How to Fix a Noisy Garage Door

A noisy garage door can be very inconveniencing especially if there is a room adjacent to the garage. It may appear a complex thing at first especially if you resign yourself to putting up with the constant noise. Worse still, the noise could be an indication of an underlying problem. The proper approach to solving this problem is to start with a thorough examination of the various parts of the door.

Good Mechanics

The first place should be your garage door. If the noise was not present before or you have noticed it getting louder, then you have to check if the door is in good mechanical or structural condition. Any misalignment or balance issues can lead to a reverberation through the home foundation and result in a lot of noise through your house. Loose hinges and board can also significantly contribute to the vibrations as the door moves up and down. As a solution, get the door back to balance and tighten any loose screws.

Rollers & Tracks

The next thing to check are the rollers and tracks. Check for the presence of any debris and obstacles clogging up the track. Sand and other small obstacles can result in harsh creaking as the door opens. If you are using a chain driven opener apply oil sparingly on the chain and the pinions on each end. For belt driven ones you should not apply anything. However, ensure both the belt and chain are taut. Check to see that the tracks are properly aligned allowing for smooth movement.

Rollers & Hinges

You can now focus on the rollers and hinges. If your tracks steel rollers have unsealed bearings you may have to change them. This is because the unsealed bearings self-destruct after years of use in such an environment. The wear can even lead to the bearings wobbling up as the door moves causing further noise. Replace them with nylon rollers which have sealed bearings. These are much quieter and do not require regular oiling. They are more expensive than steel ones but worth the investment. Rollers should be replaced one at a time. As caution, if your garage door uses torsion springs located at the header then leave the replacement of rollers at the bottom bracket to a pro. This is because, the brackets are under constant tension and can cause serious injury.

Worn Out Hinges

While worn out hinges are not so common, when they occur they can cause lots of noise and other problems like wearing out the tongue and groove sections of the door. Check to see if the hinge has a hole or if there is gray dust or any metal filings around it as they are signs of tear. Once you have replaced all the worn out components and tightened the loose parts you can spray the hinges, bearings and rollers as well as springs.

Other steps you can take to fix the noise is adding garage door insulation. This will save you your energy bills as well as sound proof the garage from getting the noise out. Finally you may have to consider swapping the door opener from a chain driven to either a screw or belt driven door opener.