A garage door is one of the main components of a modern home. Besides securing your automobiles in the garage, it adds to the aesthetic beauty or business space. Even more, the right garage door has the potential to appreciate a home’s resale value. However, this does not come without disadvantages.
You will need to ensure proper garage door installation, repair, maintenance, and genuine door parts replacement. While these activities will prolong the lifespan of your garage door, other problems such as the door coming off-track are common.
If your garage door starts coming off its track, it is crucial to stop operating it. Otherwise, it may cause damage, the spring might snap, or the panels might be broken, destroying its structural integrity. Here are the five common reasons why your garage door is going off-track;
- Misaligned garage door tracks.
- Broken lift cables.
- A broken spring.
- Worn out garage door rollers.
- Sudden impact.
Misaligned garage door tracks.
The efficient operation of your garage door largely depends on its tracks. It is the metallic plate where the door itself rolls upon. A garage door is quite heavy, and over time, this might compromise the door’s overall integrity. You will notice some of the fittings getting loose; the track is bent or the rollers wearing out. All these together will make the door roll off its track.
Sometimes there can be an obstruction in the tracks, from a simple bend or a rake handle getting in the way of the door, making the door wobble off the track. Many people ask, why has my garage door come off track? A simple door track misalignment could be the reason.
Broken lift cables.
A garage door has lift cables on either side of the door. The cables wind around the drum, attached to a shaft that holds the garage door spring. Even though problems with lift cables are unusual, they do happen when we least expect them. If you notice that your garage door is misaligned, the chances are that one of the lift cables is broken.
When this happens, all the weight transfers to one side with a working lift cable. This is why you will notice that one side of the door opens fully while the other lags and hangs mid-way. In this state, the rollers will come off the door track system.
A broken garage door spring.
The structural integrity of your garage door depends on the condition of its springs. A door will come off its track when the spring(s) break or snap. Whether it is a torsion or an extension spring, it has limited cycles that need replacement once depleted.
A garage door coming off track is common with garage doors with an extension spring on either side of the door. When one is worn out or broken, it is crucial to change both since it is not far from failing. When the door hangs on one side, the door can come off its track.
Worn out garage door rollers.
Quality garage door rollers enhance your garage door’s efficiency. If one of the rollers breaks or wears out prematurely, they might add stress to other rollers and other door components. The chances are that the additional stress will cause other rollers to stick and probably wear out prematurely as well. One of these reasons will cause the door to come off its track. Even more, the stress bends the rails, and thus the door will have an awful roll on its tracks.
A problem with one or two of the rollers will compromise the working and other components’ condition. Even worse, the opener might smoke out from a stuck garage door.
Sudden impact.
It is common to hit the door with your car when backing out or entering the garage. This is a common cause, especially when the door does not open fully. Or you could be hurrying out of the garage, and the automatic opener is quick enough; thus, you drive into the door. Sometimes, you could be backing into the door when you have not opened the door. All these could be a reason for your garage door coming off its track.
A sudden impact does not affect the door panels alone but the entire door system. It is safe to call a professional garage door specialist to analyze the extent of the damage. They will be able to get the door back onto its track and in proper working condition.
Other reasons why your garage door might come off its track.
Besides the reasons above, several issues with your garage door will make it come off its track. These include;
- Loosely fit door hardware.
- Obstruction in the door tracks.
- Low-quality rollers.
- Faulty garage door panels.
If you encounter any of these problems, call a garage door repair company near you. Besides, do not neglect regular garage door tune-up and inspection.
Author Bio:
Emma is a full-time content marketing specialist and a passionate writer who loves to write about creating an aesthetic and ambient living environment for everyone. She focuses on sharing ideas and techniques learned from his experience in a concise manner so that it can be used by everyone to make their surroundings beautiful to live in. Currently, She’s working with Garage Door Repair Services.
