Fixing a Noisy Garage Door 

Something’s just not right. Your garage door is making rattling, banging, squeaking or scraping sounds. What’s up?

If your garage door is making noise, something is probably loose, wearing or broken. But you can address the less serious problems yourself and diagnose others that a qualified garage door technician can fix for you.

If you want to make your garage door quieter, here are some things to look for.

Nuts and Bolts: Make Sure They’re Tight!

As your door travels up and down every day, its many screws, nuts, bolts and washers tend to work themselves loose. Check every fastener, especially around hinges and rollers, and tighten the nuts with a wrench or socket set. Your door may operate more quietly right away.

Garage Door Rollers: Lubricate or Replace 

Over time, both steel and nylon rollers can become marred or misshapen, causing noise from added friction in the track. Inspect each roller. If it looks damaged, replace it. This isn’t a hard fix, but make sure you purchase an exact match. Caution: Don’t attempt to replace the rollers on the bottom bracket yourself, if your door has torsion springs. Those are the long springs installed laterally on the header. They can injure you severely if you disturb anything connected to them. Leave this job to a professional.

If the rollers look to be in good shape, they may just need lubrication, if they’re made of steel. Nylon rollers don’t need lubrication, and are damaged by petroleum-based lubricants.

Door Springs: Lubricate or Replace 

As mentioned above, you don’t want to disturb torsion springs or anything attached to them. However, you can quiet noisy springs by lubricating them a few times each year with white lithium grease or silicone lubricant. Also, visually inspect the springs regularly (don’t touch!). If they appear worn or broken, call a qualified technician to replace them.

Door Hinges: Lubricate or Replace 

The hinges connecting the door panels can wear out too. If you see broken or misshapen parts, or metal filings or gray dust around the pin, the hinge is wearing and should be replaced. This is another area where you’ll need a professional technician to do the work safely.

If the door’s hinges are in good working order, try using a synthetic lubricant.

Safety First

Disconnect the power to your garage door opener so nobody—including you—can operate the door while you’re working. And always wear gloves and eye protection when you work on a garage door to keep lubricants off your hands and dust and metal particles out of your eyes.

If need help with a noisy door, call D Bar Garage Doors for a consult. We’re always ready to provide professional maintenance and repair.