What is this rattling, banging, rumbling, and clinking in the garage? Is the garage door noisy, driving you crazy not knowing why, not knowing what to do? You will be happy to know that you are not alone. All garage door owners face such a problem from time to time – at least, the majority of them. But you won’t be pleased to know that noises always hide some problems. And some of them are extremely serious since they have to do with the garage door springs, the tracks, or the opener.
So, let’s take one thing at a time.
What is this garage door noise?
Rumbling
Rumbling noises are usually a product of garage door spring problems. The spring coils may be loose, there might be a need for spring adjustment.
Clinking
You will hear a clinking sound when there’s rust, usually built on spring coils.
Rattling
Loose bolts and nuts create rattling noises. The opener chain may also be loose. There might be a need to align the garage door tracks or put the door back on tracks.
Squeaking
That’s the distinguished sound garage door rollers make when they glide on tracks without lubricants to act as a protective layer. So, there’s a need for lubrication. Such a noise may also indicate hinge problems. Such components need lubrication as well.
Banging
This is likely a loud sound and often comes from the garage door panels or when the door comes off track.
Scraping
Such sounds indicate that the garage door is not balanced and so, is likely scraping against the jamb.
These are the most characteristic sounds that your garage door SHOULD NOT make. Yes, chain drive garage door openers make noises. All garage doors & openers make some kind of noise. But the concerns arise when the noise is not normal, when it is out of the ordinary sound your garage door makes.
Make a note here.
An improperly installed garage door will also (most likely) make some weird noises. So, don’t ignore the noises thinking that this is a new garage door and so, the sounds are normal. Better be safe than sorry. Call someone to check and maybe do some garage door repairs.
Which are the common garage door problems that cause noises
Your overhead garage door will become noisy if it’s not lubricated, if it is very old and hardly maintained, or one of its parts is damaged, rusty, or loosened up. Think about it. When parts get misaligned or come off their place (even a little bit), there’ll be vibrations – hence, noises. If some parts are corroded or not lubricated, there’ll be noises.
By knowing the cause, you can think of the solution.
Ways to reduce garage door noises?
If you think about it, one of the reasons why garage door maintenance services are recommended is that they eliminate noises. The whole point is to keep the fasteners tightened, the moving parts lubricated, the springs adjusted and in good condition, the opener chain lubed and adjusted, the tracks aligned.
So, what’s the solution to your problem? First of all, if you want to avoid noises altogether, the wise thing to do is sign up for professional, regular garage door maintenance service. Then, if you want to eliminate a certain noise right now, you need to understand first where it comes from. Is it coming from the garage door hinges, the rollers, the springs, the fasteners?
Finding the source of the noise is half the battle. Then, you simply have to fix what’s wrong. Or, rather call a garage door service technician for the job to be sure it’s done right and without putting your safety at any risk.
How serious garage door noises are?
Sometimes, they are the voice of your garage door sending out help signs. And if you see the signs – in other words, if you pay attention to the noise, understand it’s a problem, and call for repairs with no delay, the problem – serious or not, will be solved.
If you consider that most noises happen when there’s a problem with major parts – like, tense garage door cables and springs, then, yes, odd sounds are serious. So, take quick action the moment you hear a popping, scraping, or rattling noise.
