When you suddenly find yourself with an unhinged garage door, there are a potential number of reasons. Reviewing some common causes will help you prevent any future damages and instances.
One point of safety: A garage door that has come off its tracks is highly dangerous, be sure to take caution to avoid injury to yourself and family members. The tips in this article are to assist in preventing this type of occurrence, and if you’re currently faced with this type of situation, call the professionals!
Your Garage Door Has Suffered A Collision
The main cause for this type of issue is when a vehicle has collided with the garage door. Almost all of us have done this, especially when we’re in a hurry. When a garage door has been struck by a vehicle, the damage is not usually focused on just the area of impact. This type of jarring collision will actually affect the entire system. In these instances, the doors rollers will have come off the track, which will leave the heavy garage door hanging from the lift cables.
If you find yourself in this situation, the best thing you can do is to stop what you’re doing and exit the vehicle. You can check for a sticker or paperwork to see who installed your garage door and give them a call. If you can’t find that information, find the nearest company to come and help you out, it is of the utmost importance that you do not take on this issue on your own!
Once you have a professional party en route to your home, you’re going to next want to call your car insurance for coverage and claim details, and potentially your homeowner’s insurance as well.
Your Garage Door Tracks Have Bent
A second potential cause for your garage door falling to the ground is bent tracks. If the tracks are not properly aligned with each other in an appropriate parallel manner, and/or are not alighted with the vertical rails then this can cause issues down the road. This typically occurs when the bolts that hold your rails have loosened and caused a slight shift in structure.
Third and another way for tracks to bend, is if the tracks themselves are of low quality. In these instances, the weight of the garage door can cause these weakened tracks to bend over time, thus causing the door to fall off the tracks.
The Rollers Wear Out, Break, Or Both
Lower quality is going to be one of the top reasons for breakage in garage doors. Which is why we always recommend going with a reputable seller when shopping. If even one garage door roller breaks prematurely, then this will cause an increase in stress to your other rollers along with the rest of the hardware. A roller that goes out can cause a domino effect, adding additional wear to the other rollers and hardware, then additionally straining the horizontal rails which will cause them to bend. This of course will then lead to your garage door coming off its hinge.
One Or More Lift Cables Broke
While a rare occurrence, it’s still worth noting as a risk when it comes to your garage door coming off its tracks. This is especially true for older garage doors that have never been tuned up. Lift cables are attached to either side of the garage door, as your door is pulled up or lowered down, these cables wind around grooves in a drum. This drum is then attached to a steel shaft that holds what’s called a torsion spring. When the alignment is disturbed, the cable won’t line up correctly around the drum which will then cause it to unravel and break with little to no warning.
Once a cable is broken, all the weight of the door will be transferred to one side. In these instances, you’ll see one half of the door on the ground, while the other side dangles in the air. This leads to the rollers slipping off their tracks.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, routine checks of your garage door system will go a long way in preventing the door from popping off its tracks. If you ever find yourself in this type of situation, be sure to call the professionals! Our team right here at Straight Up Garage is here to help.
