5 Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Garage Door
As a technician at Venus Garage Door & Gate who has been installing, repairing, and replacing garage doors for over 10 years, I've seen all the tell-tale signs of a garage door that's just plain worn out. Sure, some garage doors might squeak or stick once in a while as they age, but there are a few clear indicators that your door is flat out ready to be replaced. I don't want homeowners to keep sinking money into repairs that just mask underlying issues or - even worse - put their families at risk with a faulty garage door.
So how do you know if it’s time to replace rather than repair your garage door? Here are the top five signs I tell my neighbors to watch out for when assessing their aging garage doors.
1. Your Door is Over 15-20 Years Old
Just like appliances or cars, garage doors have a definite lifespan. About 15-20 years is the average life expectancy for garage doors depending on their materials, installation environment, maintenance and frequency of use. If your door is over 20 years old, you're on borrowed time as far as I'm concerned.
Doors made decades ago were constructed from materials that simply don’t stand up well over years of exposure to weather, moisture, car fumes, dirt and more. The repeated opening and closing also takes a major toll on cables, rollers, hinges and torsion spring systems over the long haul. These older doors also lack the technology and safety features of modern doors (I’ll detail those later on).
While garage doors made in the last 10 years are built to last longer thanks to advanced materials and engineering, anything 20+ years old is showing signs of decline no matter how well it may seem to be working. As the saying goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but preventative replacement of an obsolete, aging door before failure happens can save future headaches and expense down the road.
2. You're Experiencing Frequent Mechanical Issues
If your old garage door is acting up and requiring repair calls more than once or twice a year - look out. Sure, some occasional minor fixes like tightening up hardware or replacing a roller here and there is normal wear-and-tear. But if you find yourself calling the repairman to fix broken coil springs, crooked tracks, grinding rollers, seized opener motors or cables coming off the drums constantly - it’s a losing game.
This pattern of mechanical breakdown typically confirms that age-related deterioration is taking over and your whole system needs an overhaul or replacement. All of the components in your balance system like springs, cables, bearings, pulleys, and hinges work synergistically together. So when some components necessitate frequent repairs, it puts added strain on the other parts which can quickly compound causing them to fail sooner as well. It ends up being like whack-a-mole trying to constantly service failing parts.
While repairs might seem cheaper in the moment, throwing good money after bad by fixing 20-year old equipment over and over rarely pays off long term. You never know what part might break next or when it will leave your cars stranded outside the garage. Ultimately replacement ends up being the more cost effective and predictable option versus constantly paying for band-aid repairs on an outdated, compromised system.
3. The Door is Visibly Damaged or Sagging
Take a long, hard look at your garage door. Does it have visible cracks, rot, rust or deep dents? Do you notice the panels or sections sagging when the door is open or closed? Can you spy daylight peeking through gaps in the joints or around the edges? These visual red flags are all tip-offs that age and deterioration have started seriously compromising structure and function.
Surface rust might seem like no big deal when it's limited to small spots of oxidation here and there. But when more expansive corrosion sets in on steel components it can eat away materials to the point of fracturing. Water that penetrates cracked wood over years of exposure can expand, contract and warp materials resulting in new gaps, twists and splits. The foam insulation inside steel doors can even start to breakdown and disintegrate over decades in the elements.
All this visible damage translates to underlying problems. Rust, water invasion, and crumbling foam insulation means the structural stability designed to handle the door's weight and function has been undermined. The constant lifting, dropping and forces of opening and closing accelerate this damage. When you start to actually see the effects with sagging cables, wobbly panels and misaligned tracks - safety hazards, dysfunctional operation and complete mechanical failure become risks.
Just like when the body of your car gets dented and rusty from age, those outer signs reflect greater wear and tear to internal components as well. Your garage door is no different. Once external flaws become visible, there’s often deeper damage brewing behind the scenes that you can’t detect with the naked eye.
4. You Want Upgraded Features Your Old Door Lacks
Garage door technology, function and safety have advanced by leaps and bounds over the last 10-15 years alone. If your home’s original 1960s or 70s vintage door is still in place, you've been missing out on a lot of upgraded convenience and security.
Do you constantly struggle without automatic garage door openers? Are you envious of a neighbor's gorgeous faux woodgrain finish that resembles high-end entry doors? Ever wish you could brighten up your garage interior by replacing that old rusty steel door with new insulated glass panels? What about safety features like infrared sensors that automatically stop and reverse the door if objects pass through the beam? And don't even get me started on the game changing appeal of wifi-enabled smart garage doors you can control at the touch of an app.
If your house feels updated everywhere except your old manually operated, unfinished garage door with pitted windows - it might be time to upgrade. Tired wooden doors with peeling paint or dented steel certainly rob curb appeal for outdated homes. But more importantly if safety accessories like infrared sensors are missing from old doors, it's smart to upgrade in order protect your family’s safety.
Splurging for beautiful, functional new doors with all the contemporary conveniences is an investment that instantly boosts home value. So if you feel your home deserves better, safer, more stylish garage doors it’s worth pricing out replacement.
5. Boosting Energy Savings is a Priority
Have you noticed your heating and cooling costs skyrocketing lately? Do you sense air, moisture, light and insects easily infiltrating around the edges or through the rattling panels? There’s a good chance one culprit driving up your energy bills could be that aging set of garage doors that long ago lost their seal against the elements.
Today's insulated steel and glass garage doors offer far superior thermal protection compared to products manufactured 15-20 years ago. Back then, garage doors played a far smaller role in the home envelope as builders and buyers were less attuned to energy performance. Multiple layers of sheet metal, plastic, polyurethane foam and other robust modern materials deliver up to triple the insulation rating of old doors. This innovation helps repel external temperatures from transferring through the garage into living spaces.
If you prioritize energy savings in your home, it's hard to ignore one of the biggest uninsulated holes facing the outdoors – your garage doors. Newer models prevent costly air leakage far better through high tech weatherstripping, robust insulation and sturdier construction that stays square and true for better sealing. Upgrading to energy efficient garage doors is one of the fastest, highest impact steps you can take to shrink those electrical bills and improve home energy performance.
Over the last decade especially, environmental sustainability has also become important for many homeowners. Chasing the latest Energy Star appliances, windows and green technology helps reduce individual carbon footprints. By swapping outdated garage doors for highly efficient models, you invest in better energy conservation while also reducing environmental impact. It’s a reliable eco-upgrade that pays dividends for your wallet and the planet.
Weighing the Cost of Replacement
Now that you know what signs to watch out for when considering garage door replacement, a final reality check is weighing costs. There’s no doubt newer doors represent a significant upfront investment that average around $1000-$3000 depending on materials, insulation, features, accessories and complexity of the install. You want to make sure your existing door system merits replacement before swapping it out prematurely.
Use an eye test for visible sagging, dents or damage. Check your repair invoices to total up costs of parts and labor calls over recent years. Consider age and whether desired features are missing. Finally, think about energy and sustainability. Armed with a complete picture of your current doors, you can better calculate potential return on investment (ROI) for replacing versus perpetually repairing them.
If analysis supports going ahead with new garage doors, reputable companies like ours help streamline the process. We provide onsite consultations and estimates, handle the full professional install from permit to disposal, include warranties plus ensure new openers and accessories integrate seamlessly. As for cost, numerous financing promotions like interest free financing or discounted installs during slow seasons help ease purchase decisions as well.
While I always argue you “know it when you see it” when an old garage door nears the end of viability, use the checklist above to confirm next steps. Once multiple signs point to needed replacement, it's smart to act sooner than later to avoid being inconvenienced by sudden failure or expensive damage if doors break and crash down completely. 20 years is a good run for residential garage doors but ultimately performance declines.
Rather than waiting for total system failure, stay ahead of the curve by paying attention to the telltale warning signs above that indicate your existing garage door is due for retirement. At the first indicators, reach out to our team your local garage door experts! We're always here to help friends and neighbors get clear on whether repair or replacement makes the most sense to keep your home safe, stylish and energy sound.
Vitae tortor condimentum lacinia quis vel eros donec ac. Orci sagittis eu volutpat odio facilisis. Phasellus vestibulum lorem sed risus ultricies tristique nulla aliquet.