Garage door horizontal tracks are commonly used of the door is of the roll-up variety. In order to make sure that the door remains in proper working order, you have to make sure of the tracks. Here are some tips to help you:
1) Make sure that the tracks are clean - any obstruction, such as accumulated dirt or grease can cause the door to get off-track. You need to make sure that the tracks are truly clean. Use concentrated household cleanser in order to do this. Spraying and a little bit of scrubbing could leave you with a longer lasting and correctly functioning track.
2) Take care of any loose parts - you should carefully inspect the tracks and the whole door for any loose parts or screws. The first things you should check are the brackets that hold the tracks in place. If any bolts are loose, tighten them carefully.
You should also check the hinges which hold the panels of the roll-up door together. A common cause for damaged tracks is a loose hinge which causes the door to sag when being opened.
Try to check every part that's supposed to be stationary. If there are any screws loose, replace them with bigger ones or at least move the hinges to a spot that has not yet been drilled.
3) Repair any dents -try to check the tracks for any dents or other such damage. This could lead to serious problems if the dents obstruct the path of the door rollers on the track. How exactly do you repair dents? Well, you should literally pound them out. Doing this improperly could result in more dents instead of a repair. What you need to do is be gentle. Try to make use of a rubber mallet if you have one. If not, you can improvise with a hammer and a block of wood. This allows you to limit the amount of force you exert onto the track and would help you correct the problem without adding to it.
4) Make sure the tracks are leveled - you can check this using a laser leveler or other tools. A horizontal track has to be slightly slanted as it goes towards the back of the garage. Three are certain vertical sections of the garage door horizontal track and these parts should be exactly leveled.
Roll-up garage doors have tracks that actually curve from vertical to horizontal. Using the standards above, you ought to make sure that they are aligned. You also need to make a visual and quantitative check of whether the tracks reach the same height on the garage wall. This will help you determine if they are aligned with each other.
5) Lubricate the tracks - there are two types of lubricants you can use in order to make sure that the tracks are working as smoothly as possible. The most convenient one is the commercial garage door lubricant that you spray onto the track. Another option is to use powdered granite.
You should also lubricate the rollers which work in tandem with the garage door horizontal tracks. For the rollers, it is recommended that you use silicone spray. As an alternative, however, you can just apply ordinary household oil. Hopefully, these few tips will help you make sure that your garage door is always in proper working order.
By:Steven Merusi
