One of the rollers on my garage door broke, how can I fix it?

Garage door rollers help to keep your garage door rolling smoothly in the vertical and

horizontal tracks. The rollers are important as they help keep the door from binding as the door

opens and closes. It is important to keep your rollers properly lubricated and to replace any

damaged or broken rollers.

Replacing a roller is fairly simple if you have the proper tools and exercise caution. First identify

the broken or damaged roller(s). For all of the rollers except the bottom roller on each side, you

can simply remove the hinge using the proper size socket. Roller replacement should be done

with the door in the fully closed position, to prevent the door panel/section from falling. When

the hinge is removed, you can simply replace the damaged or broken roller, replace the roller in

the vertical track and then reattach the hinge.

If the damaged or broken roller is the bottom roller, you must not remove the bottom bracket

to replace the roller.

The bottom bracket has the cable attached to it and if you remove the

bracket, the cable will fly loose and can cause serious damage even death.

The easiest technique to replace the bottom roller is to bend the vertical track about 6″ inches

down from the transition curved track. When you have the track bent out it will allow you to

pull the roller from the track and replace it without taking the bottom bracket loose and risking

the cable flying off of the drum. Remember the cable is under significant tension. If you are

not comfortable with this procedure, call a garage door technician to replace the roller for

you.

The techniques listed are the easiest way to replace the damaged roller(s) safely. There are

other techniques, but they require specific training and skills.

When choosing replacement rollers you have a number of options. These options for rollers

include steel rollers with or without ball bearings, plastic rollers without ball bearings, and

nylon rollers with differing ball bearing options. Nylon rollers tend to be quieter and last longer.

Rollers with ball bearings also tend to last longer, you can find 11 ball bearing 13 ball bearing

and sealed bearing designs to name a few. The options allow you to find a replacement that fits

your needs and budget.