Garage doors might not get equal attention as a lot of other things in your home. That is, until they stop working! As the largest opening in your house, the garage door is a vital part of your property. Does it open and close properly? Do you see signs of bowing or cracking? Do you hear excessive rattling or metal grinding sounds? After being exposed to years of wear and tear, your garage door might be due for a check-up with a reliable Richmond based garage door repair service provider. But how do you decide if your garage door needs repair or replacement? There are many factors at play that can help you to decide between a replacement and a repair. Let us find out.
Why Should You Repair or Replace Your Garage Door?
Damaged garage doors might pose a threat to your home’s security, and their continued use might lead to further damage in other parts of the door. Your garage door can last you several decades without needing replacement if you keep a regular maintenance schedule. Moreover, regularly maintained garage doors can transform the look and feel of your property by enhancing its curb appeal. But if your garage doors are more than 10 years old or you haven’t checked up on them in a while, chances are you would need an inspection to ensure that everything is operating and looking right.
Factors That Determine If You Need to Replace or Repair Your Garage Doors:
● The Severity of the Damage
Look at the extent of the damage to your garage door. Do you see minor dents and scratches? Is the door opening and closing properly? For a few dents and scratches, your garage door technician can simply replace one or two panels. Similarly, they can look for minor things that are preventing the closing and opening of your doors and repair them. But if the damage is severe in nature, you might have to replace your garage door. For instance, multiple garage door panels are preventing the closing and opening of your doors properly, or there are multiple damaged garage door panels.
● Type of Damage
There are different types of garage door damage that you might encounter. Incidents like collisions with a vehicle or strong storm winds can cause severe damage. Likewise, a loose cable or an untightened screw needs minor repair. Your garage door includes various parts that enable smooth operation, and significant damage to these parts can make your property unsafe. There might also be a looming cost of repair that might exceed the replacement cost. You should always know your insurance and warranty options that will directly be linked to the nature of your damage and how it happened.
● Age of the Doors
On average, garage doors can last anywhere between 15 to 30 years. However, if you have had your garage door for over 10 years without periodic inspections and maintenance, then it may be time for a replacement. You might want to get away with just repairing your door temporarily, but you would have to replace it anyway in a year or two, especially if you do not maintain a regular maintenance schedule. Likewise, if your garage door is brand new or a few years old, and the damage isn’t very severe, replacing or repairing a few parts can do the trick.
● Energy Costs
When you see your energy bills skyrocketing without any significant reason, you might want to check your garage doors. A properly insulated and correctly sealed garage door helps to maintain the internal temperature of your home and save on your energy bills. A maintenance specialist can reseal weatherstripping that has come off and restore its energy efficiency by preventing drafts. However, an old garage door might not have proper insulation to prevent heating and cooling from escaping. This is when your garage door expert can install a new door for reducing your HVAC usage and lower your energy bills.
You can also avoid the cost of new garage door investments for years to come with annual preventive maintenance appointments. While the choice is yours, always know that there is no need to replace your garage door unless there is extreme functional or cosmetic damage or you want a total upgrade. Moreover, it is always best to let garage door experts do their work, as someone without expert knowledge might end up damaging their garage door and overall property even more.
Get in touch with an expert garage door repair company so they can identify potential red flags and tune up your garage doors for operating and looking like new ones. They can also determine if you would need a replacement or repair. For instance, sometimes tightening a cable, replacing a broken part, or adjusting safety eye sensors can easily fix your garage door.