Is Your Garage Door Off Track?
If your garage door is off-track, it’ll be out of operation until you repair it. A broken garage door is frustrating, as it can trap your car inside and expose your home to the elements. The good news, however, is that a professional at Good Guys Garage Door Repair can take care of the fix quickly, and there are ways to prevent the issue in the future.Â
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR GARAGE DOOR IS OFF TRACK
The first step for DIY garage door repair is to identify the source of the problem. When a garage door is off-track, it may get stuck, hang loosely from the tracks, or sit at an awkward angle. If you experience any of these issues, do not attempt to force the door open or closed. Trying to force a door to work is dangerous and could bend your tracks, cause more rollers to pop out, and damage your system.
WHAT CAUSES A GARAGE DOOR TO GO OFF TRACK?
Knowing why your garage door came off-track can help you prevent the situation from happening again. Most garage doors have between 10 and 12 rollers, and if any come off the track, you can spot them with a quick visual inspection. Taking care to ensure your safety, enter your garage and look at the tracks mounted on either side of the door. Common causes for garage rollers to come off the tracks include:
- Damaged tracks:Â Bent or damaged tracks can force rollers out of alignment.
- Loose tracks:Â The vibration of your door can loosen the bolts that hold the tracks in place.
- Force and impacts:Â If you hit your garage door with your car, you could send rollers off-track.
- Dirt and lack of lubrication: Built-up dirt and grime and lack of lubrication can throw rollers off-track.
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HOW TO FIX OFF-TRACK GARAGE DOOR ROLLERS
Once you know the cause of your issue, you can be confident in your repairs and fix the off-track garage door. If your rollers came off due to a problem with your tracks, for instance, you’ll want to address the tracks before setting the rollers back into place. If an issue with your garage door track causes the rollers to be off, it’s essential to have a professional take care of the repair. A professional garage door repair technician will tighten and secure all your hardware, clean your tracks using a household cleaner, and lubricate all your metal hardware with a silicone spray. To fix off-track garage door rollers, they’ll follow these steps:
- Disconnect the power:Â Pull the rope hanging down from the motor to engage manual operation for the door.
- Align the door:Â Line the rollers up to where they jumped off the track, locking the door in place with vice grips.
- Open the track:Â To make room for the roller, use a pair of pliers to open the track, then guide the roller into place.
- Close the track:Â Using a rubber or wooden mallet, hammer the track back into shape to prevent the rollers from coming off again.
- Check the door:Â Open and close the door a few times to check the repair before reconnecting your automatic garage opener.
Once a professional has put the rollers back on track, you can perform some simple preventative maintenance to prevent the garage door rollers from going off-track again:
- Regularly inspect the rollers and track: Remember to check your rollers and track now and then. Ensure rollers are in the proper places and the track is debris-free.
- Apply lubricant: You can also apply lubricant for the rollers to run smoothly on the track.
What to Do When Your Garage Door is Off-Track?
A common problem with automatic overhead garage doors is that the garage door is off track. Garage doors are great…when they work! Our lives are hectic, chaotic, and fast-paced. The last thing we want to worry about is our garage door not cooperating.
This is a problem that needs to be addressed right away for obvious safety concerns. You typically have a car stuck inside or outside the closed garage door.
The sooner you learn to get your garage door on its tracks again, the quicker you can get on with your day. Identifying the problem early on can save a lot of headaches. More importantly, it can prevent tremendous damage when you can recognize the signs.