Garage Door Finishing 101

Bad Rollers Can Make Your Garage Door Noisy And Pop Out Of The Track

One common problem with garage doors is worn out rollers. If your rollers are going bad, the door might be noisy when it operates. If a roller breaks or gets worn out bad enough, the door can even jump the track. You should call for repairs as soon as you can if you suspect the rollers are bad. Here's how to tell if your garage door has bad rollers and what a repair service can do to fix the problem.

Signs Of Bad Garage Door Rollers

Besides being noisy and making your garage door malfunction, you can often tell if the rollers are bad just by looking at them. If the rollers are made of nylon, they may have a worn appearance around the edges. Basic garage doors often have this type of roller, and it will wear down over time. You may need to have these rollers replaced every few years depending on how much you use your garage door. Other rollers have bearings in them, and they don't wear down as fast.

However, even upgraded rollers can break or pop out of the track. The purpose of the rollers is to glide the door in the track as it opens and closes. When the rollers are worn, you'll usually have signs of the door making noise or struggling to move. The problem could also be a lack of lubrication so if the rollers seem fine, you may want to lubricate them first to see if that helps. If not, you should have the door serviced before the rollers pop out of the track and the door stops working.

How Damaged Rollers Are Repaired

Problems with the rollers are solved by replacing them with new parts. New rollers are fairly inexpensive, and changing them gives you the chance to upgrade to rollers with ball bearings, so they have the potential to last longer. To replace the rollers, the service person makes an opening in the track by removing a hinge or by some other method and then pulls out the old roller and slips in the new one.

Even if just one roller is bad, you might want to replace them all, so they wear out evenly. Once the rollers are in place, their alignment and movement are tested. The track is adjusted if necessary to make sure the rollers can glide without obstruction.

The new rollers should be rated for the number of anticipated uses, and this will help you estimate how many years they should last. However, it's also a good idea to inspect and lubricate them regularly when you do maintenance on your garage door, so they stay in good working order as long as possible.

For more information, contact your preferred garage door repair service.