Troubleshooting Your Garage Door

Is It Time For A New Garage Door?

Your home's garage door should last a very long time, but if it's been a very long time already, you may have to do some deep thinking about the future of that door. Obviously, if the door is still in good shape and working well, you can keep repairing most problems that occur. But if the door has been having more and more issues, it may be time to replace it.

Some Non-Maintenance Reasons

First, realize that you don't have to struggle with an old door just for the sake of frugality. If you're planning to sell or rent out your home, or if you're simply tired of dealing with the door, replacement is always an option as long as you can afford it. So if your door still seems repairable but has just been a pain to deal with, replacing it is certainly feasible.

Too Many Maintenance Calls

Of course, even if you like the door, if you've had to have too many repairs done on it in the past few years and it seems like the door needs more and more repairs, then replacing it is the better option. After a while, you end up spending more on the repairs than you would on a new door.

Massive Safety Failure

This isn't as obvious as it sounds. Let's say the opener and reverse sensor both fail, and the door closes on your bicycle wheel as you're rolling the bike out of the garage. You might think that's an obvious sign to get the opener and sensor repaired or replaced, but not necessarily the door, especially if the only damage you see is to your bike. But the door can sustain micro cracks and mild bends that make it more likely to sustain additional damage. The initial impact from hitting the bike can transfer stress up into the tracks and springs, too, causing hidden damage. Get the door inspected first, but if there's any damage, especially in the opening and closing mechanisms, maybe replacement is better.

It's Simply Worn

Doors get old. Even if they still work well, exposure to the elements can cause materials like wood to wear down and maybe even develop some mold or rot. Get those replaced.

Before you do anything else, have a company like Mid-South Door Co come out to evaluate the door and see, overall, what potential future problems are likely. If you're looking at a continued series of service calls, start discussing replacement.


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