Of all the garage door components, tracks are the most important. Garage door tracks are responsible for the smooth opening and closing of the door. The correct alignment and functioning of the door depend on this garage door hardware.
Tracks are of different types depending on the types of the garage door. Nashville’s best garage door repair company shares the various options.
Types of Garage door Tracks
The type of tracks used in a garage door vary depending on
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
Based on the headroom space available above the door opening, tracks are of the following types
Low headroom
if the door has a headroom less than the standard 12 inches, this type of track is used. This 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”.
Other types of track systems
If you have a sloping roof in your garage, it is better to use the roof pitch track system.
If you want to avoid the interference of a handle or a window for the opening of your garage, you can use a 25 degrees track. For this type of track of 2” size, you will have a headroom of 9.5 inches over the high lift and a side room of 4.5 inches.
The type of track depends on the ceiling heights, headroom, material, and size of the door. Knowing the track type is crucial during the choice of doors during the garage installation. Seek the help of a garage professional in selecting the right type of track to achieve proper door operation.
Tip Top Garage Doors offers garage door repair services in Nashville and surrounding areas. Contact us today for any garage door services in Nashville.