Garage Door Lubrication | Paton Garage Doors
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How to Fix a Noisy Garage Door

Having a garage is a great benefit to owning a home, but when that garage door becomes noisy, it can be a noisy nightmare. A noisy garage door can irritate your neighbors, wake up people who are sleeping in the home and generally irritate everyone in its vicinity. Fortunately, we have some advice on how to make a garage door quieter.

DO NOT attempt to quiet your garage door if your door is difficult to move, opens very quickly, or the rollers derail from their tracks. If any of the above conditions are present, to avoid risk of serious injury or death, stop using the garage door and contact Paton Garage Doors immediately.

The following are methods to quiet your garage door:

Method 1: Visually Look For Loose and Missing Nuts and Bolts

The garage door noise you are hearing may simply be due to the fact that the door and track supports have loose or missing track bolts and screws, causing the door to rattle in its rails.

Retightening or replacing these bolts and screws can potentially quiet the garage door almost completely but often times can be dangerous and Paton Garage Doors recommends one call a trained garage door professional to address found missing and loose nuts and bolts. For it is essential that one avoids repairing their garage door as a safety precautions are taken to avoid serious injury or death

DO NOT adjust, repair or remove springs or parts to which springs are connected such as steel brackets, cables, wood blocks, fasteners, bolts or other parts of the counterbalance system. WARNING – High spring tension can cause serious injury or death. Adjustments or repairs of the springs or counterbalance system should ONLY be made by a trained door systems technician.

Method 2: Lubricate or Replace the Rollers

If your garage door makes a loud noise when opening or closing, especially a squeaking or grinding noise, the problem may be with the rollers. Learn how to lubricate a garage door — be sure to thoroughly lubricate the rollers and all other moving parts.

Regularly lubricate all moving parts of the door with a synthetic lubricant until the garage door noises subside.

The moving parts include the steel roller shaft where it sits in the hinge, the hinges, lift cables at the bottom bracket button, bearings on the spring system, and the full length of your springs. Continue to lubricate once every two months, even if the symptoms of a loud garage door subside before your next garage door maintenance session.

If lubricating does not quiet the garage door, it’s time to call Paton Garage Doors to inspect and repair the garage door. If you do decide to replace your rollers, 10 ball nylon rollers are recommended over metal rollers. You may pay more, but you won’t need to worry about periodically lubricating them.

Method 3: Lubricate or Replace the Springs

Your garage door may have torsion springs and extension springs. You’ll find the torsion springs above the door after you have closed it, and the extension springs by the tracks on the sides of the door.

A broken spring will definitely make for a noisy garage door, if the garage door works at all. If this is the case, DO NOT adjust, repair or remove springs or parts to which springs are connected. WARNING – High spring tension can cause serious injury or death. Adjustments or repairs of the springs or counterbalance system should ONLY be made by Paton Garage Doors or a trained door systems technician.

Call Paton Garage Doors or a trained door systems technician if the spring looks worn out or if the door has been opened and closed over 10,000 times since the last spring replacement. If the springs are operating properly and are not worn out, lubricating them, following the steps in Method 2, using a synthetic based lubricant, may reduce the garage door noise. Be careful not to over lubricate as the lubricant can drip on to the door surface when the door is operating.

Method 4: Lubricate or Replace the Hinge:

Your garage door has a lot of parts that will eventually wear out, and if you’re figuring out how to fix a noisy garage door, you’ll want to look at all of them. As with the other parts, check the hinges to see if they are broken, worn out or have dust or metal filings around the hinge area. If any of the above conditions are present, contact Paton Garage Doors to repair or replace the hinges.

DO NOT adjust, repair or remove hinges on your own or even with a buddy. WARNING - Removal of the bottom bracket may cause your garage door to fall, leading to severe injuries or death. Repairs or replacement of hinges should ONLY be made by Paton Garage Doors or a trained door systems technician. If your hinges are in good condition, we recommend that you lubricate them with a synthetic lubricant.

Lubricating Garage Door Hardware

Lubricate door hinges, rollers, sheave bearings, torsion springs, and the lift cables at the bottom corners of the door twice a year with Clopay Pro-Lube or a synthetic lubricant. It is essential you take safety precautions before working on your garage door. Disconnect your garage door opener to ensure no one operates it while you are working and complete the job with a friend or family member. You may also want to wear gloves to keep your hands clean from the synthetic lubricant.

If your garage door itself isn’t the problem, maybe it’s the garage door opener. Refer to your garage door operator maintenance manual for assistance.

Check to see if the chain or belt drive seem loose, as this can cause jerky garage door movements and loud sounds. If the mechanism is loose, you’ll need to contact a Clopay Dealer or trained door systems technician to inspect and repair the garage door operator. DO NOT adjust, repair or remove the garage door operator or the operator’s chain or belt drive on your own or even with a buddy. Repairs or replacement of garage door operators should ONLY be made by a trained door systems technician.

If the chain or belt drive is in good condition and not loose, lubrication may resolve the noise created by the garage door operator. Do refer to the garage door operator maintenance manual before performing any lubrication. You cannot lubricate a belt-drive garage door opener, and if you are lubricating a chain drive system, the manual may indicate a specific type of lubricant.

If you find your garage door operator is the source of the noise and you choose to replace it, we recommend a steel-reinforced rubber belt drive system, as these are usually less noisy than the typical chain-drive system. We may also recommend vibration isolators to reduce garage door noise caused by your garage door operator.

Garage Door Maintenance Guide

As a prominent feature of your home's façade, the condition of your garage door can have a big impact on your home's appearance and value. Regular maintenance can help keep your door looking great and operating smoothly for years to come.

Garage Door Maintenance Checklist

A quick visual inspection of your garage door's components can be a great way to ensure your door continues to operate consistently, smoothly and quietly. Review these areas at least annually and as often as every three months:

Springs

  • Are your springs broken?
  • Are the springs properly tensioned? If you have an automatic opener, test your spring tension by closing your door and pulling the string on your opener to disconnect it. Then open the door halfway. If it does not remain still, your spring(s) are either broken or need to be adjusted.
  • If your springs are broken or improperly tensioned, do not adjust or remove them yourself. Contact Paton Garage Doors, a qualified garage door repair professional.

Cables

  • Are there any worn strips hanging loose on the sides of your garage door?
  • Are the cables frayed?
  • If the cables are frayed, they are in danger of breaking and could cause serious injury or property damage. Worn strips could also get caught and cause issues. Contact Paton Garage Doors to replace the cables.

Rollers

  • Do the rollers on the ends of your door move smoothly and quietly? If not, they may require lubrication or replacement.
  • Clopay recommends a high-quality nylon roller for the smoothest and quietest operation.

Panel Sections

  • Is the paint peeling or fading?
  • If the door uses metal in its construction, is it rusted or heavily dented?
  • If dents are minor, you can fix them using the instructions above. Heavily dented doors should be inspected by a Clopay Dealer.

Windows

  • Are the windows broken or cracked?
  • If your windows are cracked or broken, contact your Clopay Dealer, as they can provide replacement windows or sections as needed.

Bottom Weather Seal

  • Your garage door's bottom weather seal is a flexible strip that helps prevent heat loss at the bottom of the Door. It also helps to keep out water, dirt, and pests.
  • Does the weather-stripping show cracks, or signs of visible wear?
  • Place your hand along the bottom of your garage door. Do you feel a draft of cold air coming into your garage?
  • If you feel a draft or your weather seal is cracked, it is time for replacement. Contact Paton Garage Doors to provide and install a replacement.

Track

  • Are the tracks on either side of your garage door bent or twisted?
  • Are they securely attached to the door jambs, and the ceiling via the rear track hangers?
  • If you have issues with your track, Contact Paton Garage Doors for repair. Track issues can contribute to added stress on your opener.

Hinges

  • Are the hinges that join the door sections bent or broken? If so, they should be replaced.
  • Caution: The bottom brackets on all garage doors must not be removed while the door is under tension. Paton Garage Doors recommends contacting a garage door maintenance professional to replace your hinges.

Regular Maintenance Checks

Hopefully, one of these methods has solved your issue of how to make a garage door quiet. If not, your best approach is to hire Paton Garage Doors to inspect your garage door as we should be able to identify the problem quickly. Once the problem is resolved be sure to conduct regular maintenance checks, and lubricate your parts every few months. If you have a quality door like the ones we offer by Clopay, this should keep your garage door running smoothly for a long time to come.