While you are mostly concerned about your garage door opening and closing safely and securely, there’s nothing worse than a rattle. Fortunately, a garage door rattle does not necessarily mean your garage is about to fail. Sometimes you can even fix a pesky rattle yourself without calling an expert garage door repair professional. In some cases, all you need to do is tighten the hardware. But how do you do that? A garage door rattle is often cause because one of the tracks, hinges, or other parts have loosened. With the door down, you can easily check to see if the hardware needs to be tightened. Using a simple screwdriver, tighten the screws to the hinges attached to the folding sections of the door. Next, inspect the hinge bracket. If a bracket wobbles, that is an indication that a hinge pin is beginning to wear out. In that case, the bracket will need to be replaced. It might also be prudent to check the roller attached to each bracket. As with all mechanical parts, your garage door rollers also wear out over time, which puts pressure on the internal roller bearing. As one part goes, often other parts will follow.Most importantly, remember that individual bearings and rollers can be replaced. It is not necessary to replace all bearings and rollers. If you encounter a garage door repairman who tells you otherwise, kindly correct them, then call the honest professionals at Prestige Door!
A Garage Door Rattle Could be the Chain
If you hear a rattle that does not come from the garage door itself, it could be coming from the chain (if you are using a chain-driven garage door opener, that is). If it isn’t a chain, it could be another mechanical element in the motor. Loose chains will sometimes cause a jerking motion, which will cause the door to hit the tracks.If a chain does need to be tightened, it will usually need to be done at the tension nuts on the rail that connects the chain to the opener itself. There are generally two nuts and when the correct nut is tightened, some of the slackness in the chain will tighten up. While these fixes may sound simple enough, for most people simply calling a garage door repair professional to fix this issue is the easiest course of action. Then again, it could be just a simple matter of noise.
What are Those Pesky Garage Door Noises?
A well-maintained and properly functioning garage door is a real thing of beauty. But as with so many other large mechanical devices, garage doors are not indestructible. As garage doors get long in the tooth, they can become noisy. Even worse, their once-smooth gliding motion can turn into something more akin to the supermarket shuffle, with quick starts and stops. While some noises can be addressed DIY, others require a professional eye.Vibration noises are the most common type of garage door noise. After all, garage doors are quite heavy and inevitably will make some noise. But how much noise is too much noise? Vibration noises can usually be isolated by checking fasteners and loose bolts. It is important that a vibration-based garage door rattle is addressed early. If a nut, bolt, fastener or other part is already loose, it will loosen more over time and could present a mote serious problem down the road.Does your garage door use metal rollers? The fact is, anywhere that metal moves against metal is going to create noise. In particular, metal rollers may make a lot of noise as they move along metal tracks. One option is to replace your metal rollers with nylon rollers. Other roller noise issues can be repaired fairly easy by finding individually loose parts.
Other Noises and Rattles to Consider
Is your garage door making a popping sound when you open it? This could be an indication that your torsion springs are going out. Sometimes a torsion spring does not need to be entirely replaced, but instead simply needs lubrication. Do not assume this is a simple and easy job. If you suspect a problem with your torsion springs, it is critical you contact us here at Prestige Door. Attempting to fix this yourself can lead to serious injury. Still, this does not mean you are entirely without options in addressing your garage door rattle. In many cases, you can create your own garage door opener and garage door buffers using pieces of rubber to reduce the noise. If you do you use metal-on-metal components in your garage door, lubrication goes a long way to keeping the rattle out. A good rule of thumb is to lubricate the bearings, rollers and hinges at least once a year. You could even grease the frame of the door yearly as well, just to ensure a smooth sliding action all year long! One of the best ways to eliminate garage door noise is to ensure it is both properly maintained and built to a modern standard. Consider replacing steel or metal rollers with nylon varieties. You may also want to replace a chain-driven garage door opener with a belt-driven option. If space allows, have a garage door repairman install torsion springs instead of extension springs. Hopefully, a thorough review and DIY method will shut down the rattle and racket. But if not, you need a friendly neighborhood garage door repairman to handle the job. That’s exactly what we are here for!