Garage Door Dangers
It’s easy to overlook the condition of your garage door. As long as it opens and closes, it’s doing what it’s supposed to do even if it looks like it’s struggling a bit. With so many other things to manage, garage door concerns often get pushed further down the to-do list. But garage doors are heavy and they can be extremely dangerous to people when they aren’t in good condition. Doors with worn-out, damaged, or broken parts need to be replaced immediately. In this post, we’ll discuss garage door dangers.
Garage Door Dangers – How Bad Can It Get?
We get it, purchasing new garage doors can be a hassle but you’ve got lots of companies to choose from. Plus, garage door replacement is one of the best home renovation investments you can make. According to Remodeling magazine’s 2020 Cost vs Value Report↗, garage door replacements have a 94% return on investment. Think about that before spending on kitchen or bathroom remodels which have a 78%-54% ROI depending on the scale of the project. Garage door replacement is a good value AND a must if you’re dealing with an old or damaged door system.
If you don’t replace your damaged garage door you could expose yourself or your loved ones to several risks.
Collapsed Garage Door
Your garage door is the largest and heaviest moving part of your home. While smaller doors can weigh in the low 100s, the average garage door weighs over 300 pounds. If you’ve got wooden doors or tall doors, it likely weighs even more than that. And it’s not just the weight of the door panels, garage doors have many interconnected and moving parts— the tracks, trolley, motor, rollers, cables, and more.
Any part of your garage door can fail, causing damage to other parts of your door. If any of the parts that hold the weight of the door up fail, the door could come crashing down. In the worst situation, a person or animal could be in the path of danger.
Auto-Reverse System Failure
The auto-reverse system is a safety mechanism that is required on all garage doors manufactured after 1993. Laws requiring garage door manufacturers to include auto reversals were created after a report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission showed that 46 children in the U.S. had been killed by garage doors between 1982 and 1989.
Older doors may have a reversal system that requires the door to reverse when it strikes an object, auto-reverse systems use a sensor to detect when an object is in its path. Auto-reverse systems need to be cleaned because debris can get in the way and cause it to fail. This device can also wear out over time. If you’ve made replacements to other parts of your door but haven’t replaced the auto-reverse, it may be time to consider its age and condition.
Broken Springs
Garage door springs act as counterweights to your garage door panels. While the motor makes the door move, it’s the springs that balance the weight of the door as it’s moving up or down. All garage door springs eventually fail and need to be replaced. Springs cannot be repaired, you cannot return springs to their original state. Garage door springs have a cycle life which is an approximation of how long it will last.
New garage doors use two or more springs, depending on the size and weight of the door. Older garage doors have one or two depending on the spring system. If your door has one spring, you need to keep an eye on its condition because it is your door’s only support, it has no backup to prevent the door from crashing down. For doors with two or more springs, remember to replace both springs at the same time even if only one is damaged. When one spring fails the other is likely to follow so it’s best to replace them at the same time.
Wasted Energy
For some homeowners, avoiding the cost of a new garage door is an attempt to save money. Garage doors aren’t cheap, we know, we’re pros but while you’re holding onto old doors you’re also wasting money on increased energy bills. Older doors, doors made over 20 years ago weren’t made with energy efficiency in mind. In today’s world, building product manufacturers are always working to make better and more energy-efficient products.
Today’s garage doors are available in a variety of material options, some more energy-efficient than others. We also now have insulated garage doors designed to reduce thermal transfer keeping your garage at more moderate temperatures. If your garage shares walls with other parts of your house you should take steps to make it more energy-efficient, which includes insulating the walls and choosing an insulated door to prevent outside temperatures from affecting inside temperatures. During the summer and winter, your cooling and heating system work harder when your home’s exterior envelope isn’t blocking interior heating or cooling from escaping.
LEARN MORE: The Benefits of Insulating Your Garage Door
Garage Door Safety Tips
In addition to replacing your garage door when it becomes dangerous to operate there are additional steps, you can take to avoid garage door accidents.
- Don’t touch a garage door while it’s moving
- Don’t try to repair garage door springs
- Replace broken windows or panels immediately
- Make sure the auto-reverse is always working
- Don’t race against the garage door, it’s not a race you’ll want to lose
- Schedule regular tune-ups for your door
Call Heritage Garage Door for Replacement Services
Even the best doors with the best maintenance eventually need to be replaced. For garage door replacement services in the San Diego area, contact our team at Heritage Garage Door. Our team of experienced garage door technicians can help you find the right door system for your garage.
Heritage Garage Door operates in Southern California.
