The Gravity of an Old Garage Door

An old garage door doesn’t need to look in distress to actually require a bit of TLC. The truth is, many dangers can be lurking in areas you can’t see without close inspection. Here are some things to consider:

Springs may be worn, malfunctioning or broken.

Torsion springs and extension springs are what lift your garage door. This means they haul a lot of weight, day in and day out, and are made to operate safely for 10,000 cycles (or about seven years). They’re also under considerable tension, and old springs could snap and cause your door to crash down, leading to damage, serious injury—or worse.

TIP: Some DIY garage door maintenance tasks are recommended, like testing sensors and checking for worn springs—but fixing the springs is not one of them. The serious dangers of garage door spring repair make this a job for the pros. Our service team has access to the right training, procedures, tools, parts, and gear to do it safely. If you’re in doubt as to the condition of your springs, contact our certified technicians immediately.

Kids are more likely to be injured by an older door.

New garage doors come with photo eyes (sensor beams) and reverse mechanisms—handy for when your kid pulls an “Indiana Jones” and skids under a closing door, narrowly escaping imagined peril. With an old garage door, these sensors could be dirty, misaligned, or altogether missing, which could result in actual peril. Sensors have been standard since the ’90s, but we’ve gone a step further with our Richards-Wilcox Landmark Series Doors that also prevent little fingers from being pinched.

TIP: Even if you have a new garage door, it’s good practice to never walk under a moving door. This is when cables and springs could break without warning, and the door could let go, causing damage, serious injury, or death.

Outdated technology is more than just embarrassing.

Sure, the sound system you installed in your man-cave garage is state-of-the-art. But when your door doesn’t work because the electronics are from the Kraftwerk era, that’s a security risk and it’s time for an upgrade. A reliable garage door opener and remote system, well, works. Plus, it offers high-tech security options such as encryption, so the door opens only for you, or cuts out frequency interference making it a ‘smooth operator.’ (See what we did there?)

An old garage door is likely to be unbalanced.

If your door looks off-kilter, makes grinding noises, or panels buckle when opening or closing, these are signs of an unbalanced garage door. This puts undue strain on cables and springs that could lead to further damage—and whenever springs are implicated, it’s always a safety issue.

Seals may not be the only things compromised.

As seals and weather stripping crack and wear, cold air and water start creeping in. This can lead to mould growth inside your garage, which is a health hazard (not to mention a hassle).

There’s danger of becoming the black sheep on the block.

You may appreciate the weather-worn look of your 30-year-old door—each gouge and blemish telling a story—but your neighbours likely share a different opinion. The good news is that you can have a brand-new door and still keep some of the shabby chic. Our charming Carriage House Doors and the Richards-Wilcox Contemporary Rockwood Series bring age-old character without compromising curb appeal, safety, or durability.

Do you have an aging garage door that needs assessing or replacing? We’re here to help. Contact any one of our eight locations across Western Canada to schedule a service call.