If your garage door has never squeaked, then you’re in a happy minority. Practically everyone has, from time to time, experienced those annoying noises coming from their garage door. News flash‑– it’s not just bothering you, your neighbors probably secretly hate you.
You get up early in the morning to go to work like the good little soldier you are, and meanwhile, Bob next door, who was out partying all night, has a raging hangover and he has his hands over his ears moaning “God, please, I promise, if he just fixes his garage door, I’ll never drink again!”
Have some human compassion. Fix that noisy door. You might be surprised at just how easy it is!
There are a few things you’re going to need to check out. Once you’ve identified the problem, you can get to work fixing it.
1. Check the Nuts and Bolts
First, get yourself a socket set or a wrench, and go aboard all the nuts and bolts on your garage door. There’s a really good chance that in the fullness of time, they’ve loosened a bit, so you need to tighten them up. This could be a really simple fix‑– just a few turns of the wrench, and the noise might very well disappear.
2. Check the Rollers
If you’re still hearing noise, you might have to replace the rollers. Inspect them first‑– after all, you don’t want to spend money replacing them if that’s not the issue. If they look as though they’re in good shape, just open and shut the doors a few times and listen for noise. It could just be that they need to be lubricated, and the problem could be solved with a shot or two of lithium grease. If it looks as though they really do need to be replace, don’t replace them with metal rollers – use nylon. You’ll find that the nylon rollers are considerably quieter. And of course, as with all DIY projects, measure twice and buy once. You want to be sure that you get the right size.
3. Check the Springs
You’ll find the extension springs just above the upper tracks, on either side of the garage door. The torsion springs are the ones that are attached to the rollers, and these are the ones you shouldn’t try to remove, because they’re under load, and if they snap you can end up being really, really hurt. The torsion rollers and springs are replaced as a unit. Again, measure carefully. Better yet, call a pro to deal with the torsion springs – we don’t want you to get hurt!
4. Check the Hinges
Especially on older doors, the hinges can get worn. Wiggle them from side to side to see if there’s any play. If there is, there’s a good chance that this is what’s causing the noise, and it can be loud enough to drive neighbor Bob to further drinking.
Ultimately, you might find that there’s enough damage that you want to replace the door system entirely. If that’s the case, choose an aluminum‑coated, insulated door. They’re less likely to wear, and considerably easier to operate.
Contact us today if you have any questions or if you need a free quote!
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