While some noise is to be expected, particularly if you have a chain-driven garage door opener, noise that wakes the neighbors is a bit excessive. It’s even more frustrating when your bedroom is adjacent or over the garage and you’re woken up late at night or early in the morning. If this is your truth, here are a few steps that you can take to quiet a noisy garage door.
What Causes a Noisy Garage Door?
Worn Out Rollers: Metal rollers travelling along metal tracks tend to be quite noisy. Replace your metal rollers with nylon for quieter operation. Nylon rollers are also much more durable than metal rollers. They require no lubrication reducing the amount of time you spend on maintaining the door. Average 10-ball bearing nylon rollers are designed to last 10,000-15,000 cycles; the equivalent life of a torsion spring.
An Unbalanced Garage Door: A garage door that is unbalanced can cause a significant amount of noise and after a while may become non-operational. There is a simple method for testing the door’s stability. Following the instructions outlined in your garage door opener’s manual, pull the emergency release mechanism, which will allow you to manually open and close the door. Try raising the door halfway before releasing it. If the door is stable, it will not move much; but if it is unbalanced, it will start to fall. An unbalanced door should be professionally repaired.
Chain-Drive Garage Door Openers: Chain-drive garage door openers are generally affordable, durable, and…noisy. Install anti-vibration pads to reduce some of the noise caused by these openers. To install, slide one anti-vibration pad between the opener’s mounting bracket and the ceiling, and the second pad under the bracket and secure with a fender washer and lag screw. Belt-drive garage door openers provide the quietest operation.
What Can You Do to Reduce this Noise?
With your door closed, stand inside the garage and take a good look to see if there are any parts that appear broken, worn-out or very loose. Hardware (i.e. nuts, bolts, and screws) may loosen over time. That is why it is important to break out the toolbox and use a socket wrench to tighten up all of the door’s individual parts. Mind you, there are a lot! If any parts appeared damaged, you’ll want to consult a professional.
In addition to performing a visual inspection (something that should be done monthly) and tightening all hardware, you should lubricate all metal parts that come in contact with another metal part, such as hinges and the spring system. Use a high-quality silicone-based lubricant. Don’t use WD-40 and don’t lubricate the door’s tracks as this can damage the door.
If you aren’t comfortable completing these tasks on your own, it is always best to contact a professional garage door repair company, who can send an expert technician to your home at a time convenient for you to perform routine maintenance such as this. Some causes of noisy garage doors may not be fixable with just basic supplies and will require the expertise of a professional.