When Should You Consider Replacing Your Garage Door?

garage door replacement

Garage doors are often times taken for granted when it comes to home improvement projects, which is a shame because as we’ve pointed out in several articles (Garage Doors Los Angeles, Garage Doors San Diego, Garage Doors Orange County), garage door replacement ranks at or near the top when it comes to increasing the value of your home. But other than for pure economic reasons, what are the top signs that it’s time to replace your current garage door?

The Noise Factor

Your garage door should not create a lot of noise when opening or closing. Technological advancements in garage door design over the past decade allow for newer garage doors to operate in very smooth and quiet manner. If your garage door tends to be noisy, for the benefit of your family and neighbors, you may want to consider replacement.

Constant Maintenance Required

If you haven’t been diligent in following these simple maintenance tips over the years, you may have found yourself calling to have your garage door serviced more often than you expected. Money spent on service calls, labor, and parts associated with garage door repair can add up over time. If this describes your situation, you may want to consider spending your next dollar in purchasing replacement garage doors instead of investing any more money into your current garage doors.

Garage Doors Slowing Down

Have you noticed a significant change in how rapidly your garage door responds when you try to raise or lower it? It should take only a moment between hitting the opener button and your garage door beginning its operation. If there’s any sort of delay, especially a lengthy one, it’s time to have your door examined by a professional who can identify any issues or take it as a sign to replace.

Lack of Safety and Efficiency Features

Unlike older garage doors, more modern garage doors typically provide great insulation to keep the cold out and heat inside. This can make a serious dent in your monthly energy bills, potentially making up the cost of garage door replacement over a few years. New garage doors also include the latest in safety technology, including automatic reversal if the door comes into contact with an unexpected object. If your aging door does not provide the safety and security you want, it’s time to consider a new garage door.

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5 Essential Garage Door Maintenance Tips

garage door maintenance tips

Even as the largest movable part of most homes, garage doors are often overlooked and unappreciated, that is until there is an issue that prevents it from running smoothly. Most minor garage door issues that naturally occur over time can be avoided with a little TLC. So, whether you just purchased a new garage door and want to keep it running smoothly throughout the years or maybe just trying to extend the useful life of an older garage door and delay a complete replacement or major garage door repair, we recommend the following 5 essential garage door maintenance tips to keep your garage door functioning like new.

Garage Door Maintenance Tips #1: Garage Door Lubrication Goes A Long Way

Lubrication is important and if done properly can keep your garage doors running efficiently and effectively extend the overall lifespan of the doors. However, there are several things to keep in mind when lubricating the parts of your garage door. While WD40 would seem like the most logical choice for lubrication purposes, we recommend a lithium or a silicone spray when lubricating garage door parts like the top part of the chain rail, hinges, metal rollers, stems, nubs, the arm bar, and the lock. While these components can benefit from occasional lubrication other components such as the chain, the garage door track and the spring should not be lubricated under any circumstances.

Garage Door Maintenance Tips #2: Monitor Weather Seals

Making sure your garage doors remains energy efficient should be a high priority for homeowners looking to save on energy costs. Take a look at the rubber seals along the threshold of your garage door. If you notice the seals are cracking or otherwise wearing away it’s probably time to replace.

Garage Door Maintenance Tips #3: Keep Your Garage Door Tracks Clean

Dirt and dust has a way of finding its way onto the tracks of your garage door and over time can seriously inhibit your garage door from functioning as well as it should. A simple proper cleaning of the tracks can go a long way in remedying this situation. We recommend using a damp towel with a little soap solution to clean your garage door tracks from time to time.

Garage Door Maintenance Tips #4: Test the Balance of Your Garage Door

Your garage door should be able to stay halfway open when disconnected from your automatic garage door opener. To test this, use the manual release mechanism to open your door halfway by hand. If it fails to stay open, your springs’ counterweight system is out of balance and in need of a tuneup.

Garage Door Maintenance Tips #5: Safety Features Need to Be Regularly Tested

Most garage door openers include numerous safety features, some required by law. Test these features on a regular basis. The auto-reverse mechanism should be fully working, and your battery backup should engage when the opener is disconnected from power if your opener includes a battery backup.

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