It can be hard to tell if your garage door is just quirky, in need of repair, or finally in need of replacement. However, there are tell-tale signs that it’s time to knuckle down and upgrade to a new one – to save money, to save lives, or to simply save yourself some grey hairs.
Here are four of the best:
- It Drains Energy
When your energy bill starts souring through the roof, you may look to your AC or even your children (“That’s not a toy, Jimmy!”) as the culprit. However, the lesser thought-of perpetrator is often your garage door. Heating or air conditioning will still leak out into the garage, and if it’s not holding that temperature well, your energy bill is overworking itself.
- Poor insulation
Especially in older doors, insulation was taken very lightly. More modern ones are thorough in making sure that pink gold is stacked in tightly, but you might be suffering from poor craftsmanship. Unfortunately, re-insulating is time consuming and expensive, and while someone experienced with insulation may have an easier time, it’s still a wise choice to simply replace the door with better quality.
- Doesn’t close all the way
Damage to your garage door’s track or issues with the springs can leave your door acting more like a welcome mat for bugs and other invasive creatures. Even if the gap is minor, it’s enough to let in small animals and especially let out your heating or air. Replacing springs is highly dangerous and expensive, and should you wish to save yourself the trouble, getting a new door will see your bills reducing significantly.
- Splintered door
Sometimes the problem is a little more direct, and the rest of the garage door’s equipment holds up its hands defensively. If your door has experienced hardships over the years, it’s possible the bottom of it has been splintered away. Even if this is in minor ways, it’s a problem you can’t fix with a small replacement; the door itself has been compromised and is letting out your expensive air. It’s time to throw in the towel and get yourself a newer, shinier, and more effective door.
- It’s Incredibly Noisy
Garage doors are noisy; everyone can agree they do an excellent banshee impression when they want to. However, there comes a point where the noise is indicative of a greater problem which can escalate into a real danger or simply drive you out of your mind.
- Shaking
A shaky door is incredibly noisy as metal grinds against metal, and this is telling you about a problem with the track or the springs themselves. If it moves unevenly and shudders as it goes up or down, then your door is suffering from broken parts or overly strained mechanisms, which may eventually break altogether and let it slam down on your car, yourself, or your child. Rather than devote money to the shop or a hospital visit, get yourself a new door.
- Uneven track
When your door makes more of a grind than a scream as it goes up, this is often because the wheels in the track are bent, off their track altogether, or simply broken. By leaving it as is, eventually they will grind themselves down to nothing and leave you with a wall instead of a door, or force your springs to work harder until they break, letting the door slam down on someone or something.
- It Won’t Open or Close
The worst has come and your door has simply stopped functioning. You can hear the motor working with all its might, but nothing is happening. Your door will not open or close. Seeing as its failed in its chief function, it’s time for a replacement.
- It responds slowly
Let’s say it’s the little garage door that could and still works hard to obey your remote’s commands; but it does so at a snail’s pace. This could indicate broken wires in your motor, strained springs, or a problem with your track. While the latter may be repairable, a faulty motor is a great challenge for even a skilled electrician, and springs put under too much strain will snap. The garage door is kind enough to let you know the problem ahead of time, but it’s still in need of complete replacement.
- It opens unevenly
Garage doors are meant to open smoothly, and if yours is experiencing a stutter-stop or trying to lift one side of the door before the other, then you have a very real problem with your suspension. By leaving it as it is, it will eventually be caught at a weird angle and either break the main door itself, bent the tracks beyond recognition, or finally snap the springs and close curtain – right on you or your car.
- It Lacks the Proper Features
Older garage doors had a different set of standards and safety requirements than the modern ones do today, and if you inherited the door, you may find yourself with one that’s sub-par – and desperately in need of an upgrade.
- No automatic reverse
As a standard safety feature in modern doors, should it come down on something that isn’t the ground or should it sense something via its laser-eye in the way of its path, it’ll immediately halt its course and rewind itself back into an open position. Older ones, out of humor or lack of foresight, will simply come right down on top of things. This is incredibly dangerous for you, your car, or your family, and rather than take the risk, upgrading to a modern one could save time – and lives.
- Too weak to hold off intruders
Peace of mind is everything, and especially with a door. If yours is particular old or feeble, a strong wind or a determined punk could force their way right through it – and into your home. Rather than letting that worry linger in the back of your mind, you can upgrade to a stronger version that will keep off the danger.
There are ways to repair a garage door, but some are beyond help – it’s time for a replacement. If your door is showing these four signs, it’s time to go shopping.
Having issues with your garage door? Get in touch with New York Gates at 718-614-0616.