Four Step Guide To Checking The Tracks When Your Garage Door Will Not Open Or Close Correctly
Posted on: 8 June 2017
If you have noticed that your garage door is no longer opening and closing as smoothly as it did in the past, you may start to suspect that the door's tracks are causing the trouble. If so, use the following four-step guide to find or rule out possible issues with your garage door's metal tracks.
Step 1: Clean Mud And Dirt Out Of The Tracks
The first thing you should check when examining your garage door's tracks is for obvious signs of mud and dirt. If it starts building up inside the tracks, it can become impacted. Over time, the mud and dirt create a hard blockage in the track, making it difficult for the rollers to glide past them.
If you find any clumps, use a flathead screwdriver to scrape out the excess. However, do not try to remove the bottom layers with the screwdriver, as you could scratch or damage the metal on the tracks. Instead, use a long, stiff brush to remove the remaining dirt and caked-on mud.
Once you have removed any dirt, try opening and closing your garage. If it works properly, the dirt and mud were the issue. However, if you still find it difficult to move the door, go on to the next step.
Step 2: Check For Loose Screws Or Nails
After cleaning away the debris, you should now be able to get a better look at what is happening inside the tracks. The first thing you should look for are any loose screws or nails that may be sticking up, creating an obstacle for your garage door's rollers.
Tighten every screw that you see loose, and hammer any nails you see sticking up. Once these obstacles have been removed, try your garage door again. If you still cannot get it to open and close smoothly, go on to the next step.
Step 3: Look For Rust Along The Inside And Outside Of The Tracks
While or after you are checking and fixing any loose nails and screws, look for signs of rust along the inside and outside of the tracks. Especially if your garage door and the tracks are old, their constant exposure to moisture may have caused oxidation in the metal.
If you see signs of rust, use a metal brush to gently brush it away. However, if you see flakes of metal come up along with the rust powder, stop brushing, since this is a sign that your tracks have started to deteriorate. You may want to have a garage door repair service look at them to see if they should be replaced.
If you are able to remove the surface rust without any flaking, try the door again. If it still does not work properly, go on to the final step.
Step 4: See If The Tracks Are Level
After making sure the tracks are clean, rust free, and have no screws sticking up, the next thing to check is to see if the tracks are level. If they have shifted even slightly, the small angle made by the tracks could be pinching the rollers and the garage door, making the door difficult to move up and down.
Use a level to see if the tracks have shifted. If they have moved, a professional garage door repairman will be needed to straighten them back up and relieve the pressure on the door.
After going through the step above, you may still not be sure what issue is keeping you from smoothly opening and closing your garage door. If so, you may want to contact a garage door repair service like Georgia Garage Doors Inc. so they can inspect your door and tracks and discuss with you any options for fixing the problem.
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