Why Garage Doors Come Off Track
If you’re a homeowner, your garage door might be your primary mode of entering and exiting your home. You use it so often that it’s hard to miss when something is off or not working as it used to. A skewed garage door can be one of those noticeable faults. While straightening your door or moving it back into place can seem like an obvious and easy solution, an uneven garage door can signal a more serious issue like a derailed door.
Garage doors coming off the track can occur more often than you might think and lead to issues like an uneven or collapsing door. But what causes an off-the-track garage door? To help you figure this out, we’ve compiled some common reasons why garage doors and rollers come off their track and tips on what to do if your door gets derailed.
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Reasons Garage Doors and Rollers Come off Track
These are the most common reasons doors and rollers come off their track:
1. Derailed and Worn Rollers
Your garage door rollers connect the track to the door, helping it seamlessly open and close. This roller can deteriorate over time, causing it to become unstable, jammed in the track or fall out. When one or more rollers wear, come loose or get stuck, your garage door can derail or go off track.
2. Track Damage
A damaged track is one of the main reasons your garage door might derail. Factors like an object caught in your rail, a door impact or a poorly installed track can damage the track. If your garage door track becomes damaged or bent, it can obstruct the door and rollers. Because of this obstruction, your door cannot glide smoothly on the track, jumping out of place when opening and closing it.
3. Broken Springs
Garage door springs are found on both sides of the door. They support and balance the weight of your garage door. If one breaks, this weight becomes uneven, putting more strain on the other door end when operating it. This excess and uneven weight can cause your door to fall off the track.
4. Door Damage
A garage door can become damaged in an impact, such as someone driving a car or riding a bike into it. This impact can damage the bottom and top edges of your door panel, bend the track and misalign the rollers, derailing your door.
5. Loose Components
Various components like nuts and bolts hold your track in place. Without proper maintenance, these parts can come loose each time your door moves up and down the track. If they fall out, your track can move out of place or become misaligned, causing your door to fall off.
What to Do if Your Garage Door Keeps Coming off Track
Contacting your local garage repair company is one of the first things to do if you notice an off-track garage. They can provide professional advice, inspection and repairs if needed.
You can also assess your track and rollers to help your technicians understand the severity of the damage. Here are some steps to follow when inspecting your garage door track:
1. Disconnect the Opener
Disconnect the opener so you can manually and safely operate your garage door. Find the string hanging from your opener control panel and tug on it to switch your garage door to manual.
2. Assess the Track and Rollers
Next, manually lift your door and inspect your rollers and tracks to identify the cause of your derailed door:
- Rollers: You can identify a missing roller by lifting your door and locating where the wheels jump off. Carefully open your garage door until you reach the missing wheels, and place snap-locking pliers underneath the track to secure your door at this spot.
- Dents: Look for dents and other track damage that could derail your door. You can flatten or straighten minor dents with a hammer or mallet.
- Loose track: Check if your door track is detached from your wall. Your track might be loose or separated from the garage wall. If you have an unattached track, you can tighten the bolts with a wrench or ratchet to secure it back in place.
- Bent track: If you notice excessive damage like a bent track, it’s best to leave it to the professionals as it might require a replacement.
- Misalignment: Check your track alignment with a level to ensure it’s even. If you have misaligned tracks, unscrew the brackets, secure the roller, and gently move your track back in place.
3. Adjust and Lubricate the Rollers
If you have missing rollers, you can put them back in place by opening the track with pliers and inserting them correctly. Remember to close the track securely after placing the rollers in place. Spray grease or lubricant on your rollers to prevent them from jamming or falling out.
4. Test Your Garage Door
After assessing your track and putting your rollers back in place, follow these steps to test your door accurately:
- Manually lift and lower your door, checking if it is operable without falling off the track.
- Test your door a few times before reconnecting the opener.
- If your track and roller issues persist, leave your door on manual until you get professional help to avoid causing further damage.
FAQs About Off-The-Track Garage Doors
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about garage door tracks.
- Why do garage door rollers come off track? Some reasons garage door rollers come off their track include lack of lubrication, improperly secured and misaligned tracks, and dirt and dust build up in your tracks.
- Why does my garage door come off track? One of the main reasons for off-the-track garage doors is damaged, bent or broken tracks impacting the roller and door functionality.
- How do I stop my garage door from coming off track? Frequently inspecting, cleaning and maintaining your garage door components is the best way to prevent them from going off track. Some maintenance can include regularly removing dirt, dust and debris from the tracks and lubricating your rollers. You can also inspect and tighten the track bolts if needed.
Contact Valley Overhead Door For Professional Garage Door Repairs
If your garage door is off the track, the best solution is to trust the experts for professional roller and track repairs. At Valley Overhead Door, we know the importance of reliable and knowledgeable services for repairing off-the-track garage doors. We’ve been servicing clients in Salem, Albany and Corvallis with all their garage door needs for over 20 years, and we’d love to help you, too!
Contact us today to learn more, schedule a service appointment, or request an estimate for garage door repairs or replacements.