Should you lubricate garage door springs?
Certain types of springs need periodic lubrication. To clarify, if your garage door uses extension springs, no lubrication is necessary. Extensions springs stretch or “extend” resulting in little friction.
On the other hand, torsion springs are wound up or down as the garage door opens or closes resulting in friction as the coils rub against each other. If you have powder coated torsion springs, no lubrication is necessary.
That leaves the more common galvanized torsion spring which does benefit from periodic lubrication. It’s important to use the preferred lithium grease spray or a silicone spray.
Never use WD-40 to lubricate your torsion spring (or other garage door components). WD-40 is a degreaser and will remove the all-important lubricating grease.
To lubricate the torsions springs, with the help of a stepladder, simply spray a reasonable amount of lithium grease across the top of the spring from end to end. After spraying, open and close the door a few times to work the grease in.
We recommend lubricating the torsion springs once or twice a year for optimal spring performance.