One of the most annoying situations to deal with in the morning is a noisy garage door. Not only does it disturb your neighbors but also those who are sound asleep. Noisy garage doors shouldn’t be ignored as they can signal something potentially wrong with the door. Luckily, fixing a noisy garage door is a fairly simple DIY repair. Usually, a noisy rattle is caused by loose hardware, squeaky parts, or worn rollers. Sometime all it takes are some anti-vibration pads to do the trick. Repairing an overhead garage door that screeches shouldn’t take too long.
Tighten Everything Down
First start by tightening all the garage door parts that you can. This should be something you regularly do anyway, like cleaning the gutters or spring cleaning the garage. Snug down all nuts and bolts. Keep an eye out for worn parts and replace whatever looks broken. Keep a particular eye out for rust. All parts that are rusty should immediately be replaced before further issues arise. One of the simples DIY overhead garage door repairs is to spray all moving parts with a good lubricant. Ditch the WD-40, it will rust up your parts, which will force you to prematurely replace them. Instead, head to a hardware store and find the best lubricant that is made specifically for overhead doors.
Look for Worn Rollers, Hinges
Keep an eye out for any worn rollers or hinges. Some track rollers will have unsealed bearings that self-destruct overtime. Sometimes the wear causes the rollers to wobble, which makes for a very noisy door. Consider replacing any worn rollers with nylon rollers with sealed bearings. These may be a little expensive, but much quieter, durable, and easier to maintain. A general rule of thumb is to always upgrade garage door parts when you can, especially the ones that are responsible for causing noise.
Worn hinges are another source of noise. Plus, they cause the door to bind and wear out the tongue-and-groove joints at the door sections. You’ll want a little play on the hinge, but replace the hinge if you find any holes where the tubular hinge pin connects.
Tightening the Chain
Another source of noise is the garage door opener chain. A loose garage door opener chain will slap the door and the ceiling, making loud sounds and causing jerky movements that smack rollers against the track. You can tighten the chain to lessen the movement. It’s also a good idea to lubricate the chain.
Install Anti-Vibration Pads
You can also lessen the noise of the garage door by adding anti-vibration rubber pads to the mounting brackets. It’s a simple DIY garage door repair that will cost you about $14 in parts.
Is Your Garage Door Still Making Noise?
If you find that overhead garage door is still making noise, it’s time to call a repair service. Garage door experts and professionals will be able to assess the issue and determine why your door is making a ruckus. There could potentially be issues with your garage door opener. It’s also possible that your tracks have bent or your door has gone off track. These repairs are best left to experts who have experience repairing overhead garage doors. Ask your friends and family to recommend the best garage door repair companies they’ve worked with in the past. They should be able to quickly make your garage door silent.