How to Fix a Noisy Garage Door: 8 Easy Ways
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Our garage walls have seen so many different things.
When we first moved in, it was a place for my husband’s “Do It Yourself” weekend projects.
Later we bought our first car, so that became its main purpose.
Over the last few months, our garage is our sons' favorite place to practice drumming.
No matter what you use your garage for, we can agree that there is nothing more irritating than a noisy garage door.
If you are coming home late after the night in town, you don't want all your neighbors to hear you.
All that squeaking is not amusing at all.
In this article, I will give you some useful tips and hacks on how to overcome this problem.
So let's just skip to the main part!
How to Fix a Noisy Garage Door
These are some simple tricks that you can try on your own.
If you are not skilled maybe you should consider calling a professional.
It’s always more expensive to call someone to clean up your mess than to call someone to do it from the scratch.
1. Use some Lubricant
This is a very simple and cheap solution.
If your garage doors squeak, chances that your problem will be solved with some lubricant are big.
The lubricant is applied on metal parts of your garage doors (rollers, hinges, tracks).
It should be sprayed all over and around these parts.
Most of the people have a chain-driven garage door opener.
Lubricant should also be applied to this one.
It could be replaced with belt-driven garage opener, but that is something that you shouldn't do by yourself.
Lubricating is not a one time job. You should repeat this procedure every six months to keep your garage door quiet.
And “the more, the better” rule can be applied to this problem.
2. Tighten up Everything
“Loose” is the worst word you can hear when it comes to a garage door.
This should be the first step in every attempt to fix the noisy garage door.
To do this, you will need a wrench or a socket.
If you don’t have these, your spouse or your neighbor probably does.
They cost no more than $30 and can be easily found in any hardware store.
Consider this a good investment as a wrench is the most commonly used tool in any “Do It Yourself” house project.
Now, when you have all you need, inspect your garage door for any loose parts.
Use your new tool to tighten the nuts and screws. Be careful as the nuts should not be too tight.
This procedure will probably fix your garage door and they’ll be quieter.
If these first two steps don’t fix the noise, your problem is not that simple. You should give a look at some of the next hacks.
You might also like: Review of the Quietest Impact Drivers
3. Get New Rollers
Rollers are a common problem when it comes to garage doors.
Older garage doors have metal rollers. We already talked about these earlier when we discussed lubricants.
Well, if lubricants don’t help, you should consider replacing the rollers.
The quieter option is nylon rollers and you can say goodbye to lubricants.
The problem with these is that they cost twice the price of the metal ones.
Having this in mind, if you have a smaller budget you should consider just replacing old metal rollers with the new ones, as they could be worn out from all the usage.
Measure twice, cut once! Be careful with this part. Before you buy new rollers, be sure to know exactly what size you need.
You will be buying about 10-12 rollers, so you don’t want to throw these away.
You can do this easily by yourself, but I recommend that you ask a professional.
They can do this kind of job before the lunch break.
4. Find Some New Hinges
You should take a closer look, or maybe a closer hearing to see what part of your door is causing the noise.
The problem could be in hinges.
Hinges are the part of your garage door. By flexing and bending, they open the door.
Like any other part of your garage door, they can also get worn out.
If you notice that your hinges have a hole in themselves, and that they don’t look like a hinge should, that's when it's time for a replacement.
5. Get a Quieter Garage Door Opener
Garage Door Opener can be the main cause of all that annoying noise.
This is the part of your garage door that gets worn out like any other.
Automatic garage door openers can be dangerous, so you might consider calling a specialist.
If squeaks come from the upper side of the garage door, that is probably a problem with garage door opener.
There are two things that you can do. Buy a new garage door opener or try to fix your old one.
If you are considering buying a new one, give a look at some of the garage openers that I found to be of good quality.
It will help you understand what product might suit you best.
Before you replace your old garage door opener, you should try the few aforementioned steps first.
As I mentioned a few times before, use some lubricant. This was the first step with all the metal parts, you remember?
If you forgot to spray your garage door opener, you should do it now. Considering that you have a chain in your door opener, of course.
Another thing that you can do is replace any worn out parts.
This is an advanced job so you will need some skills.
Take the manual that came with your garage door from your basement and have a closer look.
There, you should find instructions on how to replace the inner-workings.
If all this scares you, and you are afraid that you'll break your garage door, you should call a professional.
They will find out what is wrong with your garage door and finish the job in no time.
6. Use Some Rubber
Metal can be very noisy. Rubber, on the other hand, absorbs all of the vibrations and makes everything quieter.
You should use this information and apply it to your garage door.
Look at your insulation strip. This is the part of your garage door that hits the floor when you close the door.
You may be missing this part or it just has been on your door for too long, so the rubber has worn out.
Measure the length of your old insulation strip and buy a new rubber part in any hardware store.
Get a bit longer strip so you can place it on your garage door without any concerns of it being too short.
When you put it in place, just cut of the pieces that are sticking out.
7. Help of a Professional
There are some tips and hacks that you can try on your own.
I described it in the previous section, but there are some problems that you just shouldn't fix by yourself.
Here are some things that people whose expertise are garage doors can help you with:
8. If Nothing Works, It’s Time for a Drastic Change
This is your last option. Before you try this make sure that you tried everything else.
And by everything, I really mean everything!
If nothing works, there is probably no way out than to replace your garage door.
Sometimes this is a measurement that is really needed. If you have old, rusty garage door, maybe it is time for a change.
Most garage doors are made of wood and aluminum, but the newer ones are made of steel.
If you are looking for a new garage door, you should definitely go with the steel ones.
They will last longer, sustain any type of weather (snow, rain, wind, etc.), and won't rust or rot.
Make sure to install your new garage door properly or you won’t fix your problem with noise.
If you don’t know how to do it yourself contact someone with a bit more of experience.
On Fixing Noisy Garage Doors
Noisy garage doors can be really frustrating.
If you're leaving your home early or arriving late form work it may also cause problems with your neighbors.
It is so irritating when you’re lying in a bed and all of a sudden hear squeaks from outside.
So be a good neighbor, and fix that garage door!
If your neighbors are not a good reason for you, do it for yourself. Garage doors can be really dangerous.
If they are not working, they can easily fall off and injure somebody.
And the noise is the first sign of improper functioning.
Hopefully, this article made it a bit easier for you and helped you deal with these irritating problems.
You might also like: How to Seal a Garage Door from the Inside
How to Fix a Noisy Garage Door: 8 Easy Ways
Is your garage door making too much noise everytime it opens or closes? Here's how to fix a noisy garage door. Click to learn how.
Instructions
- Use Some Lubricant
- Tighten Up Everything
- Get New Rollers
- Find Some New Hinges
- Get a Quieter Garage Door Opener
- Use Some Rubber
- Help of a Professional
- If Nothing Works, It’s Time for a Drastic Change