What type of tracks are best for my garage door?
There are dozens of components that go into making your garage door work effectively, none are more important than your garage door tracks. These tracks are solely responsible for the smooth opening and closing of your garage door. It is imperative that the alignment is correct for the door to function properly.
Many garage doors come with differing tracks depending on the type of garage door. Glendale, Arizona's best garage door repair company has a number of options. Scroll below to see what might be the best fit for your home.
Garage door Tracks
The type of tracks used for your home's garage door vary depending on a number of factors. Below we will look at all the factors for track selection.
Garage Door Alignment
There are basically 2 types of tracks- horizontal tracks and vertical tracks. Both contain garage door rollers that help the door slide up or down. The horizontal track is fixed to the garage ceiling while the vertical track is fitted to the wall.
The horizontal track holds the door when it rolls back while being opened. The vertical track helps to travel upward and align with the horizontal tracks.
Width
Garage door tracks are available in 3 different widths- one inch, two-inch, and three-inch. Trucks and semi-trailer garages use a track of one-inch width. Most residential and commercial garage doors use two-inch tracks. Three-inch tracks are used only for industrial and heavy-duty garage doors.
Thickness
Garage tracks come in 3 options based on their thickness. They are 0.055 inches, 0.062 inches, and 0.075 inches thick. Heavy wooden doors use 0.075 inch tracks. Lighter steel doors use tracks with lesser thickness.
Lift clearance
Not all garage's are created the same. Headroom space above the door opening is in important factor for your garage door tracks. Here are a few of the options and how they may effect your garage door.
Low Headroom
If your garage door has a headroom less than the standard 12 inches, this type of track is typically used. This type of track system has 2 channels where one uses the top section to glide in while the other sections roll over the second track. The low headroom track can use rear torsion springs or extension springs for lifting the door.
Standard Radius Track
This type of track system requires ample headroom. For the standard radius track- headroom required should be at least 15 inches or over. The additional headroom can extend up to even 32 inches.
Lift type
Based on the type of lift, garage doors are of 3 types- standard lift, high lift, and vertical lift.
Standard lift
Most residential garage doors use the standard lift track with torsion springs. This system consists of a vertical track that is close to the garage ceiling. The vertical track is at least 6-8 inches short of the door height. It has a curved portion that turns and follows the horizontal track. Working together, both these tracks allow the garage door to rise and move to a position above the floor.
Vertical lift
This type is used in garages with high ceilings where the door can be rested vertically while it is open. The vertical lift track moves up vertically and moves away to make room for the garage door opener. If the track is fully vertical, there is no need for a horizontal track.
High lift
This integrates the aspects of both standard lift and vertical lift tracks. It has a vertical track, a shorter horizontal track and a high lift extension system. If the garage ceiling is 12”, the extension can be 4 inches. This type is normally used when you have ample headroom of at least 30”.
What Happens if My Garage Door Come's Off the Tracks?
Like we stated earlier in this article, your garage door tracks are the most important aspect of your garage door. If the door comes off the tracks you can create an immediate safety hazard for you and your family. Most garage door's are scary so if your garage door comes of it's tracks, we recommend calling a professional garage door company near you as fast as possible.
Garage Door Grunts has been serving the greater Phoenix Valley for years ensuring homeowners proper safety and optimal garage door functioning. If your garage door has come off it's track contact us today at 623-219-8460 or visit us online at garagedoorgrunts.com/contact