Silence Is Golden: How To Make Your Garage Door Quieter
Your home is a serene oasis of quiet and comfort -- except when it comes to your garage door. Everyone knows when you're using it, whether it's the next-door neighbors or anyone sleeping above or next to your garage. If your garage door causes a major racket every time you open or close it, pay attention to the following fixes.
Check for Loose Nuts and Bolts
A bunch of rattling nuts and bolts not only amplifies noise and vibration, but it also puts your garage door in danger of literally falling apart. Grab a socket wrench and tighten each nut and bolt on the garage door and track. Avoid over-tightening so you don't accidentally round off a bolt or snap the bolt head clean off.
Isolate Your Garage Door Hardware
Simply opening and closing your garage door can transmit noisy vibrations throughout the garage. Fortunately, you can isolate these vibrations in a variety of ways. For instance, you can suspend your garage door opener from rubber mounting straps to prevent vibrations from transferring to the rest of your garage. Rubber washers and mounts placed at strategic areas can also help minimize vibrations.
Swap Your Steel Rollers for Nylon
Steel garage door rollers are inexpensive and durable, but you'll pay a noisy price for using them. Nylon rollers make significantly less noise, plus they don't need lubrication like their steel counterparts. Before ordering your new nylon rollers, make sure you're ordering the correct size that properly fits your garage door track.
Switch to a Quieter Garage Door Opener
Chain-driven garage door openers aren't known for being silent in their operation. Fortunately, there are plenty of other garage door openers that offer quieter and more efficient operation. Belt-driven garage door openers offer reduced vibration and smoother movement, making them an ideal upgrade for your home.
Direct-drive garage door openers also match or even exceed their belt-driven counterparts when it comes to quiet operation. The key lies in its unique movement – the motor itself is the only moving part of the entire system.
Don't Forget About Lubrication
Lubrication plays an important role in keeping your garage door nice and quiet. Without it, the resulting metal-on-metal contact of your garage door's various moving components will cause unbearable noise. Proper lubrication also staves off rust buildup, which could increase noise and make it harder for your garage door to move smoothly.
Lubricate your garage door's moving parts with an appropriate lubricant, such as white lithium grease or silicone spray, at least twice a year. You can also have your garage door specialist tackle the job as a part of your bi-annual garage door inspection.