Decisions
Should You Repair or Replace Your Garage Door?
When a garage door acts up, the question many homeowners ask is whether to repair or replace it. Most of the time, a repair is the sensible answer. Springs, cables, rollers and openers are all parts that wear out and are made to be replaced. There are a few cases, though, where putting money into an old door stops making sense. Here is how to think it through.
Problems That Usually Call for a Repair
- A broken spring. Springs wear out on every door. Replacing them does not mean the door is finished.
- A frayed or snapped cable. Cables are routine parts.
- Worn rollers or hinges. These are inexpensive wear items.
- A door off track. Often fixed by resetting the door and replacing bent track or rollers.
- Opener faults. Gears, capacitors, sensors and remotes are all replaceable.
- One damaged section. On many doors, a single panel can be replaced if the model is still available.
If your door is structurally sound and the problem is one of these, repair is almost always the better first step.
When Replacement Is Worth Considering
Widespread damage
Several dented or cracked sections, bowed panels or rot in a wood door can mean the door itself has reached the end of its life. Replacing sections one by one gets awkward when the panels no longer match.
Parts are no longer made
Older doors sometimes use sections or hardware that are no longer manufactured. If a damaged section cannot be matched, a new door may be the only way to get a uniform result.
The door is very heavy or poorly insulated
Older solid wood doors can be extremely heavy, which works springs and openers hard. Uninsulated doors on an attached garage let cold air into the house. If comfort or weight is a recurring issue, a newer insulated door may be worth a look.
Safety features are missing
Openers sold for many years now must have photo eye sensors and an auto reverse. A very old opener without them is a safety concern. That is an opener decision, not always a door decision, but it often comes up at the same time.
Questions to Ask Yourself
It also helps to separate the door from the opener. They are two different systems that happen to work together. A worn out opener can be replaced on a good door, and a new opener can be fitted to an older door that is still sound. Thinking of them separately often makes the decision simpler.
- How old is the door, and how many repairs has it needed lately?
- Is the damage to parts, or to the door panels themselves?
- Does the door still look the way you want it to?
- Are you planning to sell the home soon? A door is a large, visible part of a house front.
- Is the garage attached, and does the cold come through?
Getting an Honest Assessment
A technician who looks at the whole system can tell you what is worn, what is damaged and what still has life in it. Ask them to explain each finding and show you the part in question. For more on what goes into the price of a repair, see what affects the cost of a garage door repair. If cold air and old hardware are part of the picture, our article on garage doors in older Essex and Bergen County homes may help.
Next Steps
For most problems, start with a repair visit. Our garage door repair service covers springs, cables, openers, tracks and rollers. Homeowners in Garfield can find their local page with the same contact details.
Call (973) 400-5103 or use Get Estimate to schedule garage door service.