Problems · Noisy
Noisy garage door
A door that grinds, squeaks or shakes usually has worn rollers or dry hinges. Here's how to tell which.
Listen while it runs
Run the door once and watch the rollers where the track curves. Grinding or wobble there means worn rollers.
Stand near the hinges between the panels. A squeak there is dry metal, and a tune-up takes care of it.
Look along the tracks and brackets for bolts that have backed out. Years of vibration loosen them.
Shaky or slow?
- A door out of balance, from a spring that has lost tension with age
- Bolts in the tracks and brackets that have worked loose
- Rollers dragging in the track
You can check the balance yourself with the test on the tune-up page.
A tune-up starts at $139. A full set of nylon rollers with sealed bearings starts at $289.
What can raise it
- A spring that has lost too much tension to adjust and needs replacing
- Cables or drums that turn out to be worn
We price it at the door, before the work starts.
A bang is a different problem
A bang as the door opens or closes usually means a section is coming off a bent track. Stop using the door and call us. That one shouldn't wait. If you heard a single loud bang and now the door won't go up at all, that's a spring: see Door won't open.
Questions
What makes a garage door grind?
Worn rollers, most of the time. Steel rollers with no bearings, and nylon ones past their life, grind against the track.
Do I need new rollers or just a tune-up?
Squeaky hinges and loose bolts need only the tune-up. Grinding at the rollers means a new set.
Why is my garage door so slow?
Often it's out of balance. When the spring loses tension, the opener has to make up the difference, and over time that wears out its gear.