Garage doors can go off track for many reasons. The door going off track is usually the
symptom of another problem. For example a door can go off track if your torsion spring breaks
or if a cable breaks. It could also go off track if it closes on some object and the safety reverse
does not function correctly on your garage door opener. These are just common examples of
what causes a garage door to go off track, but it could have been caused by other reasons as
If your garage door has gone off track it is fixable. Fixing a door off track is one situation when
you want to call a garage door technician, unless you have the training and tools to do it
yourself. Fixing a door off track requires knowledge of how the system works as a whole. You
must understand the spring system as well as the cables and drums. You must also be able to
identify causes for your garage door going off track.
To put a door back on track you will first need to disconnect the garage door opener by pulling
the red rope or handle that disconnects the trolley from the door. Next you will need to level
the garage door. Next you will need to secure the tension on the spring(s). Once you have
leveled the garage door and secured the tension on the springs, you will need to rewind the
cables around the drums. Sometimes the cable comes loose from one drum and sometimes it
comes loose from both drums. Visual inspection will reveal the condition of the cables and
drums as well as the spring(s). There are different techniques to level the garage door
depending on the position off the door when it goes off track. The technique used to level the
door will dictate the procedure used to secure the spring(s) and to rewind the cables around
Once the door is put back on track, it may be necessary to reset the rollers in the vertical tracks.
There are several techniques that can be used to reset the rollers. You may also need to replace
or straighten your vertical and horizontal tracks as well as replacing or straightening the jamb
brackets. You will also need to inspect your garage door opener for damage that can be caused
when the garage door goes off track.
A full garage door inspection is needed after a garage door goes off track. The inspection can
reveal causes of the garage door going off track and identify parts that need to be repaired or
Veteran Garage Door has trained technicians that can fix your garage door if it goes off track
and provide options for repairing and replacing parts. This is a job best left to garage door
professionals.
*Caution must always be used when working on garage door as serious damage even death
can occur when working on garage doors. Proper tools and techniques must be used to
prevent damage and injuries.
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