How Can I Make My Garage Door More Quiet

There’s nothing worse than being sound asleep, and you’re woken up by a noisy garage door opener in your home. When you first had your garage door opener installed, it probably was quite quiet. Without proper maintenance of your garage door and opener, the sound will typically only get louder and louder as time goes on. Fortunately, you can prevent those squeaks and noises from the tracks, chains and other areas.

Insulation of Your Garage Door

You’re probably familiar with insulation being used to maintain temperature, but insulation can be used on your garage door to decrease the amount of sound that it’s producing. A garage door on its own can cause a lot of sound because it’s made of steel. Steel will vibrate as you open and close the door. When you have a good layer of insulation on your door, this will absorb some of those vibrations and noise. Regardless of what level of insulation your garage door came with, you can always choose to upgrade the insulation level.

Checking the Hardware on Your Door

As your garage door goes up and down, you may find that screws, nuts and bolts will loosen over time. This will add to the amount of noise that you hear as the door is in motion. An annual inspection of your garage door will address potentially loose hardware.

Lubrication

The most common source of garage door noise is not enough lubrication on areas like the hinges, springs, locks, tracks and rollers. This is an affordable maintenance task, but it makes a big difference in the overall sound of your garage door.

Utilizing a Different Garage Door Opener

There are garage door opener systems that boast being very quiet. You might be tempted to invest in the cheapest unit possible, but spending a little more money can get you the peace and quiet that you want in your home. The quietest system will usually focus on a belt-driven opener. If you can’t afford an entirely new system, you may want to purchase nylon rollers. They provide a very quiet and smooth movement, but they’re also very quiet.

Balancing Your Garage Door

The garage door itself needs to be properly balanced so it goes up and down in a straight manner. When the door closes, it should be flush with the ground. When open, the door should fit completely up under the roof of your garage. You shouldn’t see any of the door’s edge. If the garage door is even slightly off balance, this can damage your door a great deal. You may also notice an increase in noise coming from your door when you open or close it.

Replacing Your Garage Door Springs

Garage doors almost always come with an extension spring system. You can upgrade to a torsion spring system if you’re interested in something that will be quiet and last a lot longer than the extension system would. It’s very important that you have a professional take care replacing your garage door springs. It can be dangerous to work on these springs if you don’t know what you’re doing. You also want to make sure that the job is done right as not to damage your garage door or opener.

Replacing Hinges

There is a hole inside of the hinge that holds onto your roller stem. As time goes on, this hole can change its shape and become worn out. A professional can inspect each of your hinges to determine if replacement is necessary. They’ll be looking for hinge holes that are no longer perfectly round like they originally were.

Replacement of an Old Garage Door or Opener

If you’ve been living in your home for many years or you’ve recently moved into an older home, you may find that your garage door or the opener has aged quite a bit. It’s important that you consider the purchase of a new garage door or opener when the time comes. Steel and aluminum doors can last anywhere from 20 to 30 years. A garage door opener has a life span of about 15 to 20 years.

If you’re interested in routine maintenance, repairs or upgrades for your current garage door in the Richmond area, we encourage you to contact us here at Commonwealth Garage Doors. You can give us a call during our normal business hours at 804-970-9677, or Contact Us Here. Someone will get back to you with the information that you’re inquiring about. All of the technicians that we have on our team are incredibly knowledgeable in their field, and they can help you make the best choices for your home and garage door when it comes to budget, lifestyle and aesthetics.