If your garage door wakes up everyone in your home when you open it, or causes the neighborhood dogs to start barking, it's time to make some repairs. Garage doors should be lubricated occasionally and if you've been lax about doing it, you may have some rusted, worn, or squeaking parts. You can usually lubricate a garage door yourself, but you might need to call a professional for help if you don't know how, or if the loud noise is caused by some other problem. Here are some things you can do to put an end to the annoying squeaks and rattles when you operate the door.
Inspect The Tracks And Rollers First
Before you attempt to do anything to your garage door, take a close look at the tracks, rollers, hinges, and other parts. If you see an obvious problem such as the door being off the track, severe rusting, or dented tracks, you may want to save yourself unnecessary work and call a garage door specialist right away. Visit sites such as http://garagedoorsofnaples.com/ for more information.
While you can lubricate a garage door, you probably don't want to try replacing the tracks or undertake other dangerous fixes that could cause you to get hurt. If the tracks seem fine, but dirty or rusted, then you may want to clean them first to see if that fixes the problem. You'll also want to check the rollers. If they're metal and rusted or if they're nylon and bent out of shape, they'll need to be replaced.
Clean And Lubricate The Track
Before you use any lubricants on your garage door, check your owner's manual for the type of product to use and where to apply it. You'll want a lubricant made for garage doors that holds up in outdoor temperatures. Don't use grease because that's too thick and it will attract debris that can interfere with smooth gliding. Brush debris out of the tracks and spray the lubricant in the grooves and around the rollers. While doing so, you'll want to check the track for loose bolts or hinges that might be contributing to the rattling noise. If you find loose parts, tighten them up so they are snug but not too tight.
Test The Door Operation
Once you've cleaned and lubricated the moving parts and the track, operate the garage door a few cycles to spread around the lubricant. After you've opened and closed the door a few times the squeaking should be gone, if the problem was a lack of lubricant. If your door is still rattly or squeaky, you should probably call in a garage door repair specialist before further damage occurs and your door stops working.