Do You Have Damaged Tracks On Your Garage Door?

One of the most easily damaged parts on your garage door is the tracks. Exposed in the interior of the garage door, these tracks often are hit by vehicles, bouncing balls and many other moving objects. Over time, these small dents can cause the tracks to weaken and become unstable. At some point, they may give way, endangering you, your vehicle or members of your family, plus causing damage to your garage door. 

Inspecting Your Garage Door Tracks

As part of your regular maintenance on your garage door, make sure to inspect the tracks. You should be looking for any dents or bends in the metal. You should also check the alignment of your door. Does your garage door move smoothly up and down through the tracks, or does it seems to hesitate at certain spots on the track? 

If you notice any problems, don’t try to repair the tracks yourself. Trying to pound out dents or realign the tracks on your own can be dangerous. Garage doors can weigh several hundred pounds; doing anything that could cause the door to crash down or come out of the tracks could put you or someone else in your family at risk of injury. 

Replacing Garage Door Tracks

If your garage door tracks seem to be damaged, call your local garage door service company to handle any needed garage door repairs. They can inspect your tracks and offer solutions to ensure they do not cause damage to your door or harm to your family. Most damaged tracks will need to be replaced, as they are not easily repaired. However, it is much less expensive to replace the tracks than purchase a new garage door or pay for injuries.

Posted on behalf of Habpro

Maintain Your Garage Door to Extend Its Life

Just like any other electric appliances in your home, your garage door and opener will require a bit of regular maintenance to ensure longevity along with proper operation. 

On a monthly basis, you should visually inspect your garage door for signs of wear or damage. Fraying cables, loose mounting hardware and signs of wear on the rollers, cables and springs are all things to look out for. You should also make sure that the safety reverse mechanism is working properly to reduce the likelihood of injury or property damage resulting from the door closing on children, pets and objects. Make sure that weatherstripping along the sides and bottom of the door is intact, and that there are no visible signs of rust anywhere on the door or mechanisms. 

Listen to the sound of your door opening and closing. Does it seem louder than usual, or is the door shuddering, rumbling or otherwise behaving strangely? If so, it’s wise to contact a licensed garage door repair and installation service provider for a professional diagnosis and correction. 

Aside from maintaining the surface of the door itself, inspecting the mechanisms for signs of wear and looking for indicators that your door isn’t operating as well as it could be, there’s very little garage door maintenance or repair that you can safely perform yourself. The springs and cables that open and close your garage door can be very dangerous, easily causing severe injury if they’re handled improperly. Before attempting any sort of repair yourself, call an experienced professional in your area to ensure that your garage door is properly maintained by someone with the expertise necessary to do so without risking severe physical injury or damage to your garage door mechanisms.