Garage doors are one of the most important parts of your home. They allow you to protect yourself and your possessions from any potential dangers outside while giving you easy access to the things inside. But how long does a garage door last? The short answer is that most garage doors last between 15 to 30 years, and that figure is based mainly on usage.
Likewise, this is an important question for homeowners to think about since they might need to replace their garage door at some point in time. And if that’s not enough, then what about when it comes time to repair or even upgrade your existing garage door? These are all good questions and we’ll be answering them and more in this post.
The Average Garage Door Life Span
As mentioned previously, most garage doors last between 15 and 30 years. The lifespan of your garage door is determined by a variety of factors, including construction quality, usage and local climate conditions. Also, proper maintenance, such as lubricating moving parts, clearing out dirt from the tracks, etc. plays a huge role in the longevity of both your garage doors and openers.
Usage and Your Garage Door’s Longevity
A standard garage door spring is made up of extension springs and torsion springs. The standard spring is designed for a life of about 10,000 cycles, where a cycle represents one opening and closing of the door. The more cycles are used, the quicker the springs break down. The longevity of a 10,000 cycle spring is represented below:
- Two times a day ≈ 13.7 years
- Four times a day ≈ 6.8 years
- Six times a day ≈ about 4.6 years
There are many actions you can take to get more cycles out of your springs such as applying lubricant to keep corrosion and rust at bay and parking your car outside vs. in the garage if it gets covered in road salt. However, changing out torsion springs is a highly dangerous job and should be left to the professionals.
Average Garage Door Opener Lifespans
Garage door openers are also subject to wear and tear. Many models last approximately 10 to 12 years, but the more you use your garage door opener, the sooner it will break down. The average lifespan for a garage door opener can be affected by several factors including usage time (how hard does it work for how long?), installation quality, environment (dusty or humid) and frequency of use.
Maintenance of Garage Doors
Because your garage door is an important part of your home, you should maintain it regularly to ensure that it lasts as long as possible. Some parts are easier to reach than others and require only periodic cleaning. However, other parts are more difficult to access or subject to damage from weather conditions outside (e.g., rusting). If the latter is the case for your garage door, then you might need to have it repaired or even replaced.
Fun fact: Lubricating your garage door is one of the most important (and easiest) things you can do to prolong its life.
The Importance of Garage Door Maintenance
By keeping your garage door maintained, you can reduce the need to replace it. Parts like springs and hinges will last longer when they are kept clean and free from rusting or corrosion. The same goes for other parts such as cable drums (on extension spring systems), railings and tracks where dirt accumulates over time which can affect the performance of these parts.
And, of course, there are the money savings, and who couldn’t do with saving a few bucks here and there? Additionally, by doing this for your garage door now, you are helping to prevent future problems down the line. For example, replacing parts rather than waiting until they completely break will help reduce the likelihood of having to replace an entire section or even your entire garage door system in one go. That would be far more expensive and time-consuming than if you’d taken care of it sooner.
You can extend the natural lifecycle of your garage door and the related components by adhering to a simple annual preventive maintenance program. A garage door that is well-maintained will last longer and require fewer costly repairs.
Upgrading Your Garage Door
If you are not satisfied with your current garage door, then it might be time to upgrade. This is especially the case if you have an old wooden one that has started deteriorating due to wear and tear or even termite damage (which can affect wood).
If this is the case for your existing garage door, then you might need to consider replacing it with a new one. While this is not the cheapest option, you can often choose a different material that makes it last longer.
Upgrading your garage door is not as difficult as it may seem, but it’s a good idea to contact a professional who can assess your needs and offer advice on what type of new door would suit you best. They may even be able to save you money too.
Garage Door Repair vs. Replacement
If your garage door isn’t too old and only needs some repairs done on parts like springs or hinges, then this might be a cheaper option compared to replacing it completely.
In the case of doors with wooden panel, you can have these replaced instead of repaired if they are already damaged or deteriorated due to termite infestation and weather conditions. When choosing whether you should repair your existing door or replace it entirely, think about how much money do you want to spend and what its lifespan should be. If you want it to last for many years, then replacement is the best option in this case.
Having Garage Door Performance Issues? We can Help!
If your garage door is having performance issues or you haven’t kept up on your garage door maintenance, we can help. At New York Gates, we are standing by to assist you with all your repair and replacement needs or any needed maintenance. Operating in the entire tristate area, you can contact us at 1-718-614-0616 or e-mail info@nygates.com for more information today. Our trained garage door technicians have the expertise to troubleshoot and service your garage door, and we can identify any potential issues with it before a breakdown occurs.
