Sounds That Mean You Need a Garage Door Repair
At times, your garage door repairs are due to specific areas of your door malfunctioning or breaking. In other cases, the repairs you need to schedule come about due to unwanted sounds you have. These sounds are not only irritating, but they lead to larger issues if they’re not addressed promptly or at all. Just be sure to contact a specialist immediately. Even if you don’t know the severity of the damage, a professional is able to tell you. What you need is to know what the sounds are and what they mean. None of these sounds should be taken lightly, and none of them should be ignored.
Screeching
When you have worn out rollers, a misalignment will result in undeniable screeching. The rollers of your garage door are designed to fit within your tracks. These tracks help to guide your garage door as it opens and closes. Keeping your door moving in an absolutely straight path ensures that the door is balanced and in unison. At times, the rollers leave the tracks they’re intended to pass in and out of. In other cases, the rollers have a slight misalignment and will rub tightly up against the tracks they’re in. What you’ll then notice is a loud, screeching sound.
Squeaking
No matter what component is squeaking, this sound is usually caused by poor lubrication. Metal can safely move against metal, but a lubricant of some sort is required for this to happen. Though it’s not often seen by the naked eye, a thin layer of lubrication will space out metal surfaces. Metal surfaces that rub against each other will eventually result in a heat buildup. This might warp, bend or damage the metal parts in your door. Squeaking can be found between the panels of the door, within the track rollers or where your door springs are installed.
Sudden Bangs
The balance of your garage door in Irvine is achieved with the help of garage door springs. These springs are either installed above your door or on the vertical sides of it. The horizontal spring is called the torsion spring and helps the door to stabilize as it rises or falls. This spring, when broken or damaged, will release the door in such a way that it causes a loud bang. The same is true if the vertical springs are damaged. These tension springs release the door in such a fury that you’ll hear it drop or jolt. Banging might even happen multiple times in one sequence of opening.
Buzzing and a Stalled Door
Your garage door opener is powered by an electric motor, and this engine might produce a high-pitched buzz when it’s overcompensating. The parts of your opener generate force and constant friction. As they move when damaged or overstressed, their movements may work to exacerbate any damage that might exist. The buzzing will come from loose parts or pieces that are spinning out of place. Buzzing is a sign of components moving faster than they should. Parts might even go into spaces they aren’t intended to be in. Be sure to call for help if the door stalls.
Rattling
Every garage is different but will require bolts and screws to stabilize panels and other assemblies. When screws and bolts loosen, they will cause other areas of the door to loosen. Since the movement of any garage door creates inertia and friction, the residual energy will follow the path of least resistance. Wherever screws and bolts are loose, the door will rattle the most, and this will be audible. Just don’t let a small rattle go on without being serviced or examined for a garage door repair.
A Slapping Cadence
Slapping, when audible, occurs with a specific cadence, and you should be able to time it when your door is in operation. This is because the belt or chain your door opener uses becomes loose and freely moves. The belt or chain is attached to the motor of your opener and the actual door. As the belt moves, it allows the door to move also. These belts and chains can eventually lose their tension and become stretched. When they do, the excessive material will likely make contact with the ceiling. This results in a slapping cadence for each time the ceiling gets hit.
Clicking Metal
Though this sound could be caused by other parts, springs will click if they’re loose. Keep in mind that you’ll only have one of two types of springs. They are on the left and right sides of the door or found as a single one above a threshold. Aged, worn springs will click because they’re loose and thus rattle within themselves. The origin of the clicking sound can be confirmed when you are locating each individual spring.
Scraping
During your garage door installation, it’s important for your contractor to properly measure and thus calibrate your door. By measuring your garage’s threshold, professionals will be able fit the right garage door size to your space. If the door is too big, for example, then you will eventually hear scraping. This sound comes from the sides of your door rubbing up against the sides of your garage’s threshold. Scraping can be a result of a misalignment in the door also. When doors lose their balancing, they have a tendency to lean more to one side than the other.
Calling About Your Garage Door Repair
Feel free to call anytime you need a garage door repair. However, feel just as invited to contact a professional when you hear the sounds above. A simple conversation with a professional contractor will cost you nothing. Be sure to express your concern and what you’ve been hearing. Allow a specialist to guide you into a better inspection or to do an inspection for you. As you get a professional involved, don’t hesitate to ask if they can visit when it’s most convenient for you.
Just don’t allow small problems to become unmanageable or turn into a need for an entire replacement. The guide above will also help you when you’re describing what you hear.
