Your garage door generally undergoes more wear and tear than anything else in your home. Although some people only open and close their garage door twice a day, many garage doors end up performing four or five open-and-close cycles on many days. This constant use puts lots of strain on the door, opener and all the other components, which is why regular garage door maintenance is essential. While you can just call to have your garage door serviced every year, we’ll show you the additional benefits you’ll get from signing up for a professional maintenance plan.
Increased Lifespan for Your Garage Door and Opener
Depending on what type of garage door you have and what it is made from, you can typically expect it will last for somewhere between 15 and 30 years. On the other hand, you’ll often need to have your garage door opener replaced every 10 years or so. However, there is a significantly higher chance that either the garage door, opener or both will need to be replaced much sooner if you don’t take steps to ensure that everything is properly maintained and in working order.
Issues like a bent track, loose hardware, worn-out rollers, and damaged springs can lead to a garage door not opening and closing smoothly. If the door doesn’t move smoothly, it will put lots of extra strain on the opener and potentially lead to its motor either wearing out sooner or suddenly seizing up. If any of the hardware is loose, there is also a high chance that the panels can suddenly bend, break or collapse and force you to replace the door.
When you choose a maintenance plan for your garage door, it means someone will regularly check and take care of it for you. This is a smart move because keeping your garage door and all its parts in good shape can save you money in the long run. Things tend to last longer when they’re well-maintained. Plus, it can stop expensive problems before they start, and you won’t have to worry about your garage door unexpectedly breaking down.
Ensuring Your Garage Door Operates Safely
Maintenance is especially important for ensuring that your garage door continues to operate safely, as they can be far more dangerous than most people think. On average, garage door accidents cause between 20,000 and 30,000 injuries in the US alone each year, with some of them unfortunately being fatal. These numbers also don’t take into account the thousands more who suffer more minor injuries and don’t seek medical treatment.
Part of the reason that garage doors can be so dangerous is simply because they weigh so much. Most residential doors weigh at least 200 to 300 pounds, and larger commercial doors can often weigh over 1,000 pounds. The movement typically causes a door to become imbalanced over time. If the door isn’t maintained and rebalanced regularly, it can potentially come crashing down suddenly and seriously injure or kill anyone underneath it.
Another crucial step in maintaining a garage door is to check that its safety mechanisms are working correctly. Most doors have two separate mechanisms that ensure they can’t close if there is a person or object in the way. The safety sensors on either side of the door work by sending light back and forth and will automatically cause the door to stop closing and reopen if anything is in the way and blocks the light. Most doors also have an automatic reverse feature that will detect if the door touches any objects and cause it to immediately stop closing.
The torsion or extension springs on a garage door are also under extreme tension. If the springs are damaged or have started to wear out, they can break and go flying. This can easily lead to severe injuries or cause major damage to your vehicle and anything else that is stored in your garage.
Keeping Your Home Secure
Regular garage door maintenance is also important for ensuring that your garage and the rest of your home are secure. Modern garage doors and openers are much more secure than they were in the past. However, they can still have a variety of issues that can make it much easier for anyone to open the door and break into your garage to steal any valuables or your vehicle. Once inside the garage, the thieves can then potentially gain access to your house. Naturally, whether they can get in depends on the security of the door between your garage and your home.
If someone breaks into your garage, homeowner’s insurance will typically cover the costs to repair any damage or replace the door. Most policies will also pay to replace any stolen items up to a certain dollar amount. However, if the insurance adjustor determines that your garage door wasn’t secure due to a lack of maintenance, there is a chance that your claim may be denied.
Improving the Energy Efficiency of Your Home
Another essential garage door maintenance task is inspecting the rubber weather strip on the bottom of the door and replacing it when necessary. The purpose of the weather strip is to create a tight seal between the door and the concrete below it. In this way, it helps to prevent water from seeping underneath the door into the garage and potentially causing damage. It also helps to keep the outside air out so that your garage remains at a more consistent temperature.
If the weather strip is cracked, has deteriorated or pieces of it are missing, it will negatively impact the energy efficiency of your home and lead to your energy bills increasing. This is because a garage that is much hotter or colder will lead to a residential HVAC system needing to run much more and using much more energy. This is another advantage of having your garage door maintained and inspected regularly since it can reduce your energy costs and potentially save you quite a bit of money in the long run. It will also help to ensure that you don’t need to pay to repair water damage or replace any items that can get ruined by rain leaking into your garage.
Benefits of Signing Up for One of Our Maintenance Plans
At ADS Automatic Door Specialists, we offer three different levels of maintenance plans that can help you ensure your garage door is in working order. Depending on which plan you choose, we will fully inspect, service and test the safety features of your garage door annually, semi-annually or quarterly. We’ll also fully lubricate all the components so that the door moves smoothly.
All plans include preferred scheduling to allow you to schedule the maintenance service on whatever day and time works best for you. We will also send you timely email reminders to let you know when it’s time to schedule the next maintenance appointment.
No matter which plan you choose, you will also receive a 10% discount on any replacement parts. Platinum plan members will also receive priority scheduling on any emergency repairs to get any issues taken care of immediately.
ADS Automatic Door Specialists has been providing expert residential and commercial garage door services to the San Diego area since 1979. We specialize in garage door maintenance, repairs and installation, so contact us today to schedule any garage door service or to learn more about the benefits of signing up for one of our maintenance plans.
