Most homeowners underrate the importance of a garage door until something goes wrong. By keeping a close eye on your door, you can identify the right time for a replacement. Explore signs that indicate your home needs a new garage door below.
1. Frequent Breakdowns
A well-maintained garage door serves you well, save for the occasional repair. However, aging garage doors develop many issues, such as broken springs and worn rollers. If your door has many problems, repair costs quickly add up, so replacing the door may be less stressful.
The repair costs depend on the damaged components. Parts like the sensors, chain, brackets, and rollers are relatively affordable to replace. Expect to pay as much as $400 for quality replacements if the door’s tracks, cables, and springs are battered.
A panel replacement is the most expensive repair as you may spend as much as $1500 for the panel and $250–$500 for labor. In this case, consider replacing your door since you will spend between $750 to $1500. If you have your garage door technician on speed dial due to frequent malfunctions, replacement may be the best option.
2. Constant Sagging
Sagging is somewhat common with wooden garage doors, indicating sustained exposure to weather elements like rain, sunlight, and snow. Other doors are susceptible to sagging from poor installation, age, impact, or problems with springs and rollers.
For instance, worn-out springs cannot bear your garage door’s weight, resulting in an unbalanced door. Over time, tracks and rollers develop wear and tear and cannot support the garage door as they previously did. A sagging garage door needs immediate replacement as it can cause injury and property damage.
3. Interrupted Function
Every homeowner expects their garage door to open or close after a button press. If the door takes a while to open or close or doesn’t function at all, you may have a broken model.
A garage door that opens or closes slowly often indicates an issue with the torsion springs or tracks. You only need to lubricate the track or clean the photo sensor if you are lucky. In other cases, your garage door may have extensive damage, and replacement is necessary. Keep in mind that a garage door has many moving parts, which break, warp, or crack with age.
4. Loud Noises
Loud, unusual noises are often apparent signs that something is wrong with your garage door. Irritating noises indicate a broken part or components grinding against each other. Damaged brackets, rollers, and springs are common culprits of garage door noises, at which point your garage door needs professional inspection.
Don’t ignore garage door noises, as they may signify something is about to snap. Garage doors weigh a lot, and broken parts like springs threaten safety. So, have a technician inspect your door and consider a replacement if the issue is extensive.
5. Outdated Features
Modern garage doors have numerous features that enhance safety, curb appeal, and energy efficiency. If your current door is an eyesore, invest in a model that increases your home’s value.
Today’s garage door materials include steel doors that mimic wood and sleek aluminum doors that stand out. Modern garage doors are available in any color you desire, including neutral tones that complement your home’s architecture or bright hues that contrast with the surrounding.
Contemporary garage door features also help with wind resistance, have layers of insulation, and often include glazing. You can buy a carriage-style or Tudor garage door with modern features if you like an old-fashioned door.
Our garage door experts at AA Garage Door will make the garage door installation process as painless as possible. Contact us today for the perfect garage door.