OMG! Garage Door Noise

No we’re not talking about the kind of noise that local garage band is making, we’re talking about that irritating and annoying noise caused by the opening and closing of your garage door.

So what’s the cause?

For starters, old garage door parts that have gone worn out for ages may be the cause for the annoying garage door noise. These worn out garage door parts may include hinges, garage door rollers or garage door springs. It’s also often caused because of poor care and garage door maintenance. Replacing the worn out parts plus timely garage door maintenance could greatly increase the unlikelihood for hearing the next garage door noise. Conducting regular and periodic garage door maintenance can prevent costly repair expenses and give longevity to your door.

Most of the garage door noises you hear are often cause by the door itself. Consequently, a quality garage door is more likely to be quiet and less annoying.

Different kinds of garage door openers also produce different volumes of noise. With a chain drive garage door opener, you can expect it to be the noisiest of all openers. Screw drive garage doors are better because they produce less noise. Surpassing that of a screw drive garage door is the belt drive, which is even quieter.

You will eventually find that the solution is to replace garage door parts such as garage door rollers, hinges or garage door springs. Early detection through constant garage door maintenance can help you save money, and better yet, save on getting a new garage door. Spending just little more time on regular maintenance will always prevent that garage door noise!

That Annoying Garage Door Noise!

Why is my garage door so noisy? It’s so annoying!

Your garage door is made up of an intricate system of pulleys, cables, gears, and springs, so there are many parts that can cause the door to make noise. Some of these are easily fixed, and some require the services of a trained garage door technician.

First, you need to identify the type of opener you own: screw drive, chain drive, or belt drive. Chain drive doors are noisy. Period. This doesn’t make them a bad choice. Chain drive doors are relatively inexpensive, long-lasting, and reliable in extreme climates. Regular lubrication will lessen the noise, but it’s not going to go away. Screw drive doors are less noisy early but become as noisy as chain drive doors over time. A belt drive door is quiet when it’s working properly.

If the door is not balanced, it can become noisy, or it can even stop operating. You can check the balance of the door by pulling the red emergency release cord and operating the door manually. Raise the door manually about halfway, and then release it. If it is properly balanced, it will have little movement. If it is unbalanced, it will begin to fall. Typically, worn springs are the problem. Extension springs, which run along the sides of the door, can easily be replaced by the homeowner. Torsion springs, which run along the top of the door, need to be handled with care. You probably need to call a professional garage door repair service.

A simple problem to fix is a hinge. If the noise you hear is a squeak, oiling the hinges may be the solution. Do you hear a grinding noise? This could mean a bent gear and sprocket and they would need to be replaced. The gear and sprocket are located inside the main console. Unless you know a lot about machinery, you will probably need to call a professional garage door repair service. If you opt to do the job yourself, make sure you unplug the unit!

If you hear a ticking sound, a loud ticking sound, the problem is probably worn bearings, either in the pulley or the rollers. You need to replace the bearings. Make sure you know how to do this as you could become seriously injured.

Possibly, the coils of the springs have become bent and are rubbing against each other. If this is the problem, you will hear a grating noise. The spring must be replaced. Refer to the third paragraph regarding torsion springs and extension springs.

If you decide to do the work on the door yourself, be extremely careful. A garage door is a heavy piece of equipment that can cause damage to people and property if it is not handled with knowledge and caution.

What to Do About Noisy Garage Doors!

Loud garage doors are annoying, embarrassing, and can be a real pain.

There are many ways that you can greatly reduce the noise from a door, and most of the time you do not require professional help!

First you need to identify what type of door you have.

The first question is whether or not your garage door is the original one installed on your home. If the answer is yes, and your home is 5-9 years old, there are many items that can be serviced and need to be considered.

Homes that are an average age of 5-7 years old generally have builder grade overhead doors installed. Almost always these doors are installed (for cost and profit reasons), with one spring, plastic rollers with no bearings, and plastic bushings. These are notorious causes of garage door noise.

Step one, buy a can of silicone lube at your local Home Depot, or Lowe’s. Apply it pretty liberally to the spring, rollers, and hinges.

Next is a little tricky. You want to look for a black or white bushing that enters the end of the spring that is attached to the wall. DON’T TOUCH ANY OF THE BOLTS! There is an average of 160-220 lbs of force WILL cause injury if they are removed. Now that we have the CYA warning out of the way, look at where the silver shaft enters the spring. This is the spring bushing. Spray some lube where the tube and bushing meet, and the lube will work itself in for proper operation.

Here is a quick note: When your spring breaks go ahead and have two installed. It’s a much safer system, lasts longer and is more professional. With regard to the rollers and plastic spring bushing, generally when your overhead door spring breaks, it is best to have these items replaced at the same time.

Now for the second major type of door, the retrofit or old door. Most of these doors will have steel rollers installed, and two springs. Lube the springs, and hinges with the silicone lube. However, on the rollers you need something with a little extra strength. Find a white lithium spray grease, attach the straw and spray the overhead door rollers where the stem meets the wheel. This should quiet the clickety clack sound that you hear as the door moves. Although this sound is generally a good indication that your garage door rollers are worn, and need to be replaced, this trick should get you another year or two of service.

Then there’s the garage door openers. There are four major types of garage door openers that have been produced over the last 50 years, they are: Screw Drive, Chain Drive, Belt Drive, and Trac Drive. If you have a trac drive, unfortunately, this was never a great drive system, and once it breaks, replace it. Belt drives only in rare occasions need to be lubed, and this should only be done by a professional, due to the possibility of belt slippage. Chain drive openers only need to be lubed when you notice rust on the chain. Think like you are 10 years old and you lubed your bicycle chain. Lastly, are screw drives. These are great operators as long as they are GREATER than 10 years old. The down side to this type of operator is that there is an ultra specific type of lube that is usually only available to professional garage door repair companies.

Shut Up Garage Door!

If there were one thing that can annoy you the most about a garage, it would have to be a noisy garage door.

Not only can it cause disruption to sleep, work, or concentration, it can also be stressful especially if the living room or bedroom is located near or above the garage. If your door makes annoying squeaking noises and you can no longer endure it, do not worry, you don’t have to suffer any much longer. With these practical tips, you can finally make the garage door shut up and you can have the peace and quiet you’ve always wanted.

1. Check for loose nuts

One possible cause for a noisy garage door would be loose nuts. Using a socket wrench or an adjustable wrench, tighten all the nuts on the door and track. Just make sure that you do not over tighten it. If you are not confident about your handy skills, have someone who is to do this job.

2. Buy new rollers

Metal rollers begin to make noise when they get old and worn out. To determine if this is the cause of the problem, open your garage door and identify if the rollers are making noise while they roll and up and down. If yes, consider replacing them.

3. Opt for nylon rollers

Nylon rollers are much quieter than metal rollers. Not only that, they also don’t have to be lubricated all the time. This is a good choice if you don’t mind the extra cost, as this type of rollers is more expensive.

4. Install new hinges

The hole in the hinge that holds the roller stem eventually becomes worn out. Check each of the hinges on both sides and replace them if the hole has become more oblong than round.

5. Buy a new garage door.

If all else fails, maybe you need an entirely new garage door. But before you go to the nearest home improvement store to do this, think carefully first if you really need one. If your garage door is already old and worn out, you may want to replace with a newer model. New garage doors have updated safety features for maximum protection.

Most of the new models of sectional, up and over, and roller garage doors have a safety emergency reverse feature that reverts the door to its original opened position when an object blocks its door path. This is important for the safety of your family, pets, and possessions.

If you are feeling so stressed out lately and it is not about work or chores, it is probably because of the noisy garage door that has been keeping you wide awake for last few days or weeks. You don’t have to endure this for long, as there are many things you can do to solve this problem.

You can either fix the cause of the noise or replace your old worn out garage door with a new one. If you decide to go for the latter, see to it that you only rely on trusted brands and high quality products that will give utmost protection for you and your whole family.

Reduce your garage door noise

Every time the garage door opens and closes, a loud rumble comes right through your bedroom floor making things particularly unpleasant for you or friends, relatives occupying your guest bedroom that is probably just above the garage.

Can’t stand it? Here’s some advice to help you reduce noise generated by the up and down movement of your garage door.

1. An insulated garage door can significantly reduce the intrusion of street noise into the home – especially important when there are bedroom or other living areas above or adjacent to the garage. If your door isn’t already insulated, the insulation can be installed by professional installers for a minimal charge, but it is not difficult to mount the insulation yourself and kits are available at your local home improvement retailer. It is important to consider having your springs recalculated because of additional weight to the door.

2. Have the steel rollers on your garage door changed to nylon. With nylon rollers, you will obtain almost silent running on the tracks and there is no need for lubrication.

3. Another point to look at is your electric operator. Any belt-driven model is best because the motor of this model is insulated from the metal case and will cut vibrations. The rubber belt is also quieter than the steel chain.

4. A noise isolator system (semi-rigid rubber 6 mm) can be effective. The supports that hold up the horizontal tracks can be insulated with a piece of rubber to cut the vibrations. On a wood frame, do not fix directly under the beams, place a piece of wood perpendicular under which you will have installed a rubber insulator. If you have a bedroom or living space above your garage and intend to add hardwood flooring, it is recommended to sound proof it by installing carpet and under carpet.

5. A good lifting system (springs) can also contribute to noise reduction. ”Torsion” type springs (instead of ”Extension” springs) is ideal because they allow precise balancing of the door and avoid friction of cables and springs on the horizontal tracks.

6. Concerning the tracks, it is best to choose tracks with the largest radius possible. In fact, the larger the radius the smoother the door action will be. The standard radius is 10 inches (”extension” spring) and 12 or 15 inches (”torsion” spring). Opt for the largest radius possible if you have a big clear space above the door.

7. Finally, regular lubrication (twice a year) of rollers and track is important.

With the above advice, it should easier to reduce noise problems from your garage door. Do not hesitate to call a garage door dealer. They are trained to offer you top quality work and service and in the end, peace of mind.

Stop the Noise!

If you have a noisy garage door in your house, you will find that it is very annoying.

There are some causes that make this noise. The usual cause of a noisy garage door is the lack of lubricant to the door parts especially to the doors rollers and hinges.

To fix the noise in the garage door that you have, there are some things that you can do. You will find that this simple remedy usually does it.

The first thing that you have to do is to visit the hardware store in your area. You will find that there are many items that you need related to the door of your garage. Since the main problem of a noisy door in your garage is in its lubricant, you have to make sure that you choose the correct product of lubricant.

The second thing that you have to do is to apply the lubricant. Follow the directions given in order to apply the lubricant in a correct way. To make sure that you have applied it correctly, you can open and close the door several times. Remember that you have to apply the lubricant to the doors hinges, rollers and the track as well.

Make sure to clean any excess or spilled lubricant. To ensure that the noise is totally gone, open and close the door for several more times. You will have a silent door in your garage and be freed of that annoying sound.