Following on from our last blog, our focus this week at Pinnacle Garage Doors continues to be on repair and maintenance, and today we’ll be looking at tracks and rollers.
Your garage door is probably the largest moving object around your house, and its operation is often taken for granted. As we discussed last week, all components of the door and frame should be checked and serviced regularly to maintain optimal performance.
Well-maintained tracks and rollers ensure smooth, quiet operation of your door, and these integral components will need maintenance and repair to extend the life of your garage.
Tracks
Tracks are positioned horizontally and vertically to guide the door while in operation. If the door is knocked by a car, or is misaligned, then track bending is likely to occur.
Damaged tracks can lead to various problems arising, including increased noise in operation, additional strain on the motor, damage to the door itself, and increases the chance of the rollers coming off the frame, which can further damage the door or brackets through twisting.
While minor buckling can be repaired with some simple tools, if the damage is severe then the track will need to be replaced. This is a labour intensive job, as the door needs to be removed with the springs and cabled detached, which can prove difficult and dangerous due to the size, weight and force involved.
As such, we recommend that this job is undertaken by trained professionals with access to proper tools and knowledge, which will save you time and effort and ensure that the door is correctly realigned upon replacement.
Tracks should be kept clear of obstruction and cleaned regularly to avoid build up of dirt and grime, and bolts and brackets tightened when necessary.
Rollers
There are different types of rollers used within garage doors, and as with anything in life, not all rollers are created equal.
While rollers may look alike, consisting of a wheel and steel stem, it is the property of the wheel that makes the difference when it comes to reliability and longevity. These wheels can be made of plastic, steel or nylon and may include ball bearings.
Plastic Rollers – Generally come as standard with entry-level garage doors and do not feature ball bearings.
- low cost
- fairly low-maintenance
- quieter than steel
- prone to splitting
- will become worn from rubbing against steel tracks
- can pop off tracks as wheel size decreases from wear
- 2-3 year lifespan.
Steel Rollers (no ball bearing)
- longer lasting than plastic
- noisier than other rollers
- wheel can detach from stem when worn causing wobbling.
Steel Rollers (ball bearings) – available with either 7 or 10 bearings.
- hard wearing
- 7 bearing rollers good for 5,000 – 7,000 door cycles
- 10 bearing rollers good for 10,000 – 15,000 door cycles
- quieter than standard steel rollers
- 10 bearing rollers are quieter than 7 bearing due to reduced friction
- still noisier than plastic or nylon.
Nylon Rollers (ball bearings) – fitted as standard on top-of-the-line doors.
- ball bearings extend life (10,000 – 15, 000 cycles for standard bearings – up to 75,000 cycles with double sealed ball bearings
- smooth, quiet operation
- sealed bearings keep out dirt and moisture
Rollers with bearings will provide quieter operation and increased lifespan than those without. The more bearings, the greater this effect as they spread weight loading and increase performance.
Rollers with open bearings will need to be cleaned and lubricated yearly to ensure smooth operation.
If you want to experience a smoother, quieter garage, then you should consider upgrading or servicing your tracks and rollers. Our friendly staff can give you advice about options available for your garage door, so give us a call today.
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