Is My Broken Garage Door Worth Fixing?

What constitutes a broken garage door? There are so many moving parts that can break on a garage door that https://www.repairgaragedoors.com/2021/is-my-broken-garage-door-worth-fixing/sometimes it’s better to replace it. Sometimes it’s better to repair it.

The biggest factors on whether to repair a broken garage door or replace it may be age, could be how well its been cared for or when it’s time to update your home.

The garage door is the largest moving wall in a home that has recently become the front door. With a family the garage door opens and closes several times a day. With all those working parts its important to maintain the garage door just like a homeowner maintains the HVAC.

Garages are big storage areas and in Texas most fill there garages full of power tools, lawn mowers, bicycles and so much more. Cars tend to stay outside parked in the driveway or on the street. However, if you park your car inside the garage you may want to protect the “things” inside it.

10 questions to ask yourself before replacing or repairing a broken garage door

1. Does The Garage Door Have Damage?

What kind of damage do you see on a garage door? Inspecting your garage door thoroughly is really important. Not only looking closely on the inside for any kind of splits in the steel or dents on the panels from someone hitting the garage door. Once a split in the steel door is seen it won’t be long before it caves in on top of a car. Splits are like a paper clip, if bent back and forth many times a small split starts and then just breaks off completely. A garage door is not much different. As the panels open and close on a daily basis once a split starts then all of a sudden it splits completely. If this happens the sections may land on top of your car if it is parked inside the garage.

2. What is a Garage Door Spring?

A garage door spring is a long coil or two coils above the garage door. They are one of the most important parts of the garage door. The garage door springs are what carries all the weight of the garage door. When they are working properly, the garage door will be balanced and not put any undo wear and tear on the garage door opener.

3. How Can I tell If My Garage Door Spring is Broken?

Most of the time the garage door may not open or may only open a few inches. If you see a gap between the coils you definitely have a broken spring. Another way to tell is if there is only one torsion spring the cables (wires) on the side may be loose or dangling. The garage door at this point will be dead weight on the ground whereas most individuals will not be able to lift the garage door to get cars out. Call a professional – Do Not Try To Repair Yourself!

4. Why Do Garage Door Springs Break in Cold or Hot Weather?

All garage door springs have a cycle life, meaning how many times a garage door opens and closes on a daily basis. It is a man made product and if not lubricated and adjusted with an annual tune-up, the extreme hot 100+ degrees and extreme cold 40 degrees and below the torsion springs are under a lot more pressure as metal expands and contracts. When the springs expand and contract eventually they will break. You may hear a very loud noise and wonder what just happened. Go into the garage and don’t see anything until you try to open the garage door.

Most builders install a single spring on the garage door and the cycle life may be 8,000-10,000 cycles. So how many cycles will you get out of the torsion springs? That really depends on how often the garage door gets opened and closed on a daily basis. On average a single torsion spring may get between 5 – 7 years before it breaks. When it breaks it will most likely be at an inopportune time.

5. What other Garage Door Parts Break?

Other common garage door parts that break are hinges, rollers and center stiles. Builder grade hinges tend to be very thin a ripe or split easily. If this happens and you want to repair yourself make sure you know which hinges it is as each hinge has a number on it #1, #2, #3. Each number is located on the garage door in different areas. A #1 hinge will not work in a number #3 hinge area on the sections.

Many builder grade rollers are 7BB (ball bearing) and may quickly fall apart meaning the stem comes apart or they just stop rolling. They also may wobble up and down the track. This puts a lot of undo wear on the garage door opener as well. A garage door should roll smoothly and quietly up and down the tracks. It shouldn’t sound like a freight train going thorough your home!

The center stile is located in the top section of the garage door. The tow arm or black J bar is connected to the center stile. When the garage door is not balanced properly an opener will pull on that piece and over time it may pull out of the garage door. There is a fix for that part and it’s called an ORB – operator reinforcement bracket. This is very common because builders do not put support struts on the top sections of a small garage door 8 x 7 or 9 x 7’s.

6. How Much Does a Broken Garage Door Cost to Repair?

Listed above are just a few of the problems with a broken garage door. If only a hinge needs to be replaced the cost is not more than $200. If it is a garage door spring the cost is going to be higher depending on the size and diameter of the torsion spring. (We always weigh the garage door to put the proper torsion springs on the garage door.)

When a garage door is old and has had several repairs done on it, it is probably time to replace the garage door.

7. How Much Does a New Garage Door Cost?

That is a great question, yet there are many variables that go into deciding the right door for your home. There are builder grade garage doors and better quality with better warranties. Many years ago there were only basically 4 designs to choose on the face of the garage door and 3 styles to choose from on the inside of the garage door.

Today, there is so many choices, designs, styles and window options, it can be very stressful trying to decide what would work better for your home. Sometimes the wife is looking for design and the husband is looking for function. At our showroom we have several different options to see, touch and feel. This is where we normally can make each couple happy.

Costs of the different designs and insulation will add to the bottom line. We highly recommend shopping in a garage door showroom so you can see exactly what you are wanting to order.

8. How Do I Maintain My New Garage Door?

Having an annual garage door and opener tune-up is critically to get the most life out of your new garage door. Some things a homeowner can do is inspect the door for any wear on the roller, hinges and make sure that all moving parts are lubricated with a garage door spray that is silicone free. WD-40 may be used however, it only last approximately 30 days so you will need to lubricate at least once a month.

We use a Garage Door Spray made specifically for garage doors and recommend using quarterly. If you lubricate at least on an annual basis to keep everything quiet and running smoothly, you will maintain the longevity of the garage door and parts.

9. Who Can I Contact To Shop For a New Garage Door?

There are many ways to shop for a new garage door, online, in a showroom or have a service technician out to your home and make recommendations on the right style for you.

At A1 Affordable Garage Door Repair all three options are available to the homeowner. A link is included to design your own garage door here. If you take a picture of your home and upload it, you can now play with any designs that suit your taste. When you find a garage door that matches your taste, style and location, simply click “email quote”. The design you choose will come directly to us thorough email. Then one of our garage door specialists will be happy to give you a firm quote.

10. Now It’s Time To Make Your Decision – Repair My Broken Garage Door or Replace It

There are many decisions to make on whether to repair or replace my broken garage door. Investing a little more now to replace the broken garage door may save you a lot of unexpected repairs in the future. Now it’s your decision to make.

We hope this has been helpful and would love to hear your comments or concerns. Fee free to email us anytime or better yet stop by our garage door showroom in Plano, Texas Mon – Fri 8:00-5:00 pm Sat 8:00 – 3:00 pm.