What Rollers Do
Rollers are the small wheels on short stems that ride inside the tracks, usually five or more on each side of the door. When they wear out, they flatten, wobble or stop spinning and start dragging, and the door gets loud and rough. A dragging roller also makes the opener work harder and wears the track.
Signs Your Rollers Are Worn
- Grinding, squealing or a metal-on-metal sound as the door moves.
- The door shakes or hops instead of gliding.
- Wheels that are chipped, cracked, flat-spotted or wobbly on the stem.
- Black grit building up under the tracks.
Steel or Nylon?
A lot of builder doors come with plain steel rollers. Nylon rollers with sealed ball bearings run much quieter and usually last longer, especially on a door that gets used all day. They cost more per roller. Zach will show you both and let you pick.
How Zach Does It
He replaces the whole set, since rollers wear together and a mixed set means another call later. The bottom rollers sit in brackets connected to the lift cables, which are under spring tension, so those take extra care. He checks the hinges and track while he's in there, lubricates the moving parts, and runs the door so you can hear the difference before he leaves.
Still loud after new rollers? See noisy garage door repair for the other common causes.