4 Expert Tips for Changing Garage Door Rollers

Most rollers only last as long as the warranty of the garage door. That means that within a year or two, they have to be replaced. Opening the door every day puts the rollers at risk of being worn out. Whether your garage door has plastic or metallic rollers, they are bound to get worn out over time.

So when this happens, your only option is to get new ones. The last thing you want is to hear an annoying sound each time you open the garage. Luckily changing garage door rollers is a very simple task. The best part is that it is cost-effective as well.

Are you wondering about how to change garage door rollers? How often to replace garage door rollers? How much will it cost? Stick with us as we will provide all the answers you need.

What Is the Importance of Changing Garage Door Rollers?

Modern garage doors have rollers at the bottom that facilitate movement through the track. Rollers usually aren’t meant to last long. Every time you open or close the door, a part of the roller gets eroded. With time only part of the roller will be in the original state. When this happens, the roller will move up and down as it moves along the track, causing a craggy noise. This can happen for both nylon or steel rollers. That is why changing the rollers regularly is important.

Do you want to know how to change garage door wheels by yourself? Well, that is possible. Changing rollers isn’t usually a tasking job. But if you want the best work done or have no experience whatsoever in changing rollers, you can call the professionals. STI Garage Doors has the best practices on how to replace garage door rollers without bending the tracks. Make your garage new again when we replace the rollers.

How Often to Replace Garage Door Rollers

It all depends on the brand of your garage door and the type of rollers it has. Steel rollers usually last longer than plastic or nylon ones. Plastic rollers may last less than a year. If you are lucky, they will work properly for up to two years, not more.

Steel rollers have a longer lifespan with more than 10,000 cycles which is approximately 8 years. Nylon rollers are the most durable type and can last for more than 10 years and have more than 120,000 cycles. With nylon rollers, you can use your garage door every day without worrying about any roller damage.

Steps on How to Replace Garage Door Rollers

You can take certain steps and check your garage door rollers. But let’s focus on three simple steps on how to replace garage door wheels.

1. Open the door

The first thing to do is open the garage door. To make sure the door remains completely open, you can use the garage door opener. Another alternative is to switch off the power and open the door manually.

Disconnect the power to the opener by using the release rope. Use a ladder to reach the opener. Witching off the power prevents the opener from working while you replace the rollers.

2. Open the tracks

Using pliers, open the track. You can do this by grabbing one end of the vt5rack and bending it to an angle of 90 degrees. Keep pulling it until it is bent. Opening the track makes it easier for you to remove and put the new rollers.

Make sure to work on only one side of the track. Prying on both ends at the same time can make the garage door collapse on the track.

3. Change the bottom wheels

Slowly pull the garage door down so that the roller is in line with the opened track. Moving quickly can lead to injuries. You can ask someone to hold the door in place as you change the rollers. Use a screwdriver to remove the first roller. Once you remove the roller, the part of the garage door will also come out of the track.

So it is important to keep supporting the garage door. Now you can remove the old roller and replace it with a new one. Rollers don’t have screws, so sliding them in should be enough. Lift the door to make sure the new rollers and track are well aligned. Repeat this with the rollers on the other side. Finally, close the track by bending it with pliers.

4. Change the top wheels

To replace the top rollers, first, clamp the track. Do this by placing a clamp about 30 cm away from the bottom of the garage door. That way, the door will not fall as you install new wheels. Climb a ladder so that you can easily remove the rollers. Use a screwdriver for popping out the rollers while holding the door in place.

Pull the roller from the top bracket and slide in a new one. Pop the roller back in and make sure it is not off track. Repeat the same on the opposite side. You can bend the track to make sure the new rollers are well secured.

How Much Does It Cost to Replace Garage Door Rollers?

Now to the most important question of all, exactly how much does it cost to replace garage door rollers? Well, this depends on several factors. The type of rollers you want to install is important. The cost of buying nylon or steel rollers differs. But replacing a garage door roller is usually cheap. It’ll cost you less than $100 to get new rollers and get them changed.

Because steel rollers last a bit longer, they are a bit more expensive than plastic ones. The cost will also depend on the type of garage door you have. The cost to replace rollers on a garage door is quite affordable.

Bigger garage doors will require more rollers, and hence the expenses might be higher. These may need between 8 and 10 rollers. Most stores offer rollers at $5. So if you have a small garage, you can pay less than $ 25 and less than $ 60 for large doors. This price is for plastic or steel rollers. Because nylon is more durable, it tends to be more expensive.

Note that there are some reasons to replace your garage door opener completely. The replacement of rollers is not the only key to the new garage doors, but sometimes there is a need to thoroughly check up the condition of your garage doors.

Final Thoughts

Rollers are bound to get damaged. The only way to make sure that you don’t experience strange sounds coming from the garage door as the worn-out rollers move along the tracks is to replace them regularly. Changing rollers is very simple. If you are uncomfortable changing them by yourself, call you a specialist. It will not take a lot of time. You will not spend a lot of money when trying to replace the rollers with new ones. How often you need a replacement will depend on the type of wheels.

Call up the guys from STI Garage Doors right now. We will send someone to replace your rollers and get your garage door closing and opening smoothly again!

STI Garage Door

Operating in the garage door industry for over 25 years, STI Garage Door is dedicated to quality service and excellence in everything.

The company is a proud partner to the top brands in the field — LiftMaster for commercial door openers and Amarr and Clopay for residential and commercial doors.