Common Causes of an Off-Track Garage Door

 

When you are dealing with an off-track garage door, it’s much more than a nuisance. You’ll have more than a problem with opening and closing the door, like a stuck zipper. Your garage door will actually be in danger of falling down, which can significantly damage your property or seriously injure or even kill someone.

 

 

It’s important that you know what can cause your garage door to go off the tracks so that you can try to prevent it, or so that you can identify the problem immediately and hire a professional same day garage door repair service. Here are a few common causes of an off-track garage door:

 

Hitting the Door with Your Car

The most common reason, by far, that garage doors come off the tracks is that the owners hit them with their cars.

People don’t mean to do this, of course. But they aren’t paying attention as they are backing out of or pulling into the garage.

Even if they hit the door gently, they can cause it to come loose from the tracks or to be misaligned.

You will need to have your garage door inspected and repaired right away if you hit it with your car, even if you feel like you hit it too lightly to cause damage.

You should also call your car and home insurance providers, as your policy may provide some coverage.

 

Poor-Quality Tracks

Horizontal tracks made of low-quality material are the second most common cause of garage doors coming off the tracks. If the tracks are not strong enough to support the weight of the door, they can buckle and cause the door to become misaligned.

Most garage door hardware should be made of 14-gauge steel, and the tracks should be properly reinforced to prevent problems.

Garage doors can also come off the tracks when the horizontal tracks are misaligned. The horizontal tracks need to be installed parallel, and they need to be aligned properly with the vertical rails.

If the tracks are loose or they are not lined up properly, you will have problems.

 

A Lift Cable Breaks

Lift cables are located on each side of the garage door, and they are responsible for helping to raise and lower the door.

The cables are wound around drums that are attached to a steel shaft that holds the torsion springs. The drums have grooves in which the lift cables must align.

If the cable is out of alignment, it can break. Those this is rare, it does happen.

The garage door won’t come crashing down if a lift cable breaks, but its weight will shift to one side. With all the weight on one side, the rollers and other elements will easily come out of alignment, which can cause your garage door to come off the tracks.

 

There’s Something In the Way!

After a long morning of working in your front yard, you might forget to put away all of your yard tools where they belong. You forgot that you left a rake leaning against the track and try to close the door. 

As the door is going down, the rake pushes one side of the door higher than the other side and causes the cable to come off of the drum. Yikes!

It doesn’t only have to be a broom or a yard tool. A box on a storage shelf that’s in the way can cause a lot of problems too!

Make a habit of checking the surroundings around the door to ensure that there is nothing in the way that can cause an off-track garage door.

 

The Rollers Wear Out or Break

The rollers help the garage door glide smoothly in the tracks.

If even one roller wears down or breaks, it can cause the weight of the garage door to shift so that it is putting more stress on the other rollers. Eventually, the other rollers could also break, or they could shift and cause the garage door to come off the tracks.

Alternately, the stress could cause the horizontal tracks to bend and come out of alignment.

 

A Safety Inspection Is Important!

It is important that you get regular garage door maintenance to ensure that all your door hardware and other components stay in good shape and do not come loose, causing other problems like having an off-track garage door.

If you do notice a problem with your door or any of its components, you should call a garage door repair service to come make the fixes as soon as possible. Having a garage door come off the tracks will be much more than a nuisance.

It could result in serious injury or very expensive repairs. Take some preventive measures to avoid a catastrophe.

Same Day Garage Door Services provides the garage door maintenance and repair you need in Arizona quickly. We serve the entire Phoenix area, and we service, repair, or replace any brand of garage door. Our technicians are licensed, bonded, and insured, and they provide high-quality and professional service.

Our company is rated five stars on Google, Yelp, and the BBB, so you can hire us with confidence. Call us today to schedule an appointment or to get a free, no-obligation estimate on a new garage door.

 

Same Day Garage Door Services, LLC
Email: samedaygaragedoorservices@gmail.com
ROC #308754

Gilbert Location
1176 East Warner Road #117
Gilbert, AZ 85296
Phone: 480-573-2359

 

Tempe Location
5861 S Kyrene Rd Suite 1
Tempe, AZ 85283
Phone: 480-750-7975

 

 

T