How long have you been dealing with that annoying garage door opener grinding noise? Have you been noticing that your garage door makes a banging noise when opening? Or your garage door clunks when opening?
If you’ve been dealing with a noisy garage door, it’s time to get it fixed. Read on to learn garage door maintenance tips.
Getting Started
Most noisy garage door maintenance fixes can be fairly simple and should take an hour or less. Begin by tightening all doors and track hardware. To do this, use a deep socket and ratchet on nuts and make sure they’re all tightened. Just make sure to not over-tighten as this can cause bigger problems.
Then, check for worn hinges and rollers. A lot of rollers have bearings that are unsealed and can go bad after many years in a dirty garage. The wear and tear can be so bad that the rollers begin to wobble as the door goes up and down.
When dealing with worn rollers, replace them with nylon rollers that have sealed bearings. You’ll notice that nylon rollers are much quieter and won’t need occasional oiling. However, they are pricier than steel rollers.
You’ll want to replace the track rollers one by one. Take note that if your garage door utilizes torsion springs on the door header, DON’T try to replace rollers located in the brackets on the bottom. These brackets are under powerful spring tension and can injure you when unbolted. That job is one for a pro.
Worn Hinges
This problem is far less common that the issue with worn rollers. However, sloppy hinges can cause tons of noise and make the door bind. It can also wear out joints at the sections of the door. A bit of play at the hinge is common. However, if you notice an oblong hole at the point where the tubular hinge pin pairs with the bracket of the hinge, it’s time to replace the hinge.
If you see metal filings and gray dust around the hinge pin, it’s an early sign of wear.
Garage Door Chain
After replacing worn components, it’s time to check the chain. When the chain is loose you’ll notice loud “slapping” sounds and jerky movements. Begin by tightening the chain in accordance with your owner’s manual. With track drive openers, you’ll also need to lubricate the opener track. If your opener is the screw drive, make sure to grease the threads.
After this, you’re going to need a specialty garage door lube to spray the springs, hinges, and roller bearings (if unsealed). You should also apply it to torsion bar bearings and any other points of the pivot. Make sure to lubricate any and all moving parts about once every six months.
Don’t skimp by using other lubricants such as grease, oil or spray lithium grease. They don’t penetrate well and pick up a lot of grit and dust which causes more problems down the road.
Let a Professional Do the Dirty Work
If these noisy garage door maintenance suggestions sound like more than you want to take on, or if these suggestions don’t work, we’re here to help. Contact Ridgeline Overhead Door today for a free consultation.