Garage door is off track

[bob callaway]

Garage door is off track will not open or close Is this a do it yourself job or should I call a repairman?

[krw]

It might help to know more about the door and how badly it's off the track. If it's completely off, you have a torsion spring, and you had to ask the question, call the repairman. If it's just the top pulley, you can often coax the wheels back into the track. If it's a torsion spring and the cable is loose, SOMETIMES you can get the cable back around the pulley without major hassle. It'll likely come back off, though. Again, for anyone to help they'll need to know more.

[LouB]

If there are big springs, either torsion or coil I would think about a repairman

[Bert Byfield]

If you have to ask, you need a repairman.

[Ned Flanders]

How many rollers have come off? Are the spring cables still in tact? If the spring is not screwed up you can often fix the rollers by either unbolting the track and slipping the roller back in, or by removing the roller bracket from the door reinsert the roller and feed it through the bracket before re-attaching it.

[mm]

What they are saying is don't mess with the springs. They can kill you, it seems. Post with more details if you are still thinking of doing this yourself.

[ransley]

A door doesnt just go off track onless there is something really wrong. I would get out a pro and find out why, but every pro ive had out wanted to sell me a cheap door, and my door is probably the most expensive and well made and perfectly maintained door ive seen, so beware of what they try to sell you, best is get bids unless the guy just shows you an easy fix, i would not mess with the big overhead round wound springs that maintain torsion, the long spring going lenghtwise with the tracks are less dangerous, but still can harm you.

[RonB]

Is it off-track or broken spring? A broken spring can cause a door to drop which might knock it off track. Getting the roller back in the track is no big deal if there is no other damage.

I have repaired tension springs before and it takes care and time --- You can get hurt. I WOULD NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO REPAIR A TORSION SPRING!!! Those things store a lot of energy, can spring loose during the repair and maim or kill you. An old co-worker who lost part of a hand trying to do a torsion spring repair; and his son received several stitches in his head from the same accident.

RonB

[Twayne]

If you don't know, you need a repairman. IMO you've shown your level of expertise by not describing which of several setups you may have there, each requiring different things, all dangerous at times. Get a repairman.

HTH,

Twayne`

[willshak]

bob callaway wrote the following:

Is it a powered door? If powered, does it have the coiled spring above the door or the long springs on the sides? Is it currently all the way up, all the way down, or somewhere in between? How many rollers are off track? Is it off track on one side, or both? Is it a multi panel door or a single panel door? Is it wood, or aluminum? (weight). It would help if we all know the specifics before we make wild ass guesses that don't apply to your situation.

[Twayne]

It "seems"? There isn't even an indication whether it's a single or double door. Have you ever tried to lift a garage door without the springs attached? A wooden or steel door could kill you if it crashed down on you, or take a foot or toes off real easy. Do you even know why a door has to be open to install springs? Any idea how to safely KEEP a door open while it's being worked on or whether it will be necessary? There are many dangers and safety methods that should be followed. Then you're still left with the job of balancing the door properly. No, most with experience are talking about a lot more than messing with the springs, which is likely to be necessary, depending on the actual state of the door. It might be as simple as readjusting the tracks, but that can be VERY dangerous if that door gets away from you and wants to flail at the hinges on that side while the other side is still captive (until it starts to fall, anyway); then it may come completely out of the tracks. And if it's s torsion spring type; well ... either way it could get interesting if the springs were still attached.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Sounds like a spring problem or broken cable. If you have proper tools and what you are upto It can be DIY job. But to be on the safe side I'll call for service. I did it once and next time No.

[Steve B]

The answer is yes, no, I don't know, definitely, and maybe. If it was mine, and it was just a wheel off track, or something identifiable and DIY fixable, I would do it myself. But you don't seem to even be able to look at it and write down what you see so we can give you a reasonable response.

I'd vote for the repairman.

Steve

[clare]

I've replaced numerous torsion springs - you NEED to know what you are doing, and to be careful. Many of the ones I changed were BIG ones - on 10 foot wide, 12 foot high doors. (car dealer service bays)

[clare]

It does??? Many doors would be IMPOSSIBLE to replace the springs on with the door open.

[mm]

Since I haven't got first hand knowledge, I have to use some qualifier. Either "It seems" or "I've read". I warned him. I'm not his mother.

Maybe, but what does it matter? What do you think the OP expects out of 3 lines?

[Ned Flanders]

I used to have to rehang and reset the spring on one of two doors in the condo I used to live in (sometimes on a monthly bases). They were usually knocked off by ding bat drivers. Good thing we always had video (not to mention the ID of the remote last used to open the door from the receiver) so we could confront and at times charge the dopes for the repair.

[Twayne]

Educate me please: I'm reasonable.

Any installation I'm aware of, the door needs to be UP to relieve the pressure on the springs. Disconnect the push/pull connecton and slide the door the rest of the way back and the cabling will hang loose for you to work on. When a door is closed, the springs are under maximum tension. Otherwise they wouldn't lift the door. And you'll never find an easy way to work with tensioned springs - talk about cocking a door in the frame!

What am I missing?

HTH,

Twayne`

Any idea how to safely KEEP a door open while it's being

[krw]

Maybe extension springs? Torsion springs would certainly be difficult to replace with the door open. ;-)

Vice Grips on the track by a set of wheels is a common way to lock the door in place. With the door all the way up there wouldn't be a lot of force on them.

[krw]

Torsion springs are mounted above the door. With the door open you can't get to them, so they have to be worked on with the door open and full tension on them. That's why they're so dangerous. Better springs, but more dangerous to work on.