Garage doors create vibrations during opening and closing. It can be annoying to have a garage door that rattles, squeaks, and shrieks as it opens and closes. Most people get used to these noises with time and eventually stop noticing them. With that said, there are a few noises that you should never ignore when it comes to your garage. These “unusual” noises are generally indicative of an issue and should be looked into as soon as possible to avoid future headaches and costly repairs. Without maintenance and/or repair, your garage door is at risk of ceasing function completely.
Take note of the following noises to determine whether there is any cause for concern when it comes to your garage door:
Clunking
If you hear a “clunk” or “thump” when you open or close your garage door, it could be an indicator that the mechanic opener is struggling to function. Your opener is the small, motorized box that you will see resting above your garage opening. Firstly, try changing the batteries. If this doesn’t work, consider scheduling a repair or replacement to fix the issue.
Your garage door may also be noisy because the insulation strip on the bottom of the door is worn out or missing. With a missing insulation strip, you will feel cold and wet coming into your garage and hear a loud banging noise when the door is closed.
Noise can also be caused by the garage door hitting the cement floor too hard. The springs may be the culprit in this instance. Unfortunately, spring replacement will generally require a professional service from a technician.
Squeaking
If you notice a squeak when raising or opening your garage door, it’s possible that the weather-stripping on your exterior frame has dried out. Your weather-stripping is located between each section of your garage door panels. If this isn’t the culprit, you may have an issue with the rollers that allow the door to smoothly rotate along the tracks. Try lubricating both of these areas to see if the problem resolves itself. If not, it would be in your best interest to book a service for your door to ensure optimal functionality in the future.
Grinding
Hearing a metallic “grinding” noise of any sort is typically going to be undesirable news when it comes to the operation of your garage door.
Grinding noises will more than likely be related to the chain or belt on your garage door motor, and are a sure fire way to know that something isn’t quite right. Try adjusting the chain/belt if they are loose, otherwise, you may need to consider a repair or replacement to get things back to working order.
Misaligned locking bars can also cause grinding noises. Find the L-shaped leader brackets attached to the door. Undo the screws and tap the guide up or down; depending on how the alignment is off, tighten the bolts and screws and repeat on the other guide. You may have to readjust your garage door locks after working on the bolts and gaskets.
Clinking
While clinking noises are more common when it comes to garage doors, it pays to be mindful if you pick up on this sound.
More often than not, a clinking noise will occur when the springs and coils of a garage door rub together and create friction. If this isn’t the case, you may have a defective roller, which may eventually cause total malfunction if not attended to.
Watch for the noise that comes from the garage door motor. Automatic door openers often need to be tweaked. If the noise comes from the garage door opener near the roof of the garage, call a specialist to fix it. If you don’t take care of door opener noises, your door will break down and bang to a close. Most adjustments of this type are quick and easy fixes. While you have the attention of a garage door specialist, ask him to inspect your garage door.
Some tips that can help you reduce garage door noise
- You can reduce the noise level by reducing the vibrations. The first step in quieting your garage door is to tighten the bolts and screws on your garage, track and opener. Loose connections can cause the unit to rumble or rattle while you’re opening or closing the garage door. Be careful not to over-tighten.
- All the moving parts can cause additional vibration when they have to work hard to move, so make sure your garage door is lubricated every 3-6 months. It is a good idea to spray silicone lubricant to the moving parts of the garage door, such as hinges, rollers, springs, lock and rails. Please note that WD-40 isn’t designed for garage doors and normal oils drip more than purpose made garage door oil and are also more likely to collect build-ups of dirt and dust. A spray lubricant such as RP7 is recommended.
- Inspect the rollers on your garage door. If you have metal rollers moving along metal tracks, this causes loud noises. Nylon rollers are much quieter, do not require lubricants, and require less maintenance than metal rollers. Nylon garage rollers aren’t much more expensive, and the noise reduction is worth the extra money. Standard five-section garage doors require a dozen rollers. If you are replacing your rollers, do them all at once.
As you can imagine, strange noises become more likely and common in garage doors as they age with time. As parts begin to slow down and show signs of wear and tear, they must work harder to function – Which can sometimes be a noisy process. Repairing and upgrading worn-out parts may assist things for a little while, but it’s a fair assumption that you will need a full garage door replacement in the future if you don’t properly service and maintain your mechanics.
If you notice any strange or unusual noises when operating your garage door, don’t try to fix the problem yourself. No matter the issue, it will always be in your best interest to contact an experienced technician to not only source the issue but rectify it as soon as possible.
If you have any concerns about the mechanics of your garage door or would like to book in for a routine check and service, feel free to give us a call on 1300 767 900 and we will get back to you shortly.