The Downside of Ignoring Garage Door Maintenance and Service

In 2021, Raynor Garage Doors reported that garage doors open and close approximately 1,500 times each year. As such, it’s absolutely essential that you keep your garage door in good working order. And the best way to do that is by enlisting the services of a good garage door installation company to stop by and perform regular maintenance on the door and all its components. This may seem like a bit of a luxury, but as we’ll see it’s really more of a necessity.

The Importance of Proper Garage Door Maintenance

As we mentioned most people who live outside the city center use the garage door as the primary entryway to their home. The typical garage door will last 15-20 years if properly maintained and open thousands of times in all types of whether. However, neglecting to properly maintain the door can cut its useful life in half and cost you a small fortune in calls to the garage door installation and repair guys. Here are 5 problems the average homeowner can expect to encounter if they don’t have their garage door properly serviced:

1. Motor burnout — While it’s the springs that do most of the heavy lifting it’s the opener that actually sets the door in motion. The motor in your garage door opener is reliable and strong but it’s a mechanical device. And like all mechanical devices it needs periodic checkups. Ignoring this fact will allow small issues to blossom into problems that could lead to burnout and the need for premature replacement. You wouldn’t ignore regular checkups for your car, you shouldn’t ignore them for the garage door opener.
2. Track and roller failure — Think about where your garage door is located. The exterior takes the brunt of Mother Nature’s fury and every time the door is open dirt, debris, rain, snow, sleet, leaves and more are sucked into the garage from outside. And what’s in the garage? The tracks that your garage door rides up and down on. When the garage door installation company completed their work they no doubt said something about making sure you clean the tracks periodically. But if you’re like most homeowners this simple task got pushed down the priority list. Failing to keep the tracks clean can cause all kinds of problems with the door including uneven opening, broken rollers and motor burnout as it strains to pull the door through the grime. The garage door maintenance pro will make sure your tracks are squeaky clean.
3. Failure of the extension or torsion springs — The springs are the undisputed workhorses of the garage door. They’re tough, powerful and reliable. But they’re also big pieces of coiled metal that are exposed to nature’s wrath their entire life. As such it’s crucial to their long term health and effectiveness that they are kept clean and well-lubricated. Letting them accumulate dirt in the coils and allowing them to rust is going to significantly shorten their life. And believe us, if you have an older garage door with a single torsion spring you don’t want to be under the garage door when that spring snaps because it’s so rusty
4. Failure of the safety system — All new garage doors are required to have an auto-reverse feature. This is an electric eye that shines a beam of light across the opening of the door. If a child or a pet breaks the beam of light while the door is closing the door automatically reverses and opens back up again. This way your loved one or pet does not become a victim of a garage door they didn’t see coming. Neglect garage door service long enough and you can be reasonably sure your auto-reverse safety system will wind up kicking off and you won’t even realize it, perhaps until it’s too late.
5. Infestations with Common Pests — The garage door opening is by far the largest opening on your home’s exterior. Therefore it’s important that the door close snugly and securely. The longer it goes without service, however, the less perfect will be the seal when the door closes and the more opportunities there will be for all kinds of pests to move into the garage and set up house. Most small mammals can squeeze through surprisingly tight spaces so after just a few years of letting the door go you could discover you have mice, opossums, raccoons or even snakes living in, what is to them, a nice cozy garage.

In addition, an old poorly maintained door is a much greater security threat than a tight, well-maintained door. Rotting panels can be easily kicked in, allowing a burglar to gain entry and the manual release mechanism can be triggered in about 10 seconds on a loose door, giving someone quick, unfettered access to your home.

Call Garage Door Service Professionals for Essential Maintenance

If you want your garage door to live out its intended lifespan and always answer the call even when the weather is at its worst, it’s important to have it properly maintained. No one is better qualified to perform maintenance on your garage door than experienced garage door installation professionals. They know every aspect of the garage door mechanism like the back of their hand and will keep it running smooth as silk year after year.