Garage Door Maintenance: Debunking Common Myths
Garage doors are tough and last for decades. Right? Well, yes and no. Garage doors are tough and they have the potential to last for 20 years or more if - and this is a big if - they are properly maintained. In that sense, they're no different than a car. If you buy a new car and drive it every day but you never change the oil or perform other types of maintenance it's going to start breaking down after only a few years. Same with garage doors. If after the garage door installation the door never undergoes maintenance you’ll be lucky to get 10 years out of it instead of 20+.
In this post, we're going to identify and debunk some of the most common garage door maintenance myths. The ones that people cite most often to justify not maintaining their door.
Common Garage Door Maintenance Myths
Myth 1: Maintenance is optional
No. It’s not. No matter what your neighbor or brother-in-law told you, a garage door needs regular maintenance every bit as much as a car. The typical automatic overhead garage door is comprised of some 2 dozen components, including the garage door opener. Each of them must work properly by itself and they must all work properly together for the door to operate safely and efficiently. At least half of these are moving parts, meaning they accumulate wear and tear over time. If you want to make sure that 300-400 lb door is not a hazard to yourself and your loved ones, schedule regular maintenance.
Myth 2: You can perform the maintenance yourself
No. You can’t. People sustain serious (even fatal) injuries all too often when springs snap or the door or some of its components come crashing down on top of them while they’re trying to do their own maintenance work. The forces involved in getting a huge, heavy door to seem like it’s opening effortlessly are formidable. If a person messes with those forces without knowing exactly what they’re doing they run the risk of a serious accident. Oh yeah. And there’s also the matter of the warranty being voided if you work on the door yourself.
Myth 3: Garage doors are naturally noisy
No. They’re not. If the garage door on your Parker home is making a lot of noise when it opens and closes you need to call for garage door repair, and pronto. A noisy door might just need to be lubricated. But the noise could also mean trouble with the rollers, tracks or other components. If the problem isn’t addressed you could wind up dealing with a much more serious problem down the line.
Myth 4: Every garage door opener is the same
No. They’re not. Some folks think that because they were able to figure out what was wrong with their garage door opener on a different house 10 years earlier, that they’ll be able to diagnose the problem they’re having with their new opener. After all, garage door openers are all the same, aren’t they? Nope. They have different motors, are hung in different fashions, are activated in different ways, use different mechanisms to move the door, and on and on. Other than the fact that they’re all designed to open garage doors they have little in common. Which is why you need a pro to perform maintenance on them.
Myth 5: All garage doors at the same
No. They’re not. This is similar to myth 4 but applies to the door itself, rather than the opener. Today’s garage doors are light years ahead of those from your parents’ day. They’re better designed and built, quieter and are made from a variety of materials that weren’t in play several decades ago. Assuming that the garage door in your new Broomfield home is the same as the 20-year-old garage door on your old home in Tennessee would be a mistake. And operating under misconceptions while trying to work on a garage door can get you into some very hot water.
Myth 6: Maintenance is a Waste of Money
No. It’s not. This is one of the most common myths we hear. Some folks believe that any type of maintenance work on a garage door is some type of scam. And yet they don’t think twice about taking their car in to get the oil changed right on schedule. As we discussed in the opening there is no difference between the two. If your door is having issues and they are not addressed with a simple and affordable maintenance visit, in time those issues will fester and become big problems that require much more costly repair work. So, it’s really a matter of “pay a little now or pay a lot later”.
The Benefits of Regular Garage Door Maintenance
Garage door maintenance is neither optional nor a scam, it’s a necessity that provides a host of short and long-term benefits, including:
Preventing molehills from turning into mountains
By scheduling an annual garage door maintenance checkup you will prevent small problems from growing into big problems that come back to haunt you in the long run. In the end, you'll save money and sleep easy knowing your loved ones are safe around the garage door.
Optimizing the lifespan of the door
A well-maintained door can last 15 or 20 years, and in some cases longer depending on how often you use it. Conversely, a door that rarely or never has maintenance performed on it will likely begin to experience problems after a few years and may have its useful lifespan cut in half.
Staying compliant with the warranty
Most garage door warranties mandate that the door must undergo regular maintenance checks by a qualified professional. Failure to live up to this stipulation in the warranty will result in the warranty being voided and you having to shell out for repairs that might otherwise have been covered.
Ensuring safety
The garage door is the largest moving component of your house. A typical one can weigh 300 pounds or more. With that much weight sitting above your loved one’s heads you need to be sure it’s not going to come crashing down over some formerly minor issue that was never resolved. Regular maintenance will help prevent accidents.
Ensuring the door is there when you need it
Nothing like coming home in a blizzard with the wind howling off the Rockies only to find your garage door won’t open because of a problem that could have been avoided by regular maintenance checkups.
Contact A Better Garage Door
For expert garage door sales and service contact the team at A Better Garage Door today at (303) 920-2267.