It’s not uncommon for a garage door to come off its track. This can happen because of a number of things. But your garage door won’t work if it has come off of the tracks.
The garage door may become stuck, hang off to one side or seem loose. But luckily, this is a problem that can be easily fixed, but not by you. You should never attempt to put the garage door back on its tracks.
Why is my Garage Door Off Track?
If you know why the door came off the track it can help prevent it from happening again. The garage door may come off track due to a few different problems.
Dirty or dry tracks will not work properly. If there is a buildup of dirt or grime, the garage door mechanics can bind up and can come off track.
If the door was damaged somehow, (like if you hit it with your car or something else) it can cause the tracks to bend, break or get knocked loose.
Vibrations can cause the tracks to shake loose or come away from the wall. This can happen from usual use or if you have neglected to have your garage door properly inspected and maintained over the years.
Broken springs can also knock your garage door off track. The broken garage spring will cause one side to carry the load and the garage door will fall off track under the uneven weight of the door.
Is Your Garage Door Off Track? Follow these Safety Tips
If your garage door is not working properly or you think your garage door is off track, you should not try to fix it yourself.
Stay Away From the Garage Door
If the door becomes stuck or slides off to one side, don’t get near it. Keep the kids and pets away, too. It may fall down and someone could get injured. If the car is still inside, find another way to work.
Call The Professionals
Call someone to come over and check out the garage door. It is too dangerous for you to try and fix it yourself. The door is very heavy, so you will not be able to get it back on the tracks yourself.
Shut off Power
Make sure the power is off to the garage door opener and disable any remotes, wall-buttons or keypads if you have a battery-backup operated unit. You don’t want the door to get activated by accident or someone using the remote if they don’t know the garage door is off track.
Don’t Move the Garage Door
Don’t try to lift the door up to get the car out. You don’t want to get hurt by trying to shove the garage door up or down. You also run the risk of damaging the door by trying to lift it or pull it back down.
Don’t Adjust Anything
Don’t try to fix anything, in particular, the bottom bracket. It is connected to the spring system that operates the door. When the bracket is loosened it releases tension from the spring and could cause serious injury, death or damage to the garage door.
Assess the Problem
If you can safely get into the garage, you can take a quick look to see if the garage door is off track. You should never get up close to it, just try to see if that is the problem.
Call your garage door technician to come and check the problem. We have the tools and the knowledge to fix these problems quickly and safely. We can tell if the door can be repaired or may need to be replaced.
Team Taylor Doors strives to be the best garage door repair company Kansas City has to offer.
