Your garage is something that you likely use quite a bit. Some people use garages to park their cars while others use them as convenient spaces to store tools and other things.
It’s going to be important to have a good garage door that you can rely on. If your current garage door is rattling in the wind, then this means that something is wrong.
Most garage doors are going to rattle a bit when they open and close, but it’ll be quite annoying if your garage door is constantly rattling whenever the wind picks up.
This isn’t something that you have to put up with, though. You can take the time to fix your garage door so that it’ll be safe, secure, and quiet once again.
Keep reading to learn how to go about fixing a garage door that rattles in the wind. It should give you a better idea of how to approach the situation so that you can get the best results.
You Might Simply Need to Tighten Loose Nuts and Bolts
If you’re lucky, then you might only need to tighten some loose nuts and bolts to fix the problem. Your garage door likely has many nuts and bolts fastening it in place, and it’s possible that many of those nuts and bolts have loosened over time.
The simple vibrations of opening and closing the garage door will start to loosen the nuts and bolts. Over the course of many years, the nuts and bolts can become so loose that the door will start to rattle in the wind.
Go around checking every single nut and bolt that you can find. Ensure that they’re tightened properly so that you can see if things improve.
You should also take the time to check the spring plate mounts, assuming that you have a standard swing-up door. Sometimes those screws are easy to miss since you don’t always notice them.
When you have a roll-up garage door, it’ll be necessary to check all of the hinges. Sometimes you might even have to replace faulty hinges.
If you don’t take the time to do this, then your garage door could eventually fall off. It could even create a safety hazard because it could drop a bit when you’re trying to walk under the door.
That’s why it’s a good idea to be proactive when you start hearing your garage door rattle in the wind. It’s better to spend time checking for loose nuts and bolts than it is to deal with the consequences of inaction.
Rust Could Also Be to Blame
Another thing to consider is that certain parts of your garage door might have become rusty. If you don’t take the time to lubricate your garage door every so often, then many different moving parts can rust.
The door will get worn down over time by regular use anyway. You have to maintain the garage door and lubricate it so that it doesn’t become rusty.
Rusty hinges seem to be particularly noisy. If you’re hearing a noise when you’re opening the garage door each time, then you might need to inspect the hinges carefully.
It might wind up being necessary to replace the hinges if they look really bad. You can also try cleaning things up to see if you can make a difference.
If you have hinges and a roll-up garage door, then inspect them and see if they’re rusty or if they have any other problems. You can replace the hinges if they look bad or you can try to clean them up.
Cleaning the rollers will also be a good idea. Dirt and grime can build up on the rollers and cause them to stop working properly.
Does your garage door wobble a bit and go off of the track when you try to roll it up? It’s very likely that you need to give the rollers a deep cleaning.
You should also know that the chain on the garage opener can contribute to the door being noisy. If the chain thrashes around and makes smacking sounds when you open the door, then it needs to be tightened.
Spend the necessary time tightening the chain and see how much things improve. Depending on what’s going on, you might need to replace certain parts if rust issues have become too bad.
In the future, it’s going to be best to remember to lubricate your garage door on time. Experts recommend lubricating the garage door every six months.
The garage door is going to last a lot longer if you take the time to do this. It’s something that makes it more pleasant to use the garage door and it protects your investment.
How to Lubricate a Garage Door Successfully
Lubricating a garage door isn’t that tough, but you might not have done it before. If you’re unsure of what needs to be done to do this successfully, then you can read the information below.
To start, you’re going to want to close the garage door. If you have an automatic garage door, then you’ll need to disconnect the power supply as well.
Take the time to wipe the garage door to get rid of any dirt and grime that you can see. You want to clean both the outside and the inside of the door to get the best results.
Check the track for dirt and grime to see how it looks. You don’t want to use lubricant on the track, but you can use an automotive brake cleaner to get rid of the dirt that is stuck on the track.
Hopefully, the track doesn’t look so bad. You might be able to clean it just by wiping it down depending on how bad things are.
With this done, you can open the garage door and start lubricating the hinges. Ensure that you lubricate everything as thoroughly as you can.
The rollers need to be lubricated as well and you need to get the small ball bearing that’s placed inside of every roller. When you’re done lubricating the rollers, be sure to wipe away any excess lubricant.
Next, you’ll be lubricating the spring plates on the top. It’s best to close the door for this step to ensure that you’re able to lubricate everything as evenly as possible.
Your garage door might also have a lock that you should lubricate. Some garage doors have an armbar and lock that will work better if it also gets lubricated at the same time as the rest of the garage door.
The final thing to be lubricated will be the top of the chain rail. Just do the chain rail and not the chain itself.
You Could Replace the Garage Door
Of course, there is the possibility that your garage door is very old. If you’ve been using the same garage door for decades, then it might be better to take the time to replace it.
If you have many rusty parts on your current garage door, then it might make more sense to replace it than to try to repair it. You’d likely need to swap out many parts anyway and there’s a chance that the door doesn’t look as presentable as you’d like it to as well.
Buying a new garage door will allow you to fix everything quite quickly. You’ll have a strong, beautiful new garage door that won’t rattle in the wind.
Just remember that you’re going to want to protect your investment if you choose to buy a new garage door. It’s going to be necessary to take care of it and perform regular maintenance.
You should remember to lubricate the garage door every six months as suggested above. If you do this, then your new garage door should last for a very long time.
You Could Call Professionals to Handle Repairs Too
Perhaps you’re not comfortable doing repairs on your garage door yourself. Not everyone considers themselves to be handy, and you might not be confident enough to tackle this job.
While tightening nuts and bolts is fairly straightforward, you also might not have a lot of tools and you might get confused when it’s necessary to replace certain parts. You could certainly take the time to learn if you want to, but this isn’t practical for everyone.
Busy individuals have a difficult time making room in their schedules to do things sometimes. In this situation, it might be best to call in professionals to repair your garage door.
If the garage door is rattling in the wind, then that’s a sign that something is wrong. You know that it’s likely that there are loose nuts and bolts or something such as that.
Certain parts could be faulty as well since you could have rusty hinges or roller issues to deal with. Calling in experts who repair garage doors will allow you to address all of these issues in a timely fashion.
You can get your garage door repaired without having to worry too much about things. The downside to doing this is that you’ll need to pay the people who handle the job for you.
For the most part, garage door repair should be affordable. However, it might depend on how much you’re willing to spend and how your budget looks.
It would be more affordable to try to handle things yourself. If you’re short on cash, then you might be better off following the advice above and doing your best to get things done on your own.
Some people might gravitate toward the idea of just replacing the garage door and getting a new one installed. In many cases, the same professionals who repair garage doors will also sell new ones and install them for you.
Simply figure out which route you’d like to take and then make the decision that is best for your household. Just don’t take too long to decide because you want to fix your garage door problem before things get worse.
Final Thoughts
You should be able to figure out a good way to repair your garage door based on the advice above. Most often, people find out that there are a few things wrong with their garage doors that can be addressed without it being too much of a hassle.
If all you need to do is tighten a few bolts and nuts, then you’ll be able to do what you need to do to get things back to normal. However, there could be other problems that are causing your garage door to rattle in the wind.
Sometimes hinges will get rusty or break down due to being used for many years. Wear and tear is something that you cannot avoid, but you will want to pay attention to when things start to break down.
Certain garage door parts might need to be replaced so that the door will stop rattling in the wind. You might need to replace the rollers or the hinges before you’ll be able to solve the rattling issue.
To keep your garage door in good working order, it’s going to be necessary to lubricate it regularly. You should take the time to properly lubricate the garage door every six months.
Even if you’ve never done this before, it’ll be easy to use the simple guide above to understand what you’re supposed to be doing. Remember to do this from now on to protect your garage door and keep it in good shape for a long time to come.
If you have a very old garage door, then it might be better to replace it. An older garage door might not look as presentable as you’d like it to anyway, and there can be benefits to buying a more modern garage door.
Finally, you might simply want to call professionals to come and repair the door. If you don’t have the time to handle things yourself or if you aren’t confident in your ability to repair the door, then this makes a lot of sense.
You’ll need to pay the professionals to do the job, but it’ll get done right. It’s up to you to decide what the best decision is going to be for your household.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies…I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house.