Garage doors are essential pieces of any home, and a damaged one can mean a costly repair. Some damage is too severe and the unit will need to be replaced entirely, and this is where it gets difficult. The type of garage door, material, and whether it’s electric or manual will dictate whether a garage door can be fixed or not.
To get a better idea of whether your garage door needs a repair or if you have to hire a contractor to install a new door, here is what you need to know.
Whether your garage door was hit by a hailstorm or it’s due for a repair, your first thought should be how bad the dent is. Some dents are small enough that you can just pop them back out with a bit of suction, while others may require a new panel. If the dent is in a place where it affects the structural integrity of the garage door, it will need to be thrown out and a new panel put in.
All dents must be attended to as soon as possible. If you have a steel or wooden garage door and leave the dent to be repaired at a later stage, it may not be as easy by the time you get to it. Weather can further damage the panel by stripping the paint and forming rust that will destroy the material the longer it’s left.
If the garage door functions electronically or in another automatic way, there will be a motor and wires to operate it. Sometimes these motors and wires can get damaged from wear and tear and other times a power outage can cause it to pop and stop working. This fix is often very easy and can be done yourself, but be careful if you need to replace any physical parts. Doors are incredibly heavy because they are so large, so if one falls on you, it will be very painful or even fatal.
One feature of electronic garage doors is the sensor beam across the door. It’s there so that if there is an obstacle in the path of the door, it won’t close and injure someone. If this sensor gets knocked out of place or stops working, the door won’t stay open when it needs to. This type of damage needs to be fixed immediately, as with any automatic system.
A garage door can go off track by simply hitting the ground too hard. If this happens, it can easily knock it off the rails, in which case the garage door won’t open at all. Pulling the door at an angle if it’s manually operated is another way that garage doors go off track. Again, don’t repair this yourself. Get a professional who is an expert with the springs, hinges, and belts. If any of these pieces snap during the repair, the whole garage door can come tumbling down.
If your garage door goes off track, it’s not only an inconvenience but a safety hazard. It may mean parking your car outside the garage or in the street, but it also creates a problem for gaining access to the house. Try to get your garage door inspected every year or so, to make sure that it continues to work safely.
If the garage door cable or chain breaks it will cause the door to bounce around and hit the ground harder than it should. Cables and chains are relatively straightforward to replace but it could mean repairing the cables, as well as the springs. If a garage door starts to bounce, it’s an indication that something needs to be replaced and not just repaired.
This type of damage can also cause a loud and annoying sound such as screeching or grinding on the wheels. Small bits of dust and debris collect in these areas and cause several problems. Sometimes you just need to spray some WD-40 or another lubricant to remove the dirt. Some doors where these parts have been ill-maintained for years have probably rusted and will need to be repaired entirely, rather than just a simple repair job
There are a variety of things that can go wrong with a garage door, and at some point, it will need to be repaired. The longer a door is not repaired, however, the more likely it will need to be completely replaced in a few years. If a garage door isn’t well taken care of, the repair costs can sometimes be more than just replacing the panels. The type of damage will tell you if a door can be repaired or not, and if it’s a simple fix, you may be able to do it yourself with little professional help.
