Squeaky garage doors make a quiet entrance to your home impossible. Whether you work the night shift and want to sneak in without waking the entire family or simply want your home not to alert the entire neighborhood to your comings and goings, a quiet garage door is essential. Understanding the causes of squeaky doors will help you find affordable solutions.
Wheel and Rotor Warping
Dented, bent and warped garage door wheels will cause the door to go up and down in a slightly skewed way. This creates metal-to-metal friction, which turns into constant squealing. This is not a DIY issue, but one you will need the help of the garage door installation company to solve. Replacing the wheels and rollers will fix the problem.
Alignment Issues
Your garage door needs to be carefully aligned to work well. If the moving parts are misaligned, either due to the age of the door or due to poor installation, the metal parts will rub against each other. This will cause them to squeak. Having a specialist re-align the door will solve your problem by preventing the metal from rubbing in this way.
Debris
If debris get inside the garage door system, it will cause friction. Friction creates trouble, preventing the door from opening and closing smoothly, and thus creating squeaks. Debris typically comes from nature, such as dead bugs, stones, dirt, mud, sand or dried leaves. Any small item that gets stuck inside the door can create a problem. To fix this problem, remove the debris by hand or using a stiff-bristled brush.
Broken Track
The track is the part on the garage door where the wheels run. If it is broken in any way, including something as simple as some pitting or pock marking on the door, it will create a squeak. Tracks can be repaired if the damage is not severe, or you can opt to replace it. In most cases when it’s possible, repair is cheaper than full replacement.
Rust
Rust on nuts, bolts and hinges will also create friction, which in turn will create squeaks. This is actually a very common reason for squeaks, and the fix is simple. Just spray some lubrication on the frame, track and chain to eliminate the squeak.
Problems with the Chain
If the chain is too slack or too tight, or if one of the links is missing or broken, it can create squeaks. To determine if this is the problem, first troubleshoot the other issues. If they are not the cause, then the issue probably lies in the chain. Visually inspect the chain for signs of damage. If you see any, call a service professional. If you don’t see any, add some silicone spray or garage door grease. This should fix the problem.
