Do you have a noisy Garage Door? Here's how to fix it.

Is your garage door making concerning noises like squeaking, banging, clanging or grinding? Beyond being an annoyance for you and your neighbours, these sounds often signal an underlying mechanical issue that needs fixing.

Common Causes of Garage Door Noise

Garage door noise can be caused by various issues, from lack of maintenance to worn or damaged parts. Depending on the cause of the problem, you might be able to find a DIY fix before needing to call a professional. Never ignore these noises; you risk making the issue more severe.

Loose Hardware (Banging and Rattling)

No matter how solid your garage door is, opening and closing it causes movement and vibration, leading to brackets, nuts, and bolts becoming loose over time. See the section below for an easy DIY fix to this common noise problem.

Worn-Out Rollers (Scraping and Grinding)

The rollers move within tracks to make your garage door open and close. Dust, debris, and rust can cause friction, which will cause both metal and nylon rollers to deteriorate over time.

Lack of Lubrication (Squeaking)

One of the most common causes of a noisy garage door is inadequate lubrication of moving parts such as rollers, chains, hinges, tracks, and springs.

Unbalanced Door (Scraping and Banging)

A door that is out of alignment is often accompanied by other problems, such as slow response times, looking uneven, or failing to open. These are normally caused by other issues, such as impact damage or damaged springs, belt drives, or chains.

Worn-Out Spring (Popping and Banging)

Both tension and torsion springs help a garage door open and close smoothly. Tension springs fully expand, while torsion springs wind around a shaft.

Worn or stretched springs or those that are not adjusted correctly can become noisy, but they should always be checked by a professional garage door technician. Spring replacement and adjustment are not DIY jobs, as they can be incredibly dangerous.

Bent Tracks (Loud Rubbing)

If opening or closing your garage door is causing you headaches, you may have bent tracks. This may be caused by damage or due to another factor, such as loose screws or rollers.

Troubleshooting Guide for Garage Door Noise

Gather your tools — you'll need a socket or adjustable wrench — and follow this five-step process to help you find the source of your garage door noise problem.

Step 1: With the garage door closed, adjust and tighten any loose hardware on fasteners and replace any in poor condition, concentrating particularly on hinges. However, be careful not to overtighten. You just want to make sure they are not coming loose.

Step 2: Check garage door rollers, tracks and brackets and inspect for signs of wear and tear. Nylon rollers can crack and chip, whereas steel rollers may become bent. Next, clean the tracks or rails to remove dirt and debris. You can polish the garage door tracks with methylated spirits on a sectional or roller door. With a roller door, the more shine on the tracks, the better the door will operate. Also, check the condition of cables and pulleys for signs of damage, such as fraying.

Step 3: Lubricate all moving parts, such as hinges, chains, pins and arms. If your garage door uses a belt and rail instead of a chain, inspect the belt and try lubricating the rail. Don't forget to wipe off any excess lubricants as you go along.

Step 4: We don't recommend you adjust garage door springs yourself, as this may cause injury. This job is best left to the professionals. However, you should inspect springs to ensure they are working correctly and maintain them by wiping them with an oily cloth to remove dust and debris.

Step 5: Check the door's balance, limit, and force. If you find any issues, call a garage door specialist, as you can risk injury or worsening the problem if you try to fix it yourself. Use the opener to open and close the door several times to help the lubricants work their way around the moving parts and to test whether the above steps have made your door quieter.

Maintenance to Help Your Garage Door Stay Quiet

Performing garage door maintenance every few months will help it stay in great condition and prevent it from becoming noisy. It's also recommended that youhave your garage door professionally serviced annually. A garage door service with one of Steel-Line's experienced technicians helps to identify issues before they turn into noisy problems that keep you and your neighbours awake at night.