Noisy Garage Door? Here's What To Do
While most new automatic garage doors make barely a sound as they open and close older doors are prone to becoming noisy. There are a variety of reasons for that including wear and tear on the component parts, and a loss of lubrication over time. But regardless of the cause, the only thing that interests most Broomfield homeowners with noisy garage doors is what can be done about it. The good news is that in most cases full-on garage door repair is not required. You essentially have a choice between calling the pros at A Better Garage Door to perform some main basic maintenance, and conducting that maintenance yourself. Below, we’ll get into the specifics.
Reasons Garage Doors Become Noisy
Over time any composite mechanism is going to start to break down and not operate as efficiently and effectively as it once did. Garage doors are no exception. As they age the various components of the door succumb to wear and tear or exposure to the elements and begin to make noises they didn’t when they were new; mostly squeaking, squealing and scraping sounds that indicate a variety of potential issues, including...
Track-related issues
Garage doors are large, heavy objects that need to be carefully guided on their journey from closed to open and back again. It is the job of the tracks and the rollers to provide this safe passage, but both components of the garage door setup can become worn out or damaged and start generating loud, unsettling noises. If the tracks haven’t been regularly cleaned the rollers will encounter resistance and you’ll hear a grinding sound as the door moves. If a roller or rollers is stuck you’ll hear a squeaking sound as it’s dragged up and down the track.
Loose components
The average garage door is composed of dozens of parts all of which have to work in harmony with each other. These include rollers, pulleys, hinges, cables, torsion or extension springs, chain, cable drums and much more. If your door is making a rattling noise while opening it may be a case of loose hinges, or tracks that have come loose from their moorings. If you hear a dry, grinding type of noise it could be that the springs are in need of lubrication. If you hear a squeaking sound it might be a stuck garage door caused by an obstruction in the track. A clacking sound may indicate broken garage door springs.
Insufficient maintenance
Probably the most common reason a garage door starts making unpleasant noises is that the door has not been properly maintained. By having the pros from A Better Garage Door conduct annual maintenance on your door you will not only extend its life you will also ensure small problems don’t evolve into big problems and you will head off those issues that typically result in garage door noises.
What Can Be Done About a Noisy Garage Door?
The simplest way to deal with a noisy garage door is to call the pros at A Better Garage Door and schedule a maintenance visit. We’ll go over every part of the door from ceiling to floor and make sure everything is brought back up to speed.
If, however, you are a dedicated DIYer and prefer to take matters into your own hands there are certain actions you can take. But we must caution you: Make sure you unplug the garage door opener before commencing work. And if the problem with the door involves the torsion or extension springs, or if the problem is not readily apparent, put safety first and call us.
That said, lubricating the various components of the door will often mitigate much of the noise you’re hearing. Here’s how you do that.
Identify the parts
If you plan on lubricating your garage door you’ll first need to identify those components that typically require lubrication. They are the hinges between the door panels, the chain that transfers power from the motor to the door, the top of the rail the chain rides in, the emergency release mechanism and the rollers. Lubricating the tracks is not a good idea since any lubricant will attract dirt and create a thick, disruptive grime inside the track. A better idea is to simply clean the tracks thoroughly before lubricating the rollers.
Use the right kind of lubricant
For some people, WD40 is the duct tape of lubricants. They use it for everything. But WD40 is not the right lubricant in this case. WD40, or "Water Displacement 40th formula", is not a genuine lubricant. It was originally designed to prevent corrosion.
We’d recommend you use a Teflon or silicone spray instead. You can get one of these at just about any hardware store. They’re affordable, easy to use and quite effective.
Go through your list of components to lubricate one at a time, making sure they're clean and dry before applying the lube. When you finish and plug in your door operation should be smoother and it should be much quieter. If it's not, call A Better Garage Door because it means there is a more significant problem.
For Expert Overhead Door Repair in Parker, Contact ABGD
If your garage door is squeaking and squawking you can try lubricating the various components yourself. Or you can call the team at A Better Garage Door. We’re easy to find. Just do an internet search for "garage door installers near me" or call us at (303) 920-2267.