Greasing Storm Tracks

I have a customer requesting that during the processes of cleaning the windows (dh w combination storm & screen) that we grease the storms so that they move and function better. She’s willing to pay whatever so I’m good with it.
What have you used and what has worked well for you in this situation? WD40? I’m nervous about runny grease as keeping them clean could be a challenge?

I have a customer that pays me to rub paraffin wax on their slider tracks. It helps but I do notice build-up from year to year.

Wd40 will bring in too much dust and make issue worse.

Ty anything with silicon (pure us best) or Teflon .

WD40 silicon, TriFlow, CRC Heavy Duty Silicon.
Dry lubes can work too but they are usually “graphite” based. With all of these avoid spraying the glass.

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I’ve had mixed luck with it and I’m not sure it really helps . From bees wax,wd40 etc it’s a bummer when that stuff gets back on the nice clean windows by accident. I’m interested what other people have had luck with ,it just seems to me that cleaning the tracks really well has been the most successful.

Not a service I would except.

Nothing like pulling a window and find its full of grease or residue, makes a mess on you, your clothes, anything you set it on. You should be using a drop cloth anything your setting storms on.

Issue is the typical window shouldn’t have grease, bearings and rollers instead. Grease will leave residue so will attract dirt, dust making future cleans tougher and graphite makes the black mess anywhere it touches. White framed windows would not be good especially vinyl.

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If you’re going to do it, then you could use something like pledge which should leave only a small residue.

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Let’s all go read up on the product TriFlow. And why it is so great.

Lubricates to reduce friction and Protects against moisture and corrosion damage, displaces moisture to prevent icing, inhibits rust formulation and corrosion build-up.

Designed to provide high anti-wear, EP, and anti-rust protection. They provid a water displacing, corrosion inhibiting waxy film that is especially effective in protecting ferrous metals in salt and acid fume (hydrochloric acid) environments

Green Environmental Attribute: Does not Contain Phthalates, Formaldehyde, Toxic Metals, Aromatic and Halogenated Compounds, Butoxyethanol, 2-Methoxyethanl, Isophorone, Methyl Ethyl Ketone, Methyl Isobutyl Ketone, Acrolein, Acrylonitrile Chemical Base: Mineral Oil.

Even graphite both the dry liquid and the powder form still work great, you just have to apply any of these products like a professional and they won’t cause issues to the glass nor the vinyl or aluminum.

You can keep the aluminum storm windows cleaned and “dust / dirt “ “free” for 30 years and if you never lubed the tracks. Good luck… :slight_smile:

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I have used Lithium type Grease Before. Also WD

WD = Water Displacement
40 = 40th experiment resulted in that solution

WD=40 is not a lubricant, but it is good for rusty things like breaking a rusty nut loose on a rusty bolt. Beware though, I know an EMS guy who went to a call about a man who accidentally inhaled WD-40 when an unexpected puff of wind blew it into his face while working on his lawn mower. He said the guy had blood coming out of his mouth and nose uncontrollably, and he died as a result of that accident, So, WD-40 is deadly,

I know that graphite is not nice to white surfaces, but it helped lubricate the tracks on the windows in my school bus without having a greasy mess. I am sure there is something better than that, but I am also sure that it would be some synthetic material, which I try to steer away from. Graphite is a natural lubricant.

People used to claim WD-40 was made with fish oil…

It’s ok for something rusty, but I prefer liquid wrench. I wouldn’t use it on windows.

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Cool. So WD40 it is. Thx guys

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Joking right?

So I tried 2 different products that I selected from the lubricants aisle at Menards. Both pretty much the same type of product.
WD-40 Specialist Dirt & Dust Resistant Dry Lube PTFE Spray
Blaster Pro-Grade Multi-purpose lubricant

I chose these because both say they do well for window and door tracks on the label.

We were just broad spraying the inside tracks to hit not only inside the tracks but the edges that rubs up against the aluminum storm window that slides. There was noticeable difference in movement and ease of putting back in. There is still a little tightness but we expected that as the storm window is designed to be snug. Thanks to everyone’s input and knowledge.

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Oh…don’t ya love some storm windows! Congrats on a solution. :star_struck:

They both have Teflon in them which leaves behind a slip and prevent dust collection. :slight_smile: smart choices.

never had a problem with storms windows in fact never seen one in my life lol not used in my neck of the desert