Your garage door should mostly be the strong, silent type. You might hear some noise when the door is opening or closing, but you shouldn't hear a lot of noise. If your garage door starts making more noise than usual, or it is making strange noises, that's a good indication that there's a problem with your garage door.
It's important that you call a garage door repair service right away if you notice strange noises coming from your garage door. Here are a few of the most common reasons that you might have a noisy garage door:
The Door Is Old
Things wear out as they age. Garage doors break down over time. The materials can erode, and parts can loosen or stop working as they once did. You may need a new garage door installation if that's what's happening.
Older garage doors are also made differently. Older garage doors didn't have the same design advancements that garage doors have now to minimize noise. Have a garage door technician inspect the door and see if its time is up.
The Opener Needs to Be Replaced or Repaired
The opener controls the garage door, and if it starts malfunctioning, it can make a lot of noise itself or it can cause the door to jerk sporadically and create a lot of noise. Your garage door opener may also be making more noise if it's a chain-drive opener, which tends to make significantly more noise than a belt-drive opener.
The only way to know for sure is to call a garage door repair service to inspect the opener and find out if it's the source of your problem. 📖 Related: 5 Surprising Reasons You Should Replace Your Garage Door Opener
Fasteners Have Come Loose
There are a lot of nuts, bolts, hinges, and other fasteners on different parts of your garage door and its framing and opening mechanism. If any of these come loose, the door won't move as smoothly in its tracks, and it will make a lot of noise. You may hear rattling, screeching, and all kinds of other noises.
Call in a garage door repair service immediately. Hopefully, all you'll need is to have some fasteners tightened. But if you leave the issue untended, you might have more damage on your hands and more expensive repairs.
📖 Related: 7 Regular Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Garage Door Functioning
Parts Need Lubricating
In addition to the fasteners, a lot of springs, hinges, and rollers are attached to your garage door to assist in its operation. These parts need to be properly lubricated to work well. When they dry out, not only is your garage door at risk, but you are also likely to hear a lot more noise coming from it.
Bob Vila's garage door maintenance guide recommends lubricating rollers, hinges, and springs at least twice a year using a dedicated garage door lubricant or white lithium grease — and notes that the tracks themselves should be wiped clean rather than lubricated, since excess product on the tracks can actually cause the rollers to slip.
You can call on a garage door service to perform routine maintenance on your garage door, or you can do this maintenance yourself. Just make sure you stick to the schedule or you'll end up with problems.
📖 Related: How and Why You Should Use Garage Door Lubricant
The Rollers Are Worn
When rollers wear down, the whole garage door will start making more noise. Steel rollers will last a long time, but they will also start making noise after a relatively short time. Nylon rollers last nearly as long as steel, and they operate much more quietly.
If it turns out that your garage door rollers are behind all the noise coming from your door, talk to your garage door service about replacing them with new rollers or switching to nylon rollers if you don't have them already.
The Door Is Off Balance
Your garage door must be properly balanced to move smoothly in its track — as well as to operate safely. If the door moves out of balance, it is going to throw the whole system off kilter, and you are going to have all kinds of metal bumping into metal and making a lot of noise.
Bob Vila's guide to garage doors that won't open identifies an out-of-balance door as one of the most common causes of both noise and operational failure — noting that an imbalanced door puts undue strain on the opener motor, springs, and cables, accelerating wear on every component in the system.
Call a same-day garage door service to look into the issue right away. Leaving a misaligned garage door untended can lead to a disaster that will damage your property and could seriously injure your family or your pets.
📖 Related: Common Causes of an Off-Track Garage Door
The Springs Are Worn or Losing Tension
Torsion springs that are nearing the end of their service life often announce the fact with noise before they fail completely. A creaking, popping, or squealing sound when the door operates — especially when it's moving up — can indicate that your springs are losing tension, dry, or corroding.
Springs that have gone without lubrication for extended periods are particularly prone to noise. Metal coils rubbing against each other without adequate protection create friction that not only generates sound but actively shortens the spring's life. DASMA's technical data on factors affecting spring cycle life confirms that improper lubrication and environmental exposure are among the leading variables that reduce spring performance and longevity.
If you hear popping or banging from the top of your garage door during operation, have a technician check the springs before they break entirely. A snapped spring is a much more expensive and inconvenient repair than a preventive inspection.
📖 Related: The Leading Signs That You Should Replace Your Garage Door Springs
Noisy Garage Door Repair in Mesa, Chandler, Tempe & Gilbert
There are a lot of reasons why your garage door may be making noises, but none of them are reasons you should ignore. Same Day Garage Door Services can diagnose and repair your garage door problems throughout Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Queen Creek, Ahwatukee, and the entire East Valley. Prompt repair or maintenance will help you avoid more serious problems that could threaten your home or your family. Our professionals are licensed, bonded, and insured, and we are five-star rated across the board.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation estimate, or schedule your service online. Call or text us at 480-750-7975.
Trevor L.
