I think of myself as being pretty good about maintaining things around
our home, but I sure missed this one.

One of our 27 year old multipanel single width garage doors equipped
with an equally olde Craftsman chain drive opener started acting "funny"
occasionally for the last few weeks.

It would close OK most of the time but every so often it would get about
3/4 of the way down and reverse back to full open. And once I caught it
stopping about half way up when it was opening.

I tried cranking the up and down "force" potentiometers on the opener to
"full", but that didn't help.

I figured I was probably in for buying a new opener but decided to
remove the opener's cover have a look just in case the problem was
caused by an insect building a nest inside the opener housing and
interfering with a photoelectric motor speed monitoring gizmo as had
happened once maybe fifteen years ago.

Everything looked OK, so I put the cover back on the housing.

Then it hit me. I had dutifully oiled the door's roller wheel bearings
every couple of years but I never thought to oil the dozen panel hinges
on the inside of the door.

I put some oil on each of the hinges and presto, there was much less
noise from the opener when it was running and no sign of it reversing
during closing or stopping while opening.

The "thwock" you may have heard a couple of days ago was me, giving
myself a "dope slap" to the head. I would have felt even more stupid had
I bought a new garage door opener and went through the work of
installing it, probably with it having the same unoiled hinge problem.

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

On Monday, June 2, 2014 12:29:49 PM UTC-4, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
I think of myself as being pretty good about maintaining things around

our home, but I sure missed this one.



One of our 27 year old multipanel single width garage doors equipped

with an equally olde Craftsman chain drive opener started acting "funny"

occasionally for the last few weeks.



It would close OK most of the time but every so often it would get about

3/4 of the way down and reverse back to full open. And once I caught it

stopping about half way up when it was opening.



I tried cranking the up and down "force" potentiometers on the opener to

"full", but that didn't help.



I figured I was probably in for buying a new opener but decided to

remove the opener's cover have a look just in case the problem was

caused by an insect building a nest inside the opener housing and

interfering with a photoelectric motor speed monitoring gizmo as had

happened once maybe fifteen years ago.



Everything looked OK, so I put the cover back on the housing.



Then it hit me. I had dutifully oiled the door's roller wheel bearings

every couple of years but I never thought to oil the dozen panel hinges

on the inside of the door.



I put some oil on each of the hinges and presto, there was much less

noise from the opener when it was running and no sign of it reversing

during closing or stopping while opening.



The "thwock" you may have heard a couple of days ago was me, giving

myself a "dope slap" to the head. I would have felt even more stupid had

I bought a new garage door opener and went through the work of

installing it, probably with it having the same unoiled hinge problem.



Jeff

--

Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

What oil/lubricant do you recommend for the hinges and
for the roller bearings?

BTW, brass rat 78 here too.

trader_4 wrote:



What oil/lubricant do you recommend for the hinges and
for the roller bearings?

BTW, brass rat 78 here too.



Nothing fancy, I use my "all purpose" trigger operated squirt can which
I'm pretty sure I last filled with 10W-30 motor oil.

BTW, my graduating class had only a dozen gals in it. When I attended my
55th class reunion a couple of years ago half of the undergraduate
graduating class were ladies. We weren't learning things like biotech
and such back then, which likely explains that change.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

On Mon, 2 Jun 2014 10:11:59 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

What oil/lubricant do you recommend for the hinges and
for the roller bearings?

What I use is silicone spray. Heavy oil will attract/ accumulate dust
and dirt in the rollers. I also spray the torsion spring (s).

Jeff Wisnia wrote:
I think of myself as being pretty good about maintaining things around
our home, but I sure missed this one.

One of our 27 year old multipanel single width garage doors equipped
with an equally olde Craftsman chain drive opener started acting "funny"
occasionally for the last few weeks.

It would close OK most of the time but every so often it would get about
3/4 of the way down and reverse back to full open. And once I caught it
stopping about half way up when it was opening.

I tried cranking the up and down "force" potentiometers on the opener to
"full", but that didn't help.

I figured I was probably in for buying a new opener but decided to remove
the opener's cover have a look just in case the problem was caused by an
insect building a nest inside the opener housing and interfering with a
photoelectric motor speed monitoring gizmo as had happened once maybe fifteen years ago.

Everything looked OK, so I put the cover back on the housing.

Then it hit me. I had dutifully oiled the door's roller wheel bearings
every couple of years but I never thought to oil the dozen panel hinges
on the inside of the door.

I put some oil on each of the hinges and presto, there was much less
noise from the opener when it was running and no sign of it reversing
during closing or stopping while opening.

The "thwock" you may have heard a couple of days ago was me, giving
myself a "dope slap" to the head. I would have felt even more stupid had
I bought a new garage door opener and went through the work of installing
it, probably with it having the same unoiled hinge problem.

Jeff

A few months ago I was lubing up my garage door as part of a Saturday
morning general maintenance session. For years I had been listening to a
rattle as the door went up and down which I knew was coming from the chain.
I thought it was just the chain bouncing against the GDO rail as it moved.
This time, while I was up on the ladder lubing the rail, I noticed that the
chain was actually rubbing on one of the nuts from the bolts that hold the
3 sections of rail together. The rattle was the tick-tick-tick as each link
went over the nut.

I grabbed a piece of 1 x 2 PVC trim from the scrape box, rounded off one
end of it with my bench top sander, and then cut it so that it was just a
bit "taller" than the nut. I drilled a hole in the flat end of the piece so
that it fit snugly over the nut that the chain was rubbing on. The chain
now glides over the rounded end of the PVC as it moves and the chain's
tension holds it firmly against the rail. The whole system just sounds so
much smoother and quieter now.

The other noise reduction step I took many, many years ago was to cut 2
short pieces of rubber conveyor belt material to use as hangers for the
GDO. I attached an L bracket to the joists and to the top of the GDO, and
used the conveyor belt material to isolate the GDO from the structure. It
cut the noise into the room above the garage at least in half. The boys
could actually sleep through the up and down operation of the door after
that.

Jeff:

I agree that it's a good idea to lubricate both the hinges and rollers on your garage door.

But, I think you missed the mark again by suggesting people use OIL on them. Airborne dust sticks to oil making the grime you see so often on the underside of your car's engine. A better choice would have been DRY GRAPHITE in an aerosol can. You can buy this stuff at any hardware store. Locksmiths also might carry it, but locksmiths prefer to use powdered graphite in a small blow gun because it's less messy. I prefer the aerosol because it delivers more graphite and the graphite gets all over everything inside the lock.

The reason they call it "DRY" graphite is because the propellant in the can evaporates completely, leaving only the graphite behind.

Graphite is a natural lubricant because the carbon atoms in graphite are arranged in a hexagonal pattern in "plates", and those plates slide over each other easily. Airborne dust won't stick to graphite and graphite is unaffected by temperature, so it's lubricating properties are just as good at -40 deg. Celsius as they are at +40 deg. Celsius.

Also, if someone is reading this that doesn't know whether friction is causing problems with their garage door or not, but are concerned that lubricating the garage door may be a messy task with no reward, buy some glycerine at any pharmacy for $3 a bottle. Apply glycerine to your rollers and hinges. Glycerine is in fact a low volatility alcohol, but it behaves very much like a light oil, like WD40 say. If you get a noticable improvement in the operation of your garage door, then wait for the glycerine to evaporate in a few days, and then apply graphite from an aerosol can. If you don't see any difference, don't worry about having added glycerine; it will evaporate completely without leaving any residue.

nestork wrote:

Jeff:

I agree that it's a good idea to lubricate both the hinges and rollers
on your garage door.

But, I think you missed the mark again by suggesting people use OIL on
them. Airborne dust sticks to oil making the grime you see so often on
the underside of your car's engine. A better choice would have been DRY
GRAPHITE in an aerosol can. You can buy this stuff at any hardware
store. Locksmiths also might carry it, but locksmiths prefer to use
powdered graphite in a small blow gun because it's less messy. I prefer
the aerosol because it delivers more graphite and the graphite gets all
over everything inside the lock.

The reason they call it "DRY" graphite is because the propellant in the
can evaporates completely, leaving only the graphite behind.

Graphite is a natural lubricant because the carbon atoms in graphite are
arranged in a hexagonal pattern in "plates", and those plates slide over
each other easily. Airborne dust won't stick to graphite and graphite
is unaffected by temperature, so it's lubricating properties are just as
good at -40 deg. Celsius as they are at +40 deg. Celsius.

Also, if someone is reading this that doesn't know whether friction is
causing problems with their garage door or not, but are concerned that
lubricating the garage door may be a messy task with no reward, buy some
glycerine at any pharmacy for $3 a bottle. Apply glycerine to your
rollers and hinges. Glycerine is in fact a low volatility alcohol, but
it behaves very much like a light oil, like WD40 say. If you get a
noticable improvement in the operation of your garage door, then wait
for the glycerine to evaporate in a few days, and then apply graphite
from an aerosol can. If you don't see any difference, don't worry about
having added glycerine; it will evaporate completely without leaving any
residue.


Thanks for the useful tip nestork.

I do have a can of spray on graphite but I'm not sure it can wick its
way into tight and likely slightly corroded crevices like those on the
garage door hinges, so I prefer to use a moderate weight oil.

I did "clean house" after oiling the hinges by wiping any excess oil off
the exposed surfaces, though I don't think many folks would rub up
against the inside of my garage door and soil their clothing very often.


Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

The aerosol can should have come with a small tube so that you can inject the graphite into small crevices (like the keyway of a lock).

Working with aerosol graphite can be messy, tho.

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


nestork wrote:

Jeff:

I agree that it's a good idea to lubricate both the hinges and rollers
on your garage door.

But, I think you missed the mark again by suggesting people use OIL on
them. Airborne dust sticks to oil making the grime you see so often on
the underside of your car's engine. A better choice would have been DRY
GRAPHITE in an aerosol can. You can buy this stuff at any hardware
store. Locksmiths also might carry it, but locksmiths prefer to use
powdered graphite in a small blow gun because it's less messy. I prefer
the aerosol because it delivers more graphite and the graphite gets all
over everything inside the lock.

The reason they call it "DRY" graphite is because the propellant in the
can evaporates completely, leaving only the graphite behind.

Graphite is a natural lubricant because the carbon atoms in graphite are
arranged in a hexagonal pattern in "plates", and those plates slide over
each other easily. Airborne dust won't stick to graphite and graphite
is unaffected by temperature, so it's lubricating properties are just as
good at -40 deg. Celsius as they are at +40 deg. Celsius.

Also, if someone is reading this that doesn't know whether friction is
causing problems with their garage door or not, but are concerned that
lubricating the garage door may be a messy task with no reward, buy some
glycerine at any pharmacy for $3 a bottle. Apply glycerine to your
rollers and hinges. Glycerine is in fact a low volatility alcohol, but
it behaves very much like a light oil, like WD40 say. If you get a
noticable improvement in the operation of your garage door, then wait
for the glycerine to evaporate in a few days, and then apply graphite
from an aerosol can. If you don't see any difference, don't worry about
having added glycerine; it will evaporate completely without leaving any
residue.


Thanks for the useful tip nestork.

I do have a can of spray on graphite but I'm not sure it can wick its
way into tight and likely slightly corroded crevices like those on the
garage door hinges, so I prefer to use a moderate weight oil.

I did "clean house" after oiling the hinges by wiping any excess oil off
the exposed surfaces, though I don't think many folks would rub up
against the inside of my garage door and soil their clothing very often.


Jeff
Hi,
Graphite is not a good idea. You wnat black streaks all over aking it
dirty and messy looking? I use white Lithium grease spray or Teflon
spray sparingly once a year or so. When was last time you adjusted the
chain tension?

In ,
Oren belched:
On Mon, 2 Jun 2014 10:11:59 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

What oil/lubricant do you recommend for the hinges and
for the roller bearings?

What I use is silicone spray. Heavy oil will attract/ accumulate dust
and dirt in the rollers. I also spray the torsion spring (s).

it also works great on weatherstriping and tires

On 6/2/2014 1:11 PM, trader_4 wrote:
myself a "dope slap" to the head. I would have felt even more stupid had

I bought a new garage door opener and went through the work of

installing it, probably with it having the same unoiled hinge problem.

What oil/lubricant do you recommend for the hinges and
for the roller bearings?


A friend showed me a spray can of garage door lube,
and I saw something at Home Depot, labelled as
such. Beyond that, not sure. I'm also curious.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 6/2/2014 1:23 PM, Jeff Wisnia wrote:


Nothing fancy, I use my "all purpose" trigger operated squirt can which
I'm pretty sure I last filled with 10W-30 motor oil.


Sounds like it works better than dry
friction?

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

Jeff Wisnia posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

but I sure missed this one.


Not if you aimed right...

Could you come and oil my joints? They are extremely painful lately.

--
Tekkie

DerbyDad03 posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

The boys
could actually sleep through the up and down operation of the door after
that.



They weren't sleeping, they were educating themselves with your Playboy
mags.

--
Tekkie

nestork posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP


Jeff:

I agree that it's a good idea to lubricate both the hinges and rollers
on your garage door.

But, I think you missed the mark again by suggesting people use OIL on
them. Airborne dust sticks to oil making the grime you see so often on
the underside of your car's engine. A better choice would have been DRY
GRAPHITE in an aerosol can. You can buy this stuff at any hardware
store. Locksmiths also might carry it, but locksmiths prefer to use
powdered graphite in a small blow gun because it's less messy. I prefer
the aerosol because it delivers more graphite and the graphite gets all
over everything inside the lock.

The reason they call it "DRY" graphite is because the propellant in the
can evaporates completely, leaving only the graphite behind.

Graphite is a natural lubricant because the carbon atoms in graphite are
arranged in a hexagonal pattern in "plates", and those plates slide over
each other easily. Airborne dust won't stick to graphite and graphite
is unaffected by temperature, so it's lubricating properties are just as
good at -40 deg. Celsius as they are at +40 deg. Celsius.

Also, if someone is reading this that doesn't know whether friction is
causing problems with their garage door or not, but are concerned that
lubricating the garage door may be a messy task with no reward, buy some
glycerine at any pharmacy for $3 a bottle. Apply glycerine to your
rollers and hinges. Glycerine is in fact a low volatility alcohol, but
it behaves very much like a light oil, like WD40 say. If you get a
noticable improvement in the operation of your garage door, then wait
for the glycerine to evaporate in a few days, and then apply graphite
from an aerosol can. If you don't see any difference, don't worry about
having added glycerine; it will evaporate completely without leaving any
residue.

K-Y Jelly or Astroglide?

--
Tekkie

Tekkie® wrote:
Jeff Wisnia posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

but I sure missed this one.


Not if you aimed right...

Could you come and oil my joints? They are extremely painful lately.

Hi,
Then easy on your drinks(beer, wine) and BBQ'd meat....

Tekkie® wrote:
DerbyDad03 posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

The boys
could actually sleep through the up and down operation of the door after
that.

They weren't sleeping, they were educating themselves with your Playboy
mags.


Never needed mags. How do you think the boys were made?

Tony Hwang wrote:
When was last time you adjusted the
chain tension?

The last time it needed it. That's when the chain begins to sag enough
to touch the horizontal part of the GDO rail.

Jeff

PS GDO still working fine, no unwanted reversing or stopping.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.