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Does your garage door generate a grating, headache-inducing noise when it opens or closes? A noisy garage door can cause a serious disruption, especially at night time. The good news is, it is possible to repair noisy garage doors on your own as long as the door itself is not damaged in any way! In today’s post, we are sharing simple repairs to quiet down a noisy garage door.
TIP: Before fixing the garage door, you have to check the source of the noise. The repairs will depend on the root cause of the problem.
Tighten the Nuts
Usually, noisy garage doors are caused by loosened nuts and bolts on worn parts of the door. You need to check the nuts and bolts up close and tighten those that need to be tightened using a wrench. If certain bolts and nuts are too worn out, you have to replace them right away. Finish up by spraying a door lubricant on all moving parts.
Replace the Rollers
Sometimes the metal rollers of the garage door become worn out or rusted that the metal starts cracking. And when it does, the door produces a grating noise when it is rolled up or down. If the source of noise is the metal rollers, you have to replace them.
If you don’t want to deal with rusted rollers again, we recommend opting for nylon rollers. Unlike metal rollers, nylon rollers do not crack when rusted over. It does not require regular lubrication. The only drawback is the price. Nylon rollers are more expensive at $60 for a full set of nylon compared to metal rollers for only $38. When replacing the rollers, do so one at a time. The whole project only takes an hour to complete.
We don’t recommend replacing the rollers on your own unless you are knowledgeable about such repairs. If you are replacing the rollers on your own, note that garage doors use two different types of spring mechanisms to allow lifting and lowering of the doors. The extension springs are located above the upper tracks on both sides of the door while the torsion springs are fitted to the header, directly above the closed door. Do not attempt to replace the rollers if you don’t know how because a botched up job could lead to injuries.
Replacing the Hinges
Another common source of noisy garage doors is the hinge. The hinge has a roller stem inside that can be worn out over time. Check if the roller stem within the hinges are worn out and replace them if the rollers stem are more oval than round or if they have holes.
Lubricate the Metal Components
The irritating grating sound you hear on a noisy garage door could be caused by rusty inner components. You have to lubricate these components otherwise; the metal could crack, causing you even more on repairs!
To lubricate the metal components of the garage doors, use a lubricant made specifically for metals, such as 10W-30 motor oil. Never use grease! Spray the oil on the creaking metal component and wipe the excess with a dry cloth.
Move on to the opener chain of the garage door, spritzing the lubricant and wiping off the excess. Don’t forget to add oil on the pinions at each end. Do not apply the lubricant to the rubber belt.
