Introduction
You’ve installed a garage door opener and then you notice that the rail is sloping by a few inches? Now you’re wondering if it’s necessary for a garage door opener rail to be level.
So, should a garage door opener be level?
Your garage door opener rail should in an angle of 90 degrees with the garage door. Because a sloping rail can cause the garage door to collide while opening. But there are different opinions implying that as long as the door’s movement isn’t interrupted, it’s not necessary for the rail to be level.
Now, which one do you think is better to do? Read the whole article to find an extensive breakdown on this matter.
Functions of T-rail in Garage Door Opener Mechanism
Before we start analyzing the necessity of the rail being level, we need to understand its key role and in what ways the other parts depend on it.
The rail, also known as the T-rail or the driver guide serves about 4 different purposes.
At the rear end of the rail, the electric motor, which is the main device that controls the movement of your garage door is attached and installed.
The most common types of garage door openers are the belt type, chain type, and screw type. The rail is responsible for guiding the belt or the chain around it using the trolley to control the door’s movement.
While the motor at the rear end hangs by the ceiling, the front end of the rail is to be attached to a header bracket at the top-middle part of the wall above the garage door. So, the rail works as the connector between the motor and the door.
The parts mainly responsible for pulling up or closing the garage door are the chain, torsion spring, drums, and cables. But the front end of the rail has an extended curved door arm to support the other parts in the process of lifting the door.
When you use your phone or your remote control to open your garage door, the motor, chain, rail, spring, cables, tracks, altogether work to pull your door up or to slide it back down. Some people hide the tracks, which makes the whole system look very simple.
Now that you’ve got an idea of the role of the T-rail in the whole mechanism, what do you think? Can a slanted rail cause disruption in the system?
Keep reading for a detailed breakdown on whether or not it’s important for the rail to be level with the ceiling.
Should Garage Door Opener Rail be Level? Logical Analysis
A garage door’s design is almost similar to a room divider, except that the parts are horizontally divided.
When you open the door, the door bends while moving upwards and follows the course of the tracks.
In the process, the door crosses from right below the header bracket, where the rails front end is attached. And the door rests in a parallel position from the ceiling before it’s pulled back down.
That’s where a slanted rail can be an issue. If the front end is lower than the rear end by a few inches, there’s a good chance that your garage door might collide with it while opening.
That’s why, it’s advised to keep the rail parallel to the ceiling, or at a 90-degree angle with the garage door.
However, there are different opinions regarding this. Some people claim that as long as the movement of the door is uninterrupted and the pathway upward is clear, the rail doesn’t have to be level.
I’d say, it’s best to keep the rail level with the ceiling and perpendicular to the garage door to prevent any kind of risk of collision.
If the rear end of the rail, where the motor is situated, is slightly lower than the front end, it won’t be a problem. Because the door doesn’t go that far towards the end when you open it.
But if it’s too low, then your door will get stuck due to the rail and won’t fully open. It’s as critical as getting the right size gas line for your garage heater.
Again, if the header bracket is positioned too low and the rail is slanting towards the front end, the door will undoubtedly collide with the rail.
You can prevent all these using a certain method. Want to know how?
Before fixing the header bracket on the wall above the garage door, pull your door manually and mark the highest point your door reaches.
Then fix the header bracket two inches above that mark. Attach the front end of the rail to the bracket and try to keep it as level as possible with the rear end.
This way, there remains no risk of your garage door colliding with the T-rail.
Also, if you’re wiring the lights in series and putting a lot of effort into making your garage attractive. A sloping rail won’t really compliment the overall look.
The header bracket plays a vital role in the whole mechanism. So it’s important to use a high-quality header bracket. Here are some of my recommendations:
| Product 1 | |
| Product 2 |
These are some of the bests that will hold your T-rail strongly and will undoubtedly last long.
That’s all!
FAQs
Question: Why has my garage door opener stopped working all of a sudden?
Answer: Most commonly, this happens due to dead batteries in the remote control. Try replacing the batteries. If the problem remains, call the helpline.
Question: How do I know if my garage door opener motor is malfunctioning?
Answer: If your motor suddenly starts making excessive sound, if the door is taking a long time to open or close, or if the garage door operator is not responding at all. Then you can consider that your motor is having issues.
Question: How to know the frequency of my garage door opener?
Answer: You’ll find the frequency label of your garage door opener somewhere around the battery cover.
Endnote
After this elaborate discussion on whether or not should garage door opener rail be level, I’m sure all of your confusions are cleared.
The best option is to keep the rail level with the ceiling to prevent the risk of your door getting stuck.
If you’ve found our article helpful, stick with us for more!