Squeaking, grinding, banging, popping? Here's what each garage door noise actually means, and which ones are urgent. From a Fort Collins technician.
Garage doors talk to you before they break. Here's how to translate the squeaks, pops, grinds, and bangs — and which ones mean call us today.
A garage door should be the quietest thing in your house — a soft hum and a gentle thunk. If yours sounds like a freight train or a haunted house, it's trying to tell you something. After years of service calls in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor, we can usually diagnose a problem from the noise alone over the phone. Here's the sound-by-sound translation.
Loud bang (single, sudden) — that's almost always a torsion spring snapping. It sounds like a gunshot or a firework going off in your garage. Don't try to open the door. The spring is the only thing counterbalancing the door's weight, and without it the opener can't safely lift the door. Call us at 970-408-9827. Most spring replacements in Northern Colorado run $250–$400 installed and are done same-day.
Grinding or scraping (every time it moves) — usually worn or broken rollers, or rollers that have come out of the track. Steel rollers wear out around year 7–10; nylon rollers last 15–20 years and run almost silent. A roller upgrade is one of the best $100–$250 you'll spend on an older door.