One of the problems that our garage door repair customers have is that their tracks have become bent. There are many reasons that this can happen. The most common issue, is that general use will cause the tracks to get out of alignment. Here’s how you can repair a garage door track.
Reasons Garage Door Tracks Become Bent
In addition to general use, there are other reasons we have found that tracks can become bent. Some of these reasons include:
- The cable has broken
- Footings or jambs are rotten or decayed
- Broken drums
- Not enough lubrication on the rollers
- The vertical track scrapes
- The metal used to make the track has weakened
We’ve seen these as causes to tracks bending on our customer’s doors. Our technician can identify the problem and then resolve it. If you don’t know why the track has bent, then you won’t be able to fix the core issue.
How to Know The Tracks Are Bent
Typically, a track will start bending before it becomes blatantly obvious. There are some signs that can be indicator that your tracks are getting out of alignment. These can be some of the things you should look for:
- Loud noises when the door is in operation
- Shaky door as it is opening or closing
- Rollers are worn on one side or the other
- One track is hanging lower than the other
- You see a crack in the metal
It is a good idea to inspect your assembly on occasion. If you catch these issues ahead of time, it will keep you from having higher repair bills later on. Our technicians can come out and re-align your door to keep it from bending or breaking altogether.
How to Repair a Garage Door Track
When one of your tracks break, you will need to make the repair. Otherwise, the door can fall and present a dangerous situation. In order to restore your garage to safety, the damaged track must be replaced.
In order to make the repair, you will have to:
- Raise the door above the junction where to the two sections meet
- Mark the position of the track angle with a permanent marker
- Remove the bolts that connect the track
- Take the track off of the door jam
- Put the new track in place
- Mark where the vertical track meets
- Cut any excess off the top of the track
- After you made the cut, line up the vertical track
- Use a vice grip to make sure the two sections of the track are aligned
- Use a marker to mark where you need to place the bolts
- Release the clamp and take the track off
- Pre-drill holes in the track where you marked with the marker
- Install the track on the jam
After you have tightened all of the bolts, you will want to open and close the door to check it. If the wheels don’t turn, then the bolts are too tight. You’ll need to loosen them. Try again to see if it works. When the door moves without a problem, then you are done.
Contact Us For a New Track
We recommend that you have one of our technicians come out and make the new installation. They will determine the problem with your assembly and then make the repair. Our team is trained to handle all repairs and installations.
Call today so we can come out and take care of your work.
