What Causes a Noisy Garage Door?

All garage doors are complex systems with pulleys, springs and cables. Many garage doors are very noisy, for various reasons. It is actually quite easy to repair a noisy garage door. An experienced garage door repair professional will get it fixed for you in no time at all. But what causes a garage door to be noisy?

There are several reasons for a noisy garage door. To identify the causes of the noise, you should locate the spots that are responsible. There are some simple repair tasks that you can do yourself, but it is always better to hire a garage door repair professional to do the job for you. So, here are the causes of a noisy garage door.

Most Common Reasons for the Noise

It’s possible that the pulleys and/or rollers are damaged and worn out because of years of use. In that case, the bearings have to be replaced – which has to be done by a professional technician. It is also possible that the coils in the springs have become bent and are rubbing against each other during the opening and closing of the garage door, which causes noise. In this situation, the springs also need to be replaced. The metal rollers will have to be replaced as well, in case they have become noisy with age. Once replaced, it is important to lubricate all the parts of the garage door regularly.

Noisy Garage Door Opener

It is possible that the garage door opener is the reason behind the noise. So what type of garage door opener do you have? Is it a screw, a chain, or a belt drive? Chain drives are the noisiest of the lot. They do have other benefits that make up for the noise they make, such as the fact that they inexpensive, durable and work well in any condition, even in the harshest of weathers. So, if you have a chain drive opener, you should try lubricating it as often as you can and see if that reduces the noise a bit. Screw drives are not as noisy as chain drive openers, but they start making a lot of noise as well after a couple years of use. Belt drives make the least noise. So if cutting down the noise is your chief consideration, you should select garage doors with belt drives.

The Garage Door May Have Become Unbalanced

It is possible that the garage door has become unbalanced after years of use and may have malfunctioned. You can check the stability of the door by simply pulling the emergency cord so that you can open and close it manually. Raise the door halfway and then release it – if it is stable, it won’t move much. If it is unbalanced, it will start to fall. In that case, you should have it fixed by a garage door repair professional.

The Springs and Hinges May Have Worn Out

The springs and hinges used in garage doors get worn out with time, which causes the door to malfunction, hence the noise. While you won’t have much trouble replacing the springs on the sides of the door, the torsion springs at the top of the door are a different story altogether.

You should never attempt to replace the torsion springs on your own, as it is dangerous and is known to cause head injuries when done by those without adequate training. You must always hire a garage door repair professional to replace the torsion springs.

As far as the hinges are concerned, you can try oiling them and see if that reduces the squeaking noises made by the door. Now, if the hinge makes a grinding noise, you should get it replaced because the gear and the sprocket are malfunctioning. A professional technician will know what to do with it.

For the best garage door repair and installation in the Memphis area, trust only ASAP Garage Door and Gate Repair. With over 15 years of experience in the industry they provide you with the most professional service. You can call them at 901-461-0385 for a free estimate.