Silencing Your Garage Door in a Multi-Unit Dwelling: Causes & Solutions

If you live in a multi-unit home, you likely already know how disruptive noise coming from neighboring units can be. It can interrupt movie night, disturb sleep, and raise our overall anxiety levels. We may write neighbors off as inconsiderate when these noises encroach on our space, but noise is a two way street, and we are likely creating noise that they too must deal with. Being a good neighbor means keeping noise to a minimum. This includes everything from keeping the stereo down to minimizing garage door noise wherever possible. And, while garage door noise isn’t something we are creating on purpose, it can be annoying to our neighbors and indicate potential problems that could lead to further damage.

Why Garage Door Noise is an Issue

The reason garage door noise is so disruptive is that it comes in many forms, often at the same time. Garage door noise can be squeaky, rattling, and can send vibrations through the structure and into the living spaces of our homes. If we use our garage doors regularly, this can prove to be a significant source of pain for anyone living in an adjacent unit. Garage door noise can also indicate problems with the unit itself. If left untreated, this could result in further damage to the garage or the vehicles inside. It can even injure anyone in the area if the failure occurs when someone is nearby. For these reasons, identifying causes and reacting to garage door noise is both a safety and a considerate neighbor issue. Let’s look at some of the ways we can identify and fix garage door noise.

Silencing Garage Door Noise

Garage doors can be relatively noisy by nature, but if that noise crosses the line and becomes downright disruptive, you’ll want to do something about it. Eliminating garage door noise from your home is not incredibly difficult, but it does take a little research to make sure it’s done right.  Properly reducing noise includes identifying the source of the noise, as well as implementing the appropriate solution to effectively bring garage door noise down. This guide is designed to help you identify the problem and implement the right solution. Let’s go.

Identifying the Source

There are a number of potential causes for garage door noise, and identifying the source is the first step in stopping that noise from entering the units. Familiarizing yourself with the most common problems will make it much easier to identify your garage door noise source. After that, simply listen for some specific sounds that serve as indicators that something is not right.

Loose Parts

One of the most common causes of garage door noise is that we have loose parts somewhere. The action of the garage door opening and closing creates vibrational energy that can create a lot of noise and work parts loose over time. If you suspect that loose parts are the source of your noise, there are some common spots to look at first.

Nuts and Bolts

Nearly every part of your garage door assembly is held together with nuts and bolts. If they become loose, the result could be a lot of garage door noise that everyone in your multi-unit dwelling will want to see fixed.  Often, these issues can be fixed with a simple wrench or socket set. Check the nuts and bolts in the area of the noise, making sure that each one is secured tightly. If any are loose, simply tighten the loose bolts on your garage door.

Chain

The chain on your garage door opener should be relatively tight in order to work properly. If the chain becomes loose, you may notice jerking movements or a loud slapping sound. A noisy garage door chain may be cause for concern, so make sure to address it asap. Tightening your chain is certainly a doable DIY project, but you’ll want to make sure not to over tighten the chain, as this can put undue strain on the opener. If you’re uncomfortable doing this yourself, hire a professional to avoid any potential damage or injury.

Rollers and Hinges

Your rollers and hinges bear much of the brunt of carrying the garage door between the up and down positions. If one or more of these elements becomes loose, it can create additional friction that increases the workload on your opener and may contribute to high-pitched squeaking or grinding noises. Check the area of noise for any loose parts around the rollers and hinges.

Bent Tracks

The rollers on your door need a smooth channel to run through, and if the tracks get bent, you’ll notice a difference in your garage door’s performance. The opener will struggle to raise and lower the door, and you may hear a loud rubbing noise coming from the track. This is a more involved fix, but those with decent construction skills should not have much trouble.

Parts Need Lubrication

Squeaking, rattling or grinding noises often indicate that some parts are in need of lubrication. Proper garage door lubrication not only ensures that your garage door continues to operate correctly but it helps prevent the rust and corrosion that lead to more complicated issues down the road. Luckily, you can do this yourself. Setting up and adhering to a garage door lubrication schedule will help to keep it working the way it’s supposed to.

Improper Installation

If you’re noticing a range of issues that seem to be coming from numerous places, it’s possible that your garage door was installed incorrectly. Signs of an improper installation include things like a door that gets stuck between the up and down positions, an opener that struggles to move the door, or excessive garage door noises that don’t sound normal. An improperly installed garage door is a dangerous fix for inexperienced repairmen and women, so if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, it’s best to reach out to a garage door repair professional.

Bad Springs

One of the more common problems people encounter with their garage door openers is a bad or broken spring. While a broken spring may be fairly obvious to diagnose, identifying a bad spring takes a little more investigative legwork.  First, if you notice excessive squeaking or popping noises coming from the spring, it’s a possible indication that something is wrong. Try applying some lubricant to see if that solves the problem. If it doesn’t, look for a few of the following signs that the spring is bad:

• The door moves excessively slow
• The garage door makes popping noise when opening
• The door suddenly falls to the ground after being lifted several inches
• The door looks misaligned, particularly the top half
• The spring cables are dangling
• Anything looks crooked or off-track to the naked eye

Repairing a bad or broken spring can be extremely dangerous for those without the proper equipment and experience. If you feel that your spring has become damaged, call a professional rather than fixing a noisy garage door spring yourself. Your safety isn’t worth saving a few bucks.

Solutions

Once you’ve identified the source of your garage door noise, you will need to take the appropriate action to remedy the situation. You should be able to handle some solutions yourself, but others will require someone with the requisite experience or tools to get the job done safely.

Tightening Loose Nuts and Bolts

Most of the time, we can tackle loose equipment issues simply by tightening whichever nuts and bolts have worked themselves loose. If those parts have gone bad, replacement parts are available at any home improvement store. Again, if you ever feel uncomfortable making a repair yourself, reach out to pros to ensure the job is done right and prevent injury.

Keep on Top of Lubrication Issues

Keeping components properly lubricated is an ongoing job that you can easily do yourself. Make sure to use the best garage door lubricant for each individual piece and apply lubricant regularly to avoid corrosion and keep things running smoothly. There is no need to bring in professionals for simple lubrication jobs.

Add Insulation and Acoustical Treatments

Garage door noise doesn’t always indicate a problem. Sometimes, even the best quiet garage door openers are simply loud. If you’ve got a loud garage door with no identifiable issues, you can use acoustical treatments to help prevent that noise from affecting the people living in your complex. First, you can reduce garage door noise with insulation. When vibrations reach the open spaces between trusses and drywall, sound waves echo and reverberate, making the noise even louder. Filling those cavities with acoustical insulation is a great way to reduce vibration noise from garage door openers. Second, the garage itself can amplify garage door noise. The walls, ceilings, and floors are usually made of reflective materials, meaning reverberation can increase the amount of vibrational energy that passes into adjacent units. Introducing soft, absorptive materials like acoustic panels or acoustic foam can remove some of that sound from the equation, leading to less dealing with noise from garage door openers. Third, you can prevent vibrations from reaching the framing with acoustic hangers or anti-vibration mounts. These are often available as a set in a garage door noise reduction kit but may be purchased individually as well.