Wet and windy weather is very common within the UK and can sometimes cause disruption to our well-kept gardens. Part of this disruption often comes from the rattling noises as a result of the wind shaking up your fence panels. It's amazing how loud this irritating noise is considering you can hear it from the inside of your home - typically even louder when your trying to sleep! However, whilst it may seem that your fence is about to take off, the rattling noise is a good indication that your fence is doing its job by allowing wind to pass through. If this is the case, you can be confident that it won't be flying away any time soon.
Now, regardless of whether your fence is doing its job, the rattling noise is extremely annoying, especially when it can be fixed relatively easily. Definitely don't start ripping all the fence panels out or calling in an expert to sort the job. We have two common methods for stopping the rattling noise that don't cost a fortune and can be done by yourself - everyone loves a small DIY win.
Fence Panel Wedges
Now, once the wind gets up, the panel starts to move intensely in between the groove of the fence posts, repeatedly hitting these edges and consequently causing the rattling sound. To help reduce this movement, the first option would be to use fence panel wedges.
How do Fence Panel Wedges Work?
The way in which these fence panel wedges work are quite simple. Essentially, they are filling the small gaps between the fence post groove and the fencing panel. The wedges are gently pushed into the gap between the fence post and fence panel to reduce the amount of space that the fence panel can move. This reduction in space stops the panel from moving and colliding with the post and ultimately, the rattling noise.
How to Install Fence Panel Wedges?
The process of installing your fence panel wedges is quite straightforward and you'll probably likely need just a hammer. Push the wedges in as far as possible with human pressure and then tap further into place with a hammer. The wedges will expand slightly with pressure to cause resistance between the panel and post. What you might have to think about is the expansion of the timber through the seasons however which may cause problems to the effectiveness of the panel wedges. If you're set on using fence panel wedges, you may need to replace these through the seasons to account for the expansion/shrinkage of the timber. The second option and an alternative to using wedges would be to use channel nuts.
What are Channel Nuts and how to install them?
Channel nuts are also another great option for stopping fence panels from rattling in the wind. Specifically, they are rectangular shaped metal plates with springs attached to one side and installed in the same way as wedges by being pushed into the small gap between the fence and post. Therefore, when hammered into place between the post and panel, the springs from the channel nuts account for the expansion movement of the timber whilst also allowing a small amount of movement when the wind gets up.
Alternative DIY Approaches
If you're looking for a more DIY option, Georgina Burnett (The Home Genie) spoke on ITVs This Morning and highlighted how a quick rattling stopper solution would be to use newspaper. Specifically, Georgina explained that wedging a newspaper and painting it the same colour as its background could be a nice quick fix for the short term. After a while, the elements will degrade the newspapers and so will need replacing.
One more option would be to use silicone sealant that whilst may not be a permanent fix for the long term, will provide some short term stability. Therefore, to reduce the fence panel rattling, apply a strip of silicone sealant along the vertical joints between the panels and posts. This will secure the panel to the post and stop movement from occurring. Therefore, silicone isn't a permanent fix but it works for a while and is easy to put up and take down when the weather changes.
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