17 Oct How to Get a Warehouse Door Back on the Track

Having your warehouse door run off the track is an annoying problem that can cause significant disruption to your business. Without a functioning warehouse door, your company may not be secure, left subject to weather and the environment, and put at risk of damage. If your warehouse door has gone off the track the most important thing to do is quickly assess the cause of the situation, and then get the door back on track as soon as possible. Here we look at how you can get your commercial warehouse door back on the track.

Safety First

The first step when putting your warehouse door back on the track should be to secure the safety of the surrounding area. Commercial doors that have run off the track can present a hazard as they may suddenly fall, injuring people or items in their vicinity. Using protective gear such as a helmet, carefully clear the area around the broken commercial door to provide a safe working area. This is important to prevent damage to your workers or your stock.

Analyzing the Problem

Your next step should be investigating the reason why your commercial door has run off the track. This may be because the door was accidentally knocked or bumped during operation or it may have sustained dents and damage that have warped the door, preventing it from following the track.

In other cases, it may be the track that is damaged or dirty. One of the primary reasons why warehouse doors go off the track is because the tracks themselves are loose and have come off the wall. The tracks may also be dented or misaligned preventing the rollers from lodging incorrectly. Dirt and grime buildup or lack of lubrication in the tracks can cause the rollers in the warehouse doors to pop out of the tracks. If you can analyze the cause of the problem with your warehouse doors, it can help you quickly find the right way to address it.

Don’t Force the Door Back on Track

The next rule is not to try and force your warehouse doors back on the track. Commercial doors can be bigger and heavier than residential roller doors such as garage doors. Forcing the doors back on the track cannot only do significant and irreparable damage to your doors it can also cause serious injury to you. Even if the cause of your doors coming off the tracks seems minor and easy to correct, such as merely cleaning the tracks, getting the doors back onto the tracks can be very difficult once they’ve come out.

Getting A Warehouse Door Back on Track

First, correct the issue that caused the warehouse door to come off the track – if the track is loose or dirty, try to tighten its attachment to the wall or clean it off for smoother motion. If there are more pressing issues such as a bent or broken door or track, you’ll need to call a professional commercial door repair company.

However, if the cause is minor, you might try to put the door on the tracks yourself, provided the spring or chain is still intact.

First, disconnect the warehouse door from the opener and release the door so it can be manually opened. Then find where the wheels have dislodged from the track, and apply a pair of locking pliers underneath the door on the track to act as a stop. Using another pair of pliers, pull the outside of the track open to guide the door wheels back on the track. Finally, gently reposition the track with a rubber mallet.

If your warehouse doors have jumped the tracks, the best solution is to call your local professional commercial door repair company as soon as possible to fix your doors so you can get back to business sooner.