Apart from the frustrations caused by garage door off track, serious injuries and property damage may be incurred. It is advisable not to forcefully pull a jammed door down, as this bends the vertical tracks and popping out of the rollers from the track, leading to serious damage. Here are viable DIY tips to fix a jammed door:
Tools required
Pliers
Rubber mallet
Locking pliers
Steps to fix garage door off track
Disconnect the opener
To start the process, check overhead for a rope that connects the opener to the door. Pull the rope in order to release the door from the opener. This allows you to operate the door manually.
Open the door
Ensuring that the door is completely released from the opener, lift the door to open it manually. Normally, the door of the garage is a heavy object and it can slam down crashing parts of your body when trying to open it. Remember your security comes first hence get an extra person to help you.
Locate the jamming wheels
Once the door is open, observe to locate the wheels that are getting off the track. Close the door and open it again if you do not immediately spot the jamming wheels. Note that locating the jamming wheels may be a challenging task for a DIY first timer, thus need to call for technical support.
Put a stop
When you have spotted the jamming wheels, it is time to put a stop on the tracks. To do so, snap the locking pliers beneath the door targeting one of the tracks.
Bring wheels back to track
Ensuring that the tracks are well secured using lock pliers, get hold of the outer edge of the tracks with a pair of pliers and pull it. This gives you room to get the wheels back on the track.
Work on the track
Now that the wheels are well positioned, knock the track with the rubber mallet back to it’s right position. This brings the door back on the track.
Test the door manually
At this point it is important to check manually whether the door is operating as it should and test it’s balance as well. Therefore, remove the lock pliers from the track and move the door up and down using your hands.
Check the automatic operation
Once you have ascertained that the door is operating well manually and hanging straight, try using the opener. Get the remote control and press the button to activate the opener. Allow the opener to go through it’s normal opening and closing cycle in order to secure back the door release mechanism.
Go for technical assistance
If you notice that the door does not open at the press of remote button, hanging crookedly, jerking or making some grinding noise when moving, it means something is wrong with the door. Contacting a garage door technician will help a great deal.