Replace Broken Rollers
When you notice unusual sounds or shaking while your garage door is in motion, take a look at your garage door’s rollers — without properly maintained rollers, you may find your garage door is difficult to operate or may even refuse to raise and lower.
Garage door rollers are small spinning wheels situated inside the garage door track, providing steady, effortless movement. When in poor condition and not regularly lubricated, the garage door rollers may become stuck and cannot rotate properly, which eventually causes severe strain on other parts of your system, like the track or opener, or may even come off-track.
How to Tell If Your Garage Door Rollers Need Replacement
Determining whether your garage door rollers are worn, damaged or old is fairly simple. Note any unusual rubbing or grating sounds or jerking motions while the door is opening and closing. These events often occur when the garage door rollers cannot freely or easily spin within the track.
When the garage door rollers need to be replaced, it’s crucial to perform repairs in a timely manner. Worn rollers can place premature wear and tear on other pieces of garage door hardware, including the sprockets and belt and drive gears of the garage door opener. As these parts wear, continuing to use the garage door can be extremely dangerous.
Types of Garage Door Rollers
When it’s time to consider replacing your garage door rollers, you’ll find there are several different options to choose from with varying performance expectations, maintenance needs and lifespans. The most common types of garage door rollers include:
- Nylon: When exploring your garage door roller replacement options, you’ll find nylon rollers with 10 or 13 ball bearings are the most effective, dependable rollers available. Garage door rollers with greater numbers of ball bearings have smoother, less noisy movement. Nylon materials are quieter during garage door operations, require less maintenance and lubrication than alternative materials and cause less stress on automatic garage door openers. With nylon garage door rollers, you can expect superior performance for up to 15,000 cycles or approximately 10 years.
- Steel: Steel is a traditional garage door hardware material because of its heavy-duty, reliable performance. Homeowners can choose steel rollers with either seven or 10 ball bearings — those with fewer ball bearings can typically last 7,000 cycles, or five years, and options with 10 or more bearings with last up to 15,000 cycles with proper lubrication and maintenance. It’s important to note that while many quality steel garage door rollers will perform as long as nylon options, they are louder to operate.
- Plastic: Garage door rollers crafted from plastics are typically included with a new garage door installation — they are affordable options for new home construction, but are far less dependable and efficient compared to steel or nylon garage door rollers. With regular use, plastic garage door rollers will typically perform for two or three years before needing replacement.
Trust Whitby Garage Doors for Your Roller Replacement Project
For assistance replacing your broken garage door rollers, contact the trained technicians at Whitby Garage Doors. We’re a locally owned and operated garage door installation and repair company helping homeowners with all of their garage door needs throughout the Whitby, Ajax, Bowmanville, Cobourg, Newcastle, Oshawa, Port Hope, Port Perry and Uxbridge communities.
Request garage door replacement services today by filling out our online scheduling form or calling us at 905-665-8668. To receive a free garage door estimate, complete our online estimates form.
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