Why is my garage door so loud?
A new noise usually means something on the door has changed. Merlin's support page says unusual sounds from a garage door or gate can mean it needs lubrication, alignment or a replacement part, and that the dealer is the one to ask.
Gliderol's troubleshooting page names the usual suspects: loose hardware such as track brackets and U-shaped buckles, worn rollers or hinges, and spring problems. Steel-Line's sectional door manual adds plain dirt. An excessively noisy door can simply need its tracks and hinges cleaned, it says, and brick dust from building work nearby is a common culprit.
Garage door noises and what they usually point to
| What makers link it to | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Squeak from the hinges or rollers | Dry or dirty moving parts, or worn rollers and hinges, which Gliderol lists | Clean, then lubricate what your manual names. If it keeps coming back, have the rollers checked |
| Metal on metal rumble from a sectional door | Steel rollers running in steel tracks, which Steel-Line says are loud | Ask a door specialist about nylon rollers |
| Rattle or clunk while the door moves | Loose hardware such as track brackets, on Gliderol's list | Leave the tightening and lining up to a door specialist |
| Rattle as the door comes down and shuts | One of the signs of a worn bottom weather seal that B&D gives | Look at the seal for cracks and flat spots |
| Grinding or squealing from the motor | Gliderol links grinding to worn drive gears and squealing to a worn or misaligned belt | Stop using the motor and book an opener repair |
| Grinding or scraping from the door | Merlin says to stop using the door and have it fixed straight away | Stop and tell us the job |
| A loud bang, then a heavy door | One of the signs of a broken spring that B&D lists | Never touch it yourself. Keep clear and tell us the job |
Squeaky garage door rollers and hinges
On a sectional or panel lift door, the rollers and hinges make most of the squeaks. Steel-Line says metal rollers in metal tracks are loud, while nylon ones are much quieter, need no lubricant and less upkeep. It also says a standard five-section door has a dozen rollers, and that all of them should be swapped together.
Oil only helps the parts made for it. B&D says to oil sectional door rollers only when they are steel, never nylon, and Steel-Line's sectional manual says plastic rollers lubricate themselves at the bearing, so only the stem takes oil. The lubricant guide sets out what each maker says to use.
Steel-Line's maintenance guide also says to check rollers for cracks, chips and wear. A cracked or chipped roller is a part to swap rather than oil, and the rollers, tracks and hinges page covers that job.
A noisy or squeaky roller door
A roller door has no rollers to oil. Its curtain runs in two side guides, and the makers are firm about what goes in them. B&D's Series 1 manual says grease or oil in the guides clogs the Nylofelt running strips. Gliderol says the Polyglide guides on its Series A and AA doors are self lubricated, so nothing should go on them at all.
When a Roll-A-Door is hard to run, B&D's manual gives three things to check first: that the Nylofelt strips have not slipped and jammed, that the curtain runs true in straight guides, and that the guides are clean. If it is still hard work after that, B&D says the spring tension needs adjusting by an experienced door specialist. Steel-Line warns owners never to tension a roller door themselves.
Steel-Line also describes a roller door that is out of balance: it won't stay up, rolls up loosely, strains the motor, is hard to open or slams shut. Any of those, with or without a noise, is a roller door repair.
A noisy garage door opener or motor
Listen for whether the sound is in the motor or in the door. Gliderol's motor help page says grinding usually means worn drive gears, and squealing suggests a worn or misaligned belt. Both need professional attention, it says, so stop using the motor and have it looked at.
Opening up a motor is not an owner's job either. Merlin's MT3850EVO manual says that opener needs no extra lubrication inside, and gives owners one task: lightly greasing the belt, the belt pulley and the inside of the rail where the trolley slides, once a year. Other openers have their own instructions, so check the manual for yours. On a chain drive, ATA's GDO-6 manual puts lubricating the chain in the list of what a service covers.
If the opener grinds, squeals or labours, see opener and motor repairs.
Never chase a noise into the springs or cables
Gliderol says never to adjust or repair door springs yourself. Steel-Line warns never to loosen any fastener on a sectional door's torsion spring assembly or its bottom cable fixtures, because the spring can unwind or an open door can fall. If the sound seems to come from a spring, a cable or the drum above a roller door, stop there and leave it to a door specialist.
How to track down a garage door noise
Watch one full cycle from a safe spot
Stand well clear and run the door once with the remote, all the way up and back down. B&D says never to touch or adjust parts while the door is moving, so look and listen only.
Note when and where it happens
On the way up, on the way down, or at one point only? From one side, from the top, or from the motor? That detail is the most useful thing you can pass on.
Close the door, then take the opener out of the loop
Disengage the opener the way its manual shows, with the door fully closed. Chamberlain advises using the emergency release only on a closed door where you can, because a door on weak or broken springs may drop without warning.
Run the door by hand
Skip this if you heard a bang or the door suddenly feels heavy. Otherwise, B&D's Smart Pro manual says a door run by hand should move smoothly and need no more than 20kg of force at the bottom rail. Quiet by hand but loud under power points to the opener; noisy both ways points to the door.
Clean the tracks or guides
B&D's guide to a squeaky door says to clean sectional door tracks and seals with mineral turps or methylated spirits about every 4 to 6 weeks, and to polish the inside of a rolling door's guides. Wear gloves, since Steel-Line warns the track edges can be sharp.
Lubricate only what your manual names
Then oil or spray the parts your own door's manual lists, sparingly, and wipe off the excess. The lubricant guide has each maker's advice.
Reconnect and listen again
Re-engage the opener as its manual shows, stand clear and run one more cycle. If the sound is still there, or it was a grind, scrape or bang to begin with, tell us the job.
What to tell the door specialist
- Roller door, or sectional or panel lift door
- What the sound is like: squeak, rumble, rattle, grind, scrape or bang
- When it happens: opening, closing, the whole way, or at one spot
- Whether it seemed to come from the door or the motor
- Whether it started suddenly, or after building work or a storm
- The make and model from the door and opener labels
- What you have already cleaned or sprayed, and with what
What you can do, and what to leave
You can
- Watch and listen to a full cycle from a safe spot
- Clean tracks and guides the way your manual says
- Lubricate the parts your manual names, sparingly
- Check the bottom seal for cracks or flat spots
Leave to a door specialist
- Worn or cracked rollers and hinges
- Loose track brackets and fixings
- Springs, cables, drums and roller door tension
- Grinding or squealing inside the opener
What we would do
Change one thing at a time. Clean the tracks, run the door and listen, then lubricate and listen again. If you do it all at once and the noise stops, you won't know what cured it, and if it returns you will have less to tell the door specialist.