There comes a time when you are in a dilemma on whether to repair or replace your garage door and making the right decision at this point is important to reduce on maintenance cost in a case where replacing is the most appropriate decision or to reduce on replacement in a case where repair is the most appropriate method. The decision made should ensure that the door is safe for both the person operating it and the vehicles going through it. For this reasons, you should consult professionals before you decide whether to replace or repair your garage door.
Here are a few tips to help you decide whether you’ll replace or repair your garage door.
Age of the door
If your garage door happens to be old with rusted and broken parts, then it is safer to consider replacing it rather than repairing it. Old garage doors are known to break down more often compared to younger garage doors. The life expectancy of a garage door is 20 to 25 years although this largely depends on other factors like the quality of the material making the door, the weather conditions and others.
Cause of the damage
Garage doors may have different causes of damage from being hit by a car to unpredictable natural calamities like earthquakes and hurricanes. Depending on the cause of the damage, one can decide whether to replace or repair the garage door. One can decide to repair if;
· The cause of damage is normal wear and tear.
· The cause of damage affected only a single part example the spring or the door track only
On the other hand, one can decide to replace the door if;
· The cause of the damage is extreme weather where the garage door is rusted and completely degraded.
· The garage door was struck by a car and dented or there were natural calamities like an earthquake that left the door completely damaged.
The damaged part of the garage door
Depending on the damaged part of the door one can easily decide on which action to take. When the door itself is dented or damaged, the easier way is to replace the door rather than repair it. On the other hand, if the garage door opener is damaged, it is easier to repair it rather than replace it. Spring mechanisms and the door tracks should also be considered for replacement rather than repair to their sensitivity.
Safety reasons
Safety should always be prioritized when making the repair or replace decision. Whether it’s the door opener or it’s the spring which is damaged one should access the situation and decide on how safe it is to either replace or repair the door. It is also safe to have the garage door regularly inspected to avoid unpredictable damage.
Cost of repair and replacement
Some garage door repair services cost is almost equal to the cost of replacing the door. You should therefore check on the cost of both services and decide on which is efficient in the long run. Generally, garage door replacement is more expensive than repair but more reliable. You should consult garage door professionals when making this decision.
In brief, before making a decision on whether to repair or replace the garage door, you should take into consideration the tips mentioned above and the overall safety of the repair or the replacement decisions.