4 tips for repairing loud garage doors

Does your garage door creak and groan and rattle louder than old man getting out of his rocker? Here are four tips in how to diagnose and repair the problem.

• Loose, rattling components are usually the culprits behind noisy garage doors. Do a systematic check to find the source of the noise. In particular, check and tighten the bolts on loose hinges and roller mounts. Also keep moving parts well lubricated. Chain drives tend to be the biggest noisemakers.
• If your garage door's operation becomes sluggish, pull the release cord or lever to disconnect the opener. If the door opens fine manually, the electric opener is the problem; check your owner's manual or call for help.

• If the door is still hard to open manually, the problem may be rollers binding in the tracks.
• Lubricate the rollers and look for damaged rollers or tracks that are out of alignment.
• To replace a bent or broken roller, just unbolt and remove its hinged bracket; take the roller with you to a home centre or garage door dealer to get a matching replacement.
• Do not, however, remove the bottom roller bracket to which the door's lift cables are attached; if it's broken, call a pro.

• Measure between the tracks on either side at several locations to figure out where they are not parallel. With a roll-up door, check the radius sections of the track extra carefully. If a track is off, it's easy to shift it a smidgen because its mounting bolts are in elongated slots. Just loosen the mounting bolt in the area that needs adjustment and use a hammer and a small block of wood to nudge the track. Then retighten the bolt.
• Sand the areas down to bare metal using emery cloth. Apply metal primer, then two coats of spray paint matching the original finish.
• Sand the affected areas until smooth. Then apply a mildew-resistant primer and two finish coats of paint. (This also works on black smudges that indicate mould.)

• If the seal along your door's bottom edge is cracked or broken, replace it with a matching one to maintain robust weather resistance and reliable door security.
• Most seals come with instructions and are simple to install; just make sure any wide flanges face inward, especially if you live in a cold climate; a protruding flange can freeze to the driveway.