Off-Track Garage Doors: What to Do When It Happens
Garage doors weigh more than 400 pounds, and that weight puts a strain on the cables and springs that raise and lower the garage door on a daily basis when the garage door is in good repair and operating properly. When the garage door goes off its tracks, that puts even more of a strain on the springs and cables. This weight and strain represent a dangerous combination that most should leave to professional garage door repair professionals.
Reasons Why Garage Doors Go Off of Their Tracks
Even if your vehicle is moving at only three to five miles per hour, a collision can damage your entire garage door system, including causing it to come off the tracks. Your garage door also can be damaged if the door comes down on something in your garage that isn’t clear of the door, like a car bumper, a lawn mower, or some other object.
The horizontal tracks can bend and allow the door to go off its track if they aren’t made of a grade of steel strong enough to support the weight of the door.
In addition, if even one or two of the rollers become bent or break due to extreme wear or because they were made of lower grade materials, the extra stress and weight can cause more rollers to break as well as cause the horizontal tracks to bend. Another consequence that can result if the garage door goes out of alignment is that one of cables that lift the door can fray and brake.
What to Do If Your Garage Door Breaks
When one side of your garage door comes out of its tracks, the combination of the weight and the increased tension on the cable and spring that now support the entire weight of the door, creates an extremely dangerous situation.
If the cable or spring that now supports the garage door already are weak or damaged, the extra weight can cause one or both to fail. When that happens, the sudden release of tension on the cable can cause it to whip back in a rebound with such force it can cause serious injury to you, your family members, your neighbors, or your pets. The force of the rebound can even be strong enough to kill.
If the door comes down on your car, stop the car immediately and turn off the engine. Don’t try to move the car out from under the door. Get everyone out of the car and out of the garage. In other situations where the garage door comes out of its tracks, get everyone out of the garage and a safe distance away from the door. Next, turn to professionals who perform Providence garage door installation in order to get repairs. Also contact your homeowners’ insurance company and, if your car is involved, your car insurance company to find out what repairs are covered.
