What Goes Wrong With Tracks
Your door rides on rollers inside two metal tracks: one running up each side of the opening and one running back along the ceiling. The tracks are held in place by brackets bolted to the wall and ceiling. Over years of daily use those bolts loosen and the tracks drift out of line. And when something hits the door or the track, a section can bend.
Signs Your Track Needs Work
- The door scrapes, catches or shudders at the same spot every time.
- You can see a dent, kink or bow in the track.
- The track wobbles when the door moves, or a bracket has pulled away from the wall.
- The gap between the door and the track is wider at one end than the other.
- The door has started acting up since something bumped it.
If the door has already come out of the track, stop using it and see off-track repair.
Straighten or Replace?
Track that's out of line but not damaged can usually be realigned and bolted back tight. A small dent can sometimes be worked out. Track that's kinked, crushed or twisted needs a new section, because rollers can't ride smoothly through a bad spot and will keep catching on it. Zach checks the full run on both sides, plus the brackets and how the rollers sit, and tells you which yours needs.
Worn rollers and loose hinges often show up at the same time as track problems, so he checks those too. See roller replacement.