Garage doors can experience numerous issues. One problem that can affect your garage door’s function is a problem with the tracks. If the garage door comes off the tracks, it’s time to contact a professional for an assessment and garage door repair in Long Beach. Having a garage door without properly working tracks can be a safety hazard and lead to other issues with the door later on.

What Causes the Tracks to Break?

The tracks on your garage door can break for several reasons. The door may suddenly close on an object, which can cause the tracks to break, or they may become warped and fail to open and close the door properly. Broken components, such as the springs, can also cause issues with the tracks.

If you close the garage door on an object, you may also hear a loud noise with impact. Hearing a noise is also a good clue that the problem with your garage door is due to hitting an object. Even if the door doesn’t come off the tracks until it hits the object, you’ll want to have a technician inspect the door, as there may be something wrong with the sensors that are supposed to prevent the door from hitting anything in its path. If the sensors break, the garage door will not stop as it should when there is an object in the way.

Accidental force against the garage door can also cause it to jump off the tracks. Backing a vehicle into the garage door or hitting it with another object like a lawn mower can also damage the tracks if the door is hit hard enough.

Along with the sensors, other parts can break and force the garage door off its tracks. Broken springs, for instance, can affect the garage door’s function. The door may also have trouble opening and closing properly with broken springs. Every garage door has two springs, but it’s possible that only one spring breaks initially when the door comes off the tracks. Even if that is the case, a technician will likely recommend that you replace both springs at the same time. If one spring breaks due to age, the other will soon follow.

Signs of a Problem with the Garage Door Tracks

If the garage door’s tracks break, you may notice several signs:

• Warped tracks
• Gaps between the tracks and rollers
• Uneven door
• Unusual sounds

Warped tracks can cause your garage door to jump off its tracks. The tracks can be bent out of shape from an impact or environmental problems such as storms or strong winds. In colder climates, the tracks may also warp from winter weather. The tracks can also become bent out of shape if not installed properly. If the tracks are out of position, contact a professional as soon as possible for a garage door inspection, as warped tracks can compromise the door’s function and lead to more damage if they are not fixed.

Sometimes, a gap may form between the tracks and the rollers. The rollers should move smoothly along the garage door’s track, which allows you to quickly open and close the garage door. The tracks can become bent, which causes the rollers to rise off the track and forms a space between the rail and rollers. If the rollers stop moving smoothly across the rail, the garage door has most likely come off the track. If that happens, contact us for garage door repair in Long Beach right away to avoid more problems and a bigger repair bill.

If the door closes but one side hangs down further than the other side, the underlying problem may be that the door came off its tracks. If the door is uneven, you should get in touch with us for garage door repair in Long Beach as soon as possible. Any damage that already exists can quickly get worse if the problem is not addressed sooner rather than later.

Odd noises coming from the garage door are a good indication of a problem. If the garage door makes unusual sounds when you try to open or close it, the door may be off its tracks. A technician can inspect the door and its components to identify the source of the problem and make repairs.

Contact us today for garage door repair and related services if you think your garage door is off-track.