Your garage door is doing a beautiful job of letting you in and out of your garage. But are you tired of everyone knowing when you’re coming and going because that same garage door is impossibly loud? Fortunately, much of that noise can be quieted with easy maintenance and fixes that you might even be able to do yourself.

First, figure out whether the noise is coming from the door itself or the door opener. Disconnect the opener from the door and operate the door manually. If you hear those same loud noises, it’s the door. If not, it’s the opener. Now, you know what to attack!

Attacking the Door Itself

• Tighten everything. Use a deep wrench or socket set on all the nuts and bolts. They may have worked loose from daily use. This is an easy fix that can solve a lot of noise problems. (Be careful not to over-tighten!)
• Replace the Rollers. They have been rolling around in a dirty environment for years. You may even be able to identify this as the problem by seeing them wobble as the door moves. If they are worn or wobbling and you do replace them, nylon rollers are quieter and easier to maintain, but more expensive than steel. And you might want to call a pro – rollers, especially bottom ones, carry a lot of tension and can cause serious injury.
• Replace the hinges. Sometimes, though less often, the hinges will wear down and worn hinges will make a racket. Some give is normal, but if there significant wear, get them out of there.
• Lube everything… everything. Nuts, bolts, rollers, hinges, roller bearings, springs, torsion bar bearings, pivot points… everything. There are lubes specifically for garage doors that penetrate the parts as a liquid and then dry as a non-tacky grease that won’t attract dirt and dust, which you don’t want getting in your moving parts.

Attacking the Door Opener

• Lubricate the rolling mechanism. But be sure to use proper lubricant depending on your brand and type of system!
• Tighten the trolley. If the chain or belt is loose, consult your manual to carefully get it running properly.
• Internal motor issues. Grinding noises may mean the motor is on it’s last legs or an internal gear is falling apart. If that seems to be the case, call a technician. Not only is that a difficult problem to fix yourself, but investigating the problem may void your warranty!

It may seem intimidating, but “the fixes for a garage door that makes a racket when it opens and closes are fairly easy and will take less than an hour.” (The Family Handyman)

And, of course, if you don’t have time or are hesitant or have attempted to quiet your door, but are still waking the couple down the street with all the rattling… call us! (503) 252-5111