Tips to Quiet Down Your Garage Door

A loud garage door can be quite annoying, especially for people who may be trying to sleep nearby. Fortunately, in many cases, noisy garage doors can be fixed easily and quickly. If you’d like to quiet down your garage door, the following useful tips may be able to help:

1. Tighten the Hardware. When a garage door is activated, it vibrates. This can cause screws and bolts to loosen in the system, which can lead to a noisy door. You can remedy this problem by using a socket or adjustable wrench to tighten all of the screws and bolts in the system. When tightening hardware, be sure to check for any worn out parts that may need to be replaced.
 
2. Lubricate Moving Parts. Rusty parts and/or a lack of lubrication can also lead to noisy garage doors. To prevent this, you can apply a garage door lubricant onto your system's moving parts about two or three times per year. Be sure to wipe away any old grease before applying new lubricant. Some of the areas you will want to lubricate are:
• Roller Stems
• Steel Rollers
• Springs
• Pivoting Portions of Garage Door Hinges
• End Fixture Area Bearings
3. Replace the Rollers. Metal rollers can make a lot of noise when they roll up and down the tracks of your garage door. If this is what is causing your door to be loud, consider replacing your metal rollers with rollers made out of nylon. Nylon rollers are much quieter and they don’t need to be lubricated regularly. However, since replacing rollers can be a bit tricky, you may want to have a professional do this for you.
 
4. Replace the Hinges or Springs. Many garage doors become loud due to worn-out hinges or springs. In some cases, greasing the hinges will help. If it doesn’t help, you may need to replace them. Additionally, if the coils in the springs become bent, they will rub together and cause an annoying noise. In this case, the only solution is to replace them.

However, if you need to replace your torsion springs located at the top of the door, you should have a professional handle the problem. Replacing or adjusting these springs can be very difficult and dangerous if you don’t know exactly what you are doing.  Do not attempt to repair or adjust torsion springs yourself.

If you have a noisy garage door in your home, you have probably found that it can be very annoying. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to remedy your problem. In fact, if you follow the useful tips described above, you will have a quiet garage door in no time at all!

If you are uncomfortable with performing any of these repairs or maintenance items please call a garage door technician.

Spring Garage Door Tune Up

As you work your way down your spring home maintenance to-do’s, don’t forget to add spring garage door tune ups to the list. Annual inspections help ensure reliable, quiet operation of the door as well as home safety. A neglected garage door can become noisy and pose significant security and safety risks to you and your family. The average garage door does up and down over 1000 times a year! So you can only imagine the wear and tear that occurs from regular use. Some things to focus on during your garage door tune up are:
Inspect Your Door’s Hardware:

1. Tighten Nuts and Bolts- Garage door hardware can loosen. Inspect and tighten any loose roller brackets as well as the bolts that hold the rails to the support brackets.
2. Inspect Rollers for Wear and Tear- Nylon rollers crack and chip as they deteriorate while steel rollers tend to tilt as they weather. We recommend buying replacements if they are worn but do not remove the bottom roller bracket as this is under high tension and should only be replaced by a professional.
3. Inspect the Lift Cable for Wear- Look for broken cable strands but do not replace it yourself. This cable is under very high tension and should only be replaced by a professional.

Maintain Springs, Chains and Seals:

1. Lubricate Springs, Chains and Screws- Apply a small amount of spray lubricant to the door’s hinges, rollers, torsion springs, end bearings, center bearings, locks and tracks as needed. By lubricating your garage door in the appropriate places, it will make the opener operate quieter and smoother. This can also help extend the life of both the opener and the door.
2. Replace Weather Seal- Over the harsh winter, your weather seals have been tested and can become brittle and worn. Replace the seal to ensure another year’s worth of protection. Through weather proofing and insulating the garage door, it can save you on your utility bill and remain drier throughout the winter months and cooler during summer.

Test Your Door’s Capabilities:

1. Balance- Disconnect the automatic opener from the door by pulling the opener release handle. Then manually lift the door halfway. A well balanced garage door will hold that position. If it rides up, the springs are under too much tension. If it falls, the tension needs to be increased.
2. Auto Reverse- Place a 2" x 4" board (laid flat) under the middle of your garage door and try to close it. As it impacts the board it should stop and reverse within 2 seconds. If your door does not reverse please refer to your garage door openers manual for instructions.

Keeping your garage door safe and functional is an important part of owning a home. Use spring as a time to inspect and replace any pieces of your door that may not be functioning or are weathered from the winter. It will not only save you money in the long run, but also give you piece of mind as you drive your car into your garage each night.

If you are uncomfortable with performing any of these repairs or maintenance items please call a garage door technician.