Your garage and garage door is a great convenience and added feature to your home. But when your garage door becomes squeaky, your garage door can turn into a source for a headache. The good news is you don’t have to suffer through it. There are things you can do to change your situation. Here is what to check for and what to do when fixing your squeaky garage door.
The first thing we suggest is checking your garage door rollers. If you are using metal rollers, they can rust and cause that squeaking noise. One option you can do is use a garage door lubricant and lubricate your metal rollers. To be fair though, if they are already rusting, your just delaying the problem, The best solution is to switch to nylon rollers that are much quieter than their metal counterparts.
If the rollers look good, then it is time to inspect the garage door track. Make sure there is no leaves or debris that the rollers can get stuck and cause the rollers extra friction, causing them to squeak. You also will want to lightly spray the tracks and chain with a silicone-based spray lubricant. Grease and oil-based sprays can encourage debris build-up, so avoid using those. You also want to check your garage door tracks to see if they are misaligned. The squeaking you could be hearing is the rollers rubbing the rear tracks in an awkward way due to misalignment.
Don’t forget your garage door hinges are made of metal. Metal that starts to rust can start to squeak. You might even have a hinge or two that is cracked or broken, causing the squeaking. Therefore, you need to do a thorough inspection of your garage door hinges. Replace any that are cracked or broken. The rest dust the hinges off and lubricate the hinges with garage door lubricant.
Your garage door springs are made of metal as well, so as you guessed it, it can squeak. Between basic ware and tear of everyday use, and high Houston humidity, your garage door springs could corrode. If there is only a little corrosion (rust), spray each garage door spring with garage door lubricant. Yet, if your garage door springs look like something that has sat at the bottom of a lake for a month, you should probably replace them. You can replace your garage door springs yourself if your adapt DIYer, if not you can call a professional so they can repair or replace your garage door springs.
You will also want to check your chain drive or screw drive if you have one of those types of openers. Like other parts mentioned here, over time they begin to corrode and wear down. Spray these down as well with garage door lubricant. Do refer to the garage door opener motor maintenance manual before performing any lubrication.
Once you have done fixing your squeaky garage door by doing a thorough inspection, lubrication and replacing of any issues, pen and close the garage door a few times to allow the lubricant to coat all of the moving parts. If you are still hearing the squeaking at this point, it would probably be time to call a garage door repair professional.
If you are in the Houston or surrounding area, we provide a free consultation and estimate. Spectrum Overhead Door has been providing the Houston area with award-winning garage door repair services since 2006. Call 281-748-9542 or our East Houston office 713-557-3407 to schedule an appointment today!