Ever wonder how a garage door, weighing hundreds of pounds, operates smooth and efficient, almost like a sports car? Your garage door roller has a lot to do with it. Garage door rollers are the wheels on your garage door that run along the tracks — providing the up and down motion. These garage door parts are essential to the smooth, efficient and quiet operation of your garage door. They are critical to maintaining high performing garage door repair.
And while most homeowners are good at keeping up with the obvious maintenance repair issues of their garage door — oiling the hinges, inspecting the springs, making sure the door keeps its balance — rollers are often overlooked. And that’s a shame because they are so critical to a well operating garage door.
Here’s what you need to know about rollers — how to inspect them and when to replace them.
Lower Quality Rollers
If you bought your house with a garage door already installed, there’s a good chance you have bare bones rollers when it comes to quality. These are made of hard plastic or steel. They don’t have ball bearings. Known as builder grade rollers because they’re installed by housing manufacturers rather than homeowners themselves, these rollers are not the highest quality — and that can make a big difference. They don’t last very long because they don’t have the help of a ball bearing.
This can cause the door to squeak. In fact, if you hear a squeaking sound, don’t ignore it. Your rollers are the first thing you should check. This is a sign they are wearing out.
Time for an Upgrade?
Higher quality rollers typically made of nylon and have ball bearings inside them. These come in many different designs. The most common have either open or sealed bearings. These rollers need to be lubricated fairly regularly with an approved garage door lubricant, not WD40. These higher quality rollers can last years and even the entire lifetime of a door, depending on the quality installed. Rollers are a garage door part that’s worth paying more for quality.
Inspecting Your Garage Door For Repair Issues
Inspect your rollers at least once a year. We recommend you do so in the spring. Every season, you should lubricate your garage doors.
Ideally, you should hire a garage door professional to do your inspection. They may catch things you overlook. They also can spot garage door repair issues before they become real problems. This will minimize your need for emergency garage door repair.
- Make sure the roller doesn’t wiggle. If it’s too loose, the garage door roller will need replacing.
- If the roller no longer spins, or you hear a grinding sound, it’s time for a new roller.
- Replace any cracked or worn rollers. Keep an eye out for missing rollers and replace if necessary.
Need Help with Garage Door Repair?
We do garage door repair for Roseville and the Greater Sacramento area. Feel free to call us with any questions you have. We’d be glad to inspect your garage door anytime. We also supply a number of garage door parts. We also do emergency garage door repairs and make house calls 24/7.