What Problems Can Arise?

When you have defective garage door rollers, they won’t be able to support the weight of your garage door or its contents very well. If one or more of these is not working correctly, it could lead to many problems related to how smooth and operable your garage door will be. For example, if your garage door is heavy and you have defective rollers, it won’t be able to open or close properly. This can cause problems with the parts of your track designed to help guide the door’s weight.

If this happens simultaneously on either one or both sides, you must act fast and fix the problem before it worsens. The best way to determine if your rollers are defective is by getting them checked at least once yearly or earlier, depending on how much you use your garage door and its contents.

Signs Your Garage Door Rollers Need Replacement

Garage door rollers have cycle ratings and life expectancies. The average life of a roller is between five to seven years, but if they are used more often, you should consider replacing them sooner rather than later. If your garage door has been making strange or loud squeaking noises when opening and closing recently, this is a good indicator that the rollers are to blame.

In addition, If you see loose or bent components, this is another indicator that your rollers need replacing and chips and cracks in the rollers themselves. Rollers are made of rigid, durable materials but can wear out over time and must be replaced.

Just like with your car tires or the tires on an industrial vehicle, if you haven’t changed them in a long time, it might not be worth fixing them anymore because once the rubber has started degrading, it will probably continue to do so. The same goes for the rollers on your garage door because if they are already worn down, you might as well get rid of them and replace them with brand-new ones, which is usually more cost-effective than trying to repair damaged parts.

If you plan on regularly accessing the contents of your garage, then it would be best to replace them before they fail because not only will this cost more in repairs, but it will also cause inconvenience if you cannot access what is stored within.

When Do Garage Rollers Need Replacing?

Depending on the cycle ratings of your garage door rollers, which you can usually find on the documentation, you must replace them when they show signs of wear. On average, a garage door is opened and closed about 1500 times yearly.

If you are using nylon garage rollers which are typically rated 10,000 cycles, then you would expect them to last about eight years. However, the garage door opener and its springs must also be considered, as they will impact how many cycles a roller can handle before wearing out altogether.

If you are having problems with your rollers, it is best practice to replace them sooner rather than later because if one breaks or wears out while your door is open, it will be challenging to close it again.

The Lifespan of Different Garage Door Rollers

There are many types of garage door rollers, each with its lifespan. Typically the more expensive they are, the longer you can expect them to last years.

If your garage is large enough and requires two sets of rollers per door, it would be best to replace both simultaneously because if one location fails before another, only half is holding the whole thing in place. Here are the different types of garage door rollers and their average lifespan:

Plastic garage rollers
These are cheap and are only meant to be used for small garages. They can last up to five years if you’re lucky, but it depends on how much they get used; the more often the garage door is opened, the shorter lifespan of these rollers will typically be.

Steel Garage Rollers

Steel rollers have versions with ball bearings and without. The ones with ball bearings typically last longer, but they are more expensive than the ones without. They’re usually quite noisy, but they can last up to 15 years as long as they are well-maintained.

Nylon Garage Door Rollers

Nylon rollers are the most expensive option, and they’re typically used on garages that need to be opened and closed at least once a day. The average lifespan of nylon rollers is between fifteen and twenty years, but it depends on the maintenance and how often the garage door is opened.

Getting Your Rollers Replaced

Replacing a defective or broken garage door roller requires specialized tools and equipment, as well as the skills of an experienced professional. The homeowner can replace garage door rollers, but it’s not recommended because of the risk involved with working on a live track system and dealing with electricity.

Getting an experienced professional to replace your rollers will ensure a safe and secure garage door, so you can return to using it as much as possible.

Extending the Garage Door Rollers Lifespan

Like other mechanisms with moving parts, garage door rollers require regular maintenance to ensure they work correctly. Rollers should be lubricated regularly, mainly if used extensively throughout the year. It is important to note that you should never use a WD-40 because it is not a lubricant but a degreaser.

A Silicone or Lithium-based grease is the best option for lubricating your rollers.