Every time you go to open it, you know it’s coming: Your garage door is like a high school heavy metal band that’s so out of tune. You’re driving the neighbors crazy. The hair on your arms stands up. Even your cat can’t take it anymore.
Noisy garage doors are common, but no worries – most of the time they are completely repairable. You don’t need to run out and install a new garage door just yet. Here are some reasons why your garage door may be so loud and annoying, and easy ways to fix it. Usually, it’s a fairly simple DIY garage door repair that can be done with basic household tools.
Why Your Garage Door is Making so Much Noise
There are a number of reasons for your noisy garage door, including:
- Loose parts (screws, nuts, bolts, belts or chain drives)
- Worn out parts (rollers, springs, hinges)
- Malfunctioning garage door opener
- Humidity
- Cold
- Type of garage door springs on your door (torsion vs extension)
- Garage door parts in need of lubrication
- Age of your garage door
- Age of your garage door opener
How to Repair a Noisy Garage Door
If your door is rattling because of loose parts, this is a fairly simple DIY garage door repair. Take a lug wrench and tighten down anything that will tighten — screws, nuts, bolts, etc. It’s important not to tighten any of the loose garage door parts too much though. Enough force and you can torque or strip the part, which can negatively affect the functioning of your garage door.
Closely examine your rollers, hinges and springs for signs of wear and tear. Rollers and hinges you might be able to replace yourself with a few good YouTube videos, but it never hurts to call a garage door repair professional. Garage door springs, on the other hand, absolutely require the tools and expertise of a professional in garage door service and installation. These springs can be under incredible pressure and are extremely dangerous. Tread carefully.
If your garage door opener is malfunctioning and it’s beyond an electrical issue (i.e. is working too hard to open and close the garage door), you’ll need to call a professional. It may very well need to be replaced with a new opener. Garage door openers tend to wear out faster than the door itself. However, sometimes that’s an advantage, because tech for automatic garage door openers is improving all the time – you can even get “smart” garage door opener systems now. Fortunately, replacing your garage door opener is much cheaper — a few hundred dollars, counting installation – than the $1,000 or more you’d likely spend on designing and installing a new garage door.
It could be that some of your garage door’s parts just need lubricated. Always use an approved garage door lubricant — not WD-40, which can cause the parts of your garage door to prematurely rust. Apply the lubricant with a brush to get in all the nooks and crannies. Wipe up any excess and try to avoid spills.
Why Ignoring a Loud Garage Door is Dangerous
It may be tempting to ignore a noisy garage door and just go on with your life, but the door is trying to tell you something. Somewhere in there, one or more garage door parts are malfunctioning. And considering a door weighs hundreds of pounds and is used several times per day, you shouldn’t ignore it — especially if you’ve got kids or pets. Your family’s safety is at stake.
Got a problem with a noisy garage door? Give us a call. We do 24/7 garage door repair anywhere in the Sacramento or Seattle areas. We’ll come out anytime you need!