Finding Great New Garage Doors

Loose, Bent, or Dirty Garage Door Tracks Can Cause Problems with Door Movement

19 December 2019

Gertrude Collins

If your garage door seems to have a hard time moving or if it stops moving completely, the tracks along the side could be to blame. It's good to have repairs done promptly when the door isn't gliding easily, or the rollers could be damaged and lead to more problems. Here why a garage door track can give you trouble and what a garage door repair service can do about it.

Loose Tracks

A noisy garage door may seem like a serious problem, but the fix might be simple if the cause is a loose track. When bolts or screws work loose, the track can rattle as the door moves. You might be able to repair this problem yourself if that's the only thing wrong with the door. Just tighten the hardware and see if that fixes the problem. If you'd rather not work on the door yourself, call a repair service rather than put up with the rattle so the vibrations don't cause other problems with your door.

Bent Tracks

If your garage door has been working fine and suddenly the door won't roll along the track, the problem could be a bent track that's blocking a roller. If you accidentally run into the track with a lawnmower, bump it with your car, or hit it in some other way, the metal side of the track can bend in and make the track so narrow that the roller has no room to move. It may be possible for a repair person to open the track back up and fix the problem quickly and easily. However, a track that's damaged badly enough could need to be replaced.

Dirty Tracks

When your garage door is lubricated well, the rollers glide along the track easily. When there's no lubrication, the rollers may stick and cause sluggish movement. Lubricating the rollers is part of regular maintenance you should do on your garage door so the door has a longer life. Another part of maintenance is cleaning debris out of the track. When sand and other debris accumulate in the track, it interferes with the lubrication, and the grit can even damage the rollers.

When you have repairs done to the track, you may want to get advice from the garage door repair person about how you can prevent problems in the future. If you don't have your owner's manual to consult, ask about how to keep the track clean and lubricated as well as what type of lubrication you should use. Proper maintenance can go a long way toward preventing problems with your garage door tracks.

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