Garage Doors

[Dynsol]

Since moving in ( Eight years) I have always found my garage doors to be quite noisy when operating. They have been maintained on a regular basis in accordance with manufacturers guidelines.

I have been considering adding insulation from one of the various kit producers.

Question is: Is there a small, medium or large reduction in noise level if I proceed with this project?

Other suggestions for noise level are welcome.:welcome:

[retiredguy123]

Since moving in ( Eight years) I have always found my garage doors to be quite noisy when operating. They have been maintained on a regular basis in accordance with manufacturers guidelines.

I have been considering adding insulation from one of the various kit producers.

Question is: Is there a small, medium or large reduction in noise level if I proceed with this project?

Other suggestions for noise level are welcome.:welcome:
I don't think insulation will reduce the noise much, if at all. The noise is not from the door panels, it is from the metal parts that move together, such as the motor, chain, hinges, and rollers that bump against the tracks that they ride in. I think, if you shop around and are willing to pay a lot more money, you can find a quieter garage door to replace the noisy one with.

[bob47]

Your door probably has steel rollers. If you replace them with nylon rollers, I think you will find a reduction in noise. Not an expensive change.

[retiredguy123]

Your door probably has steel rollers. If you replace them with nylon rollers, I think you will find a reduction in noise. Not an expensive change.
That may help a little, but it is not a simple DIY project. My garage door has 10 metal rollers. The rollers are connected to an axle that is connected to the door hinges. It seems to me that the most noisy parts of the door movements are the metal axle and metal hinge connections, not the roller and track connections. Also, I think the noisiest part of the garage door is the motor and chain mechanism. The two best solutions are to live with a noisy door, or spend more money and buy a whole new garage door and motor that are designed to be quiet.

[C. C. Rider]

The door may simply need an adjustment and some oil on the hinges and other moving parts.

Also, keep in mind that a metal door will expand and contract due to temperature changes. This can cause a door to fit better and run smoother during winter than summer, or vice versa... depending on the adjustment.

[villagetinker]

I just installed a Chamberlin BELT drive garage door opener for a neighbor, it made a big difference. NOTE: the guy Lowe's sent out was an idiot and stated that the torsion bar had to be moved (it did not), and he could not to the work. We did it in about 2 hours.

[Gpsma]

Try getting a can of garage door lubricant and spray it liberally. Worked for me

[retiredguy123]

I just installed a Chamberlin BELT drive garage door opener for a neighbor, it made a big difference. NOTE: the guy Lowe's sent out was an idiot and stated that the torsion bar had to be moved (it did not), and he could not to the work. We did it in about 2 hours.
So, are you saying that most of the noise was coming from the chain drive opener and motor, and not from the rollers and axle hinge connections on the sides of the door?

[Fredster]

I just installed a Chamberlin BELT drive garage door opener for a neighbor, it made a big difference. NOTE: the guy Lowe's sent out was an idiot and stated that the torsion bar had to be moved (it did not), and he could not to the work. We did it in about 2 hours.

My garage had the original very
noisy chain drive unit, and I also had a
Chamberlin belt drive installed.
It is amazing how much quieter the
door operation is now!
In my case most of the objectionable noise was do to the opener.
IMHO if you have a chain drive opener and it’s old and noisy
I’d look into replacing it.
Plus the newer ones are WiFi and and be controlled from you smart phone.
How many times have you driven away from home and then
thought “Did I close the garage door”.

[bob47]

I also replaced my AllStar chain drive opener with a Chamberlin belt drive (with a Craftsman label) but I think I got more noise reduction from replacing the steel rollers and oiling the hinges.

The first and only time I replaced rollers and it took no more than about 30 minutes.

Access Denied (https://www.homedepot.com/p/DURA-LIFT-Ultra-Life-Max-2-in-Nylon-Garage-Door-Roller-with-Sealed-6200ZZ-Bearing-and-4-in-Steel-Stem-10-Pack-DLMR6200ZZ/302765678)

How to Replace Garage Door Rollers & Where to Buy Them - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZhCSb4ObSY)

I should add that years ago I measured the tracks and found they weren't exactly parallel or square to the front of the garage. I straightened them up and that smoothed out the operation of the door.

[Medtrans]

Since moving in ( Eight years) I have always found my garage doors to be quite noisy when operating. They have been maintained on a regular basis in accordance with manufacturers guidelines.

I have been considering adding insulation from one of the various kit producers.

Question is: Is there a small, medium or large reduction in noise level if I proceed with this project?

Other suggestions for noise level are welcome.:welcome:

We called RoMac and they did some maintenance on it (sorry I don’t know the exact details) but they cleaned the tracks and explained how to do that and lubricate them. Made a huge difference. Good company.

[tomvic811]

I had that same problem. Spoke to pro and all I had to do was spray WD40 along the rewind spring that is mounted inside the garage that runs horizontally to the top of the door/entrance of the garage door opening. Spray all other moving parts, roller bearings, and a little on the chain. Run the door up and down a few times and you should be good-to-go.

[retiredguy123]

When you lubricate the garage door parts, make sure you leave the car and golf cart outside, and operate the garage door a few times until the lubricant stops dripping into the garage.

[retiredguy123]

I had that same problem. Spoke to pro and all I had to do was spray WD40 along the rewind spring that is mounted inside the garage that runs horizontally to the top of the door/entrance of the garage door opening. Spray all other moving parts, roller bearings, and a little on the chain. Run the door up and down a few times and you should be good-to-go.
Just to clarify, WD40 is often mistaken for a lubricant. It does lubricate, but it is mostly a solvent, not a lubricant. WD40 will clean and loosen rusted and dirty parts, but it will not provide long lasting lubrication. I would use a lubricant designed for garage door parts.

[Bay Kid]

I have been sneaking out my garage for years. Belt driven motor and neoprene rollers.

[Malsua]

So, are you saying that most of the noise was coming from the chain drive opener and motor, and not from the rollers and axle hinge connections on the sides of the door?

When we bought our house it had an ancient Genie opener and opening the garage door sounded like you were opening the portcullis at the Tower of London.

I installed a Chamberlain 3/4HP Wifi opener and it barely makes any noise at all now. You here a little whine and that's it.

My entire house is about as internet connected as you can get and having the garage door remotely operable has been quite helpful. My wife and are Sunbirds. We come down when it's hot and go north when it's cold ;). I've let people in, talked to them on the phone while watching them on the camera and closed the door when they left. All from my phone 1500 miles away. Can't beat it.

[fixit6404]

Same Issue with noise here. I insulated my door both to make it quieter and cooler. I replaced the wheels with nylon wheels with sealed bearings I got on Amazon. The only ones I found locally were cheap plastic with no bearings. I replaced the old door opener with a 3/4 horse belt drive Chamberlain WiFi door opener. I was able to use all the existing wiring and hardware on the ceiling and door so it was a 20 minute swap. The door is totally silent now. With the door into the kitchen shut you can't hear it. Love the wifi and you can set it to close automatically at what ever time you want! I used to forget to close it at night once in a while and get a call from neighborhood watch. P.S. compare prices. One big box building supply store sells the 3/4 hp model at the same price the other one gets for the 1/2 hp and the 3/4 model is a life time warranty.

[amexsbow]

Since moving in ( Eight years) I have always found my garage doors to be quite noisy when operating. They have been maintained on a regular basis in accordance with manufacturers guidelines.

I have been considering adding insulation from one of the various kit producers.

Question is: Is there a small, medium or large reduction in noise level if I proceed with this project?

Other suggestions for noise level are welcome.:welcome:

Yes. I installed fiberglass bat and it greatly reduced the noise and heat coming from the door which faces the sun. The only thing is I had to have an additional spring added to my torsion bar to compensate for the added weight. I also added insulated bats to my attic over the garage. This made a big difference in the heat and cold in summer and winter.

[Rzepecki]

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

[Ndomines]

Insulation kits are available on Amazon. YOU TUBE Has many VIDEOS ABOUT DIFFERENT METHODS.
GET A garage door opener with BELT DRIVE its very quiet. wQUOTE=Dynsol;1804848]Since moving in ( Eight years) I have always found my garage doors to be quite noisy when operating. They have been maintained on a regular basis in accordance with manufacturers guidelines.

I have been considering adding insulation from one of the various kit producers.

Question is: Is there a small, medium or large reduction in noise level if I proceed with this project?

Other suggestions for noise level are welcome.:welcome:[/QUOTE]

[Lil GTO]

Since moving in ( Eight years) I have always found my garage doors to be quite noisy when operating. They have been maintained on a regular basis in accordance with manufacturers guidelines.

I have been considering adding insulation from one of the various kit producers.

Question is: Is there a small, medium or large reduction in noise level if I proceed with this project?

Other suggestions for noise level are welcome.:welcome:

We were having an issue with other people’s remotes opening our door and because the builder used the same openers for over 20 years we could not find a code that would prevent this.

We installed a chamberlain opener (Different brand) this May and the door is whisper quiet it was quite noisy previous. Now this is a blue tooth unit that once paired to your phone will set off an alarm letting you know it’s open and you can close it from anywhere that you have a phone signal.

Ours was crazy noisy but had nothing to do with the door.

Pull your red Release and operate the door by hand and you’ll see it’s quiet.

[Mike Shebel]

If you want a quieter door, buy a higher quality new door and opener.

Adding insulation and new rollers doesn’t help much at all. Put your monies in a door and garage door opener.

[theruizs]

I periodically spray the hinges with lubricant and it helps a lot. You should try that before spending a lot of money. It’s something you should do anyway to reduce wear on them.

[Scorpyo]

I just installed a Chamberlin BELT drive garage door opener for a neighbor, it made a big difference. NOTE: the guy Lowe's sent out was an idiot and stated that the torsion bar had to be moved (it did not), and he could not to the work. We did it in about 2 hours.
Excellent choice. I put one in my house in GA and one here as well. The one here was a little challenging because the garage ceiling in my Villa is somewhat low and I did them both by myself. However, with a little perseverance it's not that hard. If the noise on the builder version was a 10 the Chamberlain Belt Drive is a 3.

[tonycirocco@me.com]

Install an opener with rubber drive belt. VERY quiet when closing..VERY quiet!!!

[wayneman]

When we bought our house it had an ancient Genie opener and opening the garage door sounded like you were opening the portcullis at the Tower of London.

I installed a Chamberlain 3/4HP Wifi opener and it barely makes any noise at all now. You here a little whine and that's it.

My entire house is about as internet connected as you can get and having the garage door remotely operable has been quite helpful. My wife and are Sunbirds. We come down when it's hot and go north when it's cold ;). I've let people in, talked to them on the phone while watching them on the camera and closed the door when they left. All from my phone 1500 miles away. Can't beat it.
Did you use the existing track to install your opener or replace all the old track?

[retiredguy123]

After reading this thread, I timed the opening and closing of my cheap, Romac garage door. It takes 10 seconds to open and 10 seconds to close. I can't justify spending hundreds of dollars for 20 seconds of quiet. There are other louder noises that you can't prevent no matter what. Maybe when the door fails, I may consider buying a quieter door.

[loufromnewjersey]

Rollers make 90% of noise. If you are handy you can do it yourself. Or any handyman. A set of rollers are @$16 at Amazon. The rest of the door needs lubrication

[Mohawksin]

It has been suggested that the noise comes from the motor chain drive. It has also been suggested the noise comes from the rollers.

Separate the two. Pull the rope in the garage that unhooks the chain from the door. Run the motor a few times and compare to the noise level.

[Weemac]

Screw type openers are considerably quieter than chain driven types. Metal doors are noisier than wooden doors.

[DonnaNi4os]

My garage door opener recently died. My house is 3 years old. Precision Door installed a new opener system. It is super quiet whether opening or closing. They were quite professional but it did take a huge portion of my incentive check, so not inexpensive. I have insulation on the door. The weight of the material is insignificant but I don’t really find it to be very effective either. Incidentally, the man that installed my opener said that the automatic screen doors for the garage door can damage the opener. I’m not sure if that is true but I thought I’d pass that info along. I have the sliding screen on mine and I love it.

[Mikeod]

My garage door opener recently died. My house is 3 years old. Precision Door installed a new opener system. It is super quiet whether opening or closing. They were quite professional but it did take a huge portion of my incentive check, so not inexpensive. I have insulation on the door. The weight of the material is insignificant but I don’t really find it to be very effective either. Incidentally, the man that installed my opener said that the automatic screen doors for the garage door can damage the opener. I’m not sure if that is true but I thought I’d pass that info along. I have the sliding screen on mine and I love it.

I don’t see how my garage screen could have any effect on the door opener. It has its own housing and motor so it operates entirely independent of the door. I think there are some screens that utilize the same track as the door. Perhaps those are what they meant.

[Raybemis1]

How To Lubricate Your Noisy Garage Door - YouTube (https://youtu.be/Y1lUm7koF2A)
Watch this, helped mine.

[Marshaw]

Same issue. Mine is a word great door opener. Found a grease to put on great. Changed the noise immediately.

[OhioBuckeye]

Since moving in ( Eight years) I have always found my garage doors to be quite noisy when operating. They have been maintained on a regular basis in accordance with manufacturers guidelines.

I have been considering adding insulation from one of the various kit producers.

Question is: Is there a small, medium or large reduction in noise level if I proceed with this project?

Other suggestions for noise level are welcome.:welcome:
Dynsol, Bob47 said it right, change the steel rollers out for the nylon rollers makes a world of difference. I took out the steel rollers on the last 5 homes I owned, it made a world of difference. They’re easy to change it takes about an hour to change 10 to 12 rollers. Google will have a 5 min. video showing you how to do it. Changing the garage door & insulating the door will be a waste of money. Roller won’t make it perfect but does make a big difference. Good luck!

[SacDQ]

I use a spray lubricant designed for garage doors. It helps and is used when every it get noisy. PS I have the insulation kit on my door it doesn’t do anything to reduce the noise.

[jimjamuser]

Since moving in ( Eight years) I have always found my garage doors to be quite noisy when operating. They have been maintained on a regular basis in accordance with manufacturers guidelines.

I have been considering adding insulation from one of the various kit producers.

Question is: Is there a small, medium or large reduction in noise level if I proceed with this project?

Other suggestions for noise level are welcome.:welcome:
Oh, no, noisy doors! That and a loss of smell are dangerous signs.

[Mayrath]

my wife is much louder than any garage door...LOL ...
seriously, a wild bird decided to build a nest above our front door.. last year she had 4 eggs that quickly matured and all flew away (with not even a thank you). She returned to the same nest weeks ago and laid 3 blue eggs. Every day she was in the nest but for over a week, she has not been seen. What do I do with these 3 eggs.. does anyone know? Audobon Society does not return calls.. May and Steve 845 643-4543 thanks for any info.

[tvbound]

While the noise itself has never been high on my personal pet-peeve list regarding garage doors, like many others I have found that proper lubrication does help with noise as well as longevity of garage door parts. I also learned that oil based products (such as regular WD-40), tend to leave a mess and a safety hazard on the floor for a while after initial application, so I long ago went to grease-based products. The number one pick on this list, is what I used on the house we just sold and seemed to be the best of all worlds.

5+ Best Garage Door Lubricant of 2020 (https://www.smartmotorist.com/best-garage-door-lubricant)

[Scorpyo]

After reading this thread, I timed the opening and closing of my cheap, Romac garage door. It takes 10 seconds to open and 10 seconds to close. I can't justify spending hundreds of dollars for 20 seconds of quiet. There are other louder noises that you can't prevent no matter what. Maybe when the door fails, I may consider buying a quieter door.
It’s not the ten seconds its the noise. When I use to sneak in at 3 AM my wife would catch me because of the noise. Now not so much. So spending a few hundred bucks was worth it.

[Bad Moon Rising]

Try getting a can of garage door lubricant and spray it liberally. Worked for me

Ditto!

[Spsmith444]

I don't think insulation will reduce the noise much, if at all. The noise is not from the door panels, it is from the metal parts that move together, such as the motor, chain, hinges, and rollers that bump against the tracks that they ride in. I think, if you shop around and are willing to pay a lot more money, you can find a quieter garage door to replace the noisy one with.

Really need to replace the door, tracks, rollers, operator. The doors provided when built are very, very cheap. Get a polyurethane door with belt drive operator and it will not only b much quieter but also help big time with keeping out the heat.

[JohnN]

Home Depot has a garage door aerosol spray lube, it does a nice job in my opinion. Just give a quick spray to all the moving joints whenever it acts up, I do mine a couple of times a year. I've had the spray can for quite a few years now and it works fine.

[mtdjed]

As the door ages and is likely to have more noise. But there is a plan. Your hearing will be less acute.

But seriously, unless it is signifying failure, I would recommend normal maintenance. The noise duration is likely about 10 seconds per event. Only those events when you are in the garage are likely to be a problem. As the door closes and opens when you are arriving or leaving will not be heard. Certainly not a garage door replacement issue unless you cannot deal with it.

[Retiring]

I agree with villagetinker.

The noise is a cumulative effect coming from GDO, chain, rollers and tracks. Changing to a belt, change to nylon rollers, proper lubrication of tracks (please use garage door lubricant not general purpose lube). Do all of the above and you’ll find a great reduction in noise.

I watched one of those Beverly Hills real estate shows. A house had a very expensive, imported, GDO and silent door system. When the door opened it was literally silent. What it appeared to do was lift the door slowly for the first few inches then speeds up. When the door was within 12 inches of fully opened it slows and comes to a quiet stop. Opening the door slowly for the first few inches and coming to a slow stop makes all the difference. The GDO was only $20k.

[rde3036]

Replace your crappy MVP door opener with a chamberlain.

[Nick B]

More than $450 ?

[elevatorman]

More than $450 ?

Chamberlain Group Chamberlain B970 Smartphone-Controlled Ultra-Quiet and Strong Belt Drive Garage Door Opener with Battery Backup and MAX Lifting Power, Blue $269.00 on Amazon --- delivers lifting force equivalent to 1 1/4 HP,
Robot Check (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075CQ86ZV/?coliid=I3808UOXVT0D85&colid=R2R42I07O4NR&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it)

[Dynsol]

Same issue. Mine is a word great door opener. Found a grease to put on great. Changed the noise immediately.

Name of grease and where to buy please!

[Dynsol]

Same Issue with noise here. I insulated my door both to make it quieter and cooler. I replaced the wheels with nylon wheels with sealed bearings I got on Amazon. The only ones I found locally were cheap plastic with no bearings. I replaced the old door opener with a 3/4 horse belt drive Chamberlain WiFi door opener. I was able to use all the existing wiring and hardware on the ceiling and door so it was a 20 minute swap. The door is totally silent now. With the door into the kitchen shut you can't hear it. Love the wifi and you can set it to close automatically at what ever time you want! I used to forget to close it at night once in a while and get a call from neighborhood watch. P.S. compare prices. One big box building supply store sells the 3/4 hp model at the same price the other one gets for the 1/2 hp and the 3/4 model is a life time warranty.

Do you have a separate Golf Cart door? If so, did you put in a less powerful HP Motor? Thanks

[retiredguy123]

Name of grease and where to buy please!
Today, I just received my spray can of white lithium grease. It's made by WD-40, but, it is not the regular WD-40 oil in the blue can. It is in a black can. It cost $5.23, including tax, on Amazon. I sprayed it on all moving parts of my cheap Romac door. It is still noisy, but there is a definite improvement in the noise level. Well worth doing, and it may make the door last longer.

[elevatorman]

I downloaded an app to measure sound from the App store. Then I did a few things to my door.
1. Installed insulation 65-67 Db $116 Lowe's 2 kits
2. Installed new nylon rollers with sealed bearings. 64-65 Db $24 Lowe's
3. Installed new springs and balanced door (mine were 11 years old) 64-65 Db $110
4. Installed Chamberlain B1381 opener 57-58 Db $287 (Lowe's on sale)

I did not think to measure at the start and I did all the labor myself. Nothing was super hard to do, just took time. THANK YOU YOUTUBE The springsI I got from Express Garage Door.They would have been $77 at Lowe's but I was not sure what size I needed and Lowe's did not sell the winding rods that were included at Express. I did lube everything when finished. There are some dangerous things listed above so don't try some of them unless you are mechanically inclined.