Are you at the end of your rope due to the squeaking, rattling and grinding of your garage door? What’s more, that noisy garage door may not help your relations with the other members of your family or nearby neighbors, especially if you leave for work early in the morning.
Fortunately, many noisy garage doors can be silenced with just a few quick fixes and regular maintenance checks. You can even do a few yourself!
Here are some suggestions for quieting your noisy garage door:
Retighten All the Nuts & Bolts
Using a wrench or socket set, check all the garage door nuts and bolts and retighten them if needed. Over time, some of the bolts may have worked loose with the daily vibrations of the garage door. A quick tighten and the noise may disappear without a trace.
Replace the Rollers
If retightening all the nuts and bolts hasn’t solved the problem, try inspecting the rollers. Open and shut the door while watching them – you may be able to identify this as the cause of the noise.
Some rollers are metal and others are nylon, and if they are worn it will cause them to become squeaky. If the rollers do appear worn, it might be a good idea to have them replaced. If the rollers appear to be in good order, then lubrication might be the answer. A good squirt of metal lubricant may solve the problem.
If the rollers do need replacing, exchange metal rollers for nylon ones, as they are quieter. Get an appointment with a garage door specialist to change them. Do not try this by yourself, especially the ones installed in the bottom section.
Springs
There are two types of garage door springs. Extension springs can be found above the upper tracks on both sides of the door. Torsion springs are located just above the closed door. This second type should be treated with extreme care as they are under high tension. If either of these springs is broken, you should see it right away and we recommend contacting a Garaga door expert right away.
If the springs are squeaking or making a small clanging sound, applying a spray metal lubricant or a small amount of motor oil. That should do the trick.
Hinge Replacement
On old garage doors the hinges can become worn. The roller stem often begins to wear causing noise when in operation. Inspect the hinges for wear and play by moving them from side to side. If that seems fine, just lubricate these parts. It helps.
Garage Door Opener
Take a look at the tension of the trolley mechanism, whether chain or belt drive. Is it loose? Consult your garage opener maintenance manual. It can be found on the Internet if you don’t have any printed copy.
The rolling mechanism could also need lubrication. Depending on the opener brand, white grease can be applied to specific parts. If you have a chain drive system, use a metal lubricant. If you have a belt drive, do not apply any grease or lubricant.
Amplified Noise
If your garage is made of concrete, the doors may be noisy even if operating correctly. The sound of opening and closing can resonate through the garage. One solution is to insulate the supports holding up the horizontal tracks with a strip of rubber to reduce noise.
Finally…
If you don’t have time to check out what is causing the noise in your garage door system, call a Garaga Expert near you. They know garage doors from A to Z!
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