Quick Tips on How to Fix a Noisy Garage Door

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The squeaking, rattling, and grinding of a garage door during opening and closing can be annoying. What's more, it can be a source of disturbance to family members and neighbours, especially if you leave very early in the morning or get home past bedtime. Fortunately, most noisy garage doors can be silenced with a few fixes and regular maintenance.

What causes noisy garage doors?

Various hardware components in your garage door could be the cause of rattling and squeaking during operation.

• Rollers: Worn out rollers can cause squeaking and grinding noises when you open or close the garage door. Rollers with balls in the bearing are also known to be noisier than those without.
• Chain-drive door openers: If the chain in a chain-drive door opener loosens, it can make loud slapping sounds and cause jerky door movements that smack the rollers against the track.
• Door motor vibrations: The sounds and vibrations that result from the garage door motor can be transferred to other parts of the garage door and cause noise during operation. This can be avoided by purchasing and installing noise insulators.

How can you silence a garage door?

The following are some of the ways you can fix a noisy garage door.

• Tighten door hardware Daily vibrations from the garage door opener can loosen bolts and track hardware over time. Check all the garage door nuts and bolts and tighten them using a wrench or socket set. Inspect the rollers and tighten all the moving hardware.
• Replace the rollers Replace worn door rollers that could be causing a squeaking sound as they roll on the tracks. Consider purchasing nylon rollers or steel rollers. They are durable and do not contain balls in the bearing which are a primary source of noise in the garage door rollers.
• Lubricate moving parts Inadequate lubrication in the spring system, hinges, and metal parts can cause the parts to grind against each other and produce noise when operating the garage door. Use a petroleum-based lubricant on all the metal parts. Also, lubricate the perimeter of the weather stripping at the bottom of the garage door using a silicone-based lubricant.
• Replace chain-drive door opener Chain-drive openers are known to be noisy, and this worsens if the chain becomes loose. You can regularly check the chain and tighten it or replace the door opener. A good option is a belt drive opener. It is similar to the chain drive opener, only that it uses a rubber belt instead of a chain, and it does not produce noise during operation.

Maintaining a quiet garage door requires regular maintenance and easy fixes to the faulty door hardware. If you are not handy, you can hire a garage door specialist to do it for you.

1 July 2016