
- Each hinge and roller must be replaced one at a time. DO NOT take off more than one hinge and roller at a time without replacing it with a new set beforehand.
- Discard the old rollers
Four – Replace the old rollers with the new rollers
- Slide the roller into its designated hole
- Tip the roller into its track
- Situate the hinge over the bolt holes (we would encourage the use of bigger screws or a Loctite)
- From the outside, tap the bolts back into the hinge holes
- Tighten the nut
These steps should be repeated for each roller and hinge. Once all the rollers have been replaced, continue onto Step 5.
Five – Re-wind the springs back to their original state of tension
- Tension can be adjusted to exact specifications
- Remove the vise-grip from the shaft
Do You Want Professionals Handling Your Garage Door Roller Replacement and Your Garage Door Maintenance?
We believe it is a necessary safety precaution to employ the services of a professional garage door installer to replace your garage door rollers.
For help with your replacement needs or for advice on related issues:
Contact us at 402-477-4474.
We provide tune-up service and can answer any questions you might have about garage door installations and maintenance. We also provide many other services and repairs .
Already know what you need? Reach out to us for an email quote.
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