It jams or sticks part way across
The usual cause is worn carriers, the wheeled trolleys that run in the overhead track, or debris in the track itself. Sometimes the track has moved with the building and is no longer straight. Re-hanging and re-aligning fixes most of these, and replacing carriers is routine on a door that has been in service for years.
A door that sticks in the same place every time points to the track. One that sticks anywhere points to the carriers.
A panel has dropped or is scraping the floor
Carrier or hinge wear, or fixings that have loosened in the head. This one should not be left, because a dropped panel puts extra load on the hardware still holding, and it gets worse. If the door is scraping, stop using it until it has been looked at.
It will not latch or meet at the closing post
The lead post has moved out of alignment, the latch hardware has worn, or the door has stretched slightly with use so the last panel no longer reaches. All three are adjustments rather than replacements in most cases.
Sound is getting through with the door closed
First, be clear about what the door was ever meant to do. A bare accordion door gives visual separation and takes the edge off conversation. A sealed one with an insulated core does noticeably better. Neither is an acoustic wall. If the door used to be quieter than it is now, the sweep seals at the top and bottom or the seal down the lead post have probably perished, and replacing them restores what it had.
If it was never quiet enough, the answer is a rated operable wall rather than a repair.
A panel is torn or damaged
Vinyl and fabric faces can often be replaced on the affected panel without replacing the door. Whether that is worth doing depends on the age of the hardware behind it, which is why photographs help before anyone visits.
What to photograph before you call
Photos let a repair be quoted, or at least triaged, without a site visit. Take them with the door in the position where the fault shows.
- The whole door closed, from a few metres back
- The overhead track where the door sticks or drops
- The lead post and latch, closed
- Any label or maker's mark on the track or a panel edge
- The damaged panel, if there is one
Why the hardware grade matters
A door in a house is opened a few times a week. A door between two classrooms or across a servery moves several times a day for years. Carriers are rated for a cycle count, and a domestic grade fitted to a commercial opening is the single most common reason a door starts dragging in its second year. If a repair is replacing carriers, it is the moment to fit the right grade.