My Garage Door Rail Sags When Opening

Gravity

• The sheer weight of your garage door can cause the rails to sag over time. Examine the supports to ensure that none have come loose. If they have, it might be simply fixed by tightening them up to stop the sag. If the sag has become pronounced, it could require pushing the rail up and into place and tightening the screws or bolts. A ladder and screwdriver are the only tools you will need for this easy fix.

Rails

• While you're up on the ladder tightening screws, take a look at the inside of the rails. Over the years, the lips can become bent or curled inward, causing resistance to the wheels every time they try to roll past. Though the wheels might still move through the narrowed opening, each time they are forced to do so it causes a jolt. Use pliers to straighten the rail lips out and let the wheels roll freely again.

Alignment

• The tracks may be improperly aligned. They should be mounted at the same height on the garage wall. Tracks that are out of alignment can cause pinching, twisting and additional stress, leading to an eventual sag. Hinges are another problem area you should inspect, especially on older or wooden doors.

Consideration

• Sagging rails are usually caused by some part of the system placing heavy stress on the tracks, eventually causing them to bend or loosen. As a general principal, sagging is caused by a part of the garage that's not functioning according to its design. At that point, you need to find the issue and then fix the sag.