Your garage door has served you well for the past decade. However, whether it's due to a fading paint job or slow cycling process, you're now thinking about replacing your garage door. Before you begin looking through brochures and online catalogs, there are several issues you must consider.
Does Your Current Garage Door Actually Require Replacement?
Just like any other mechanical system, your garage door requires regular maintenance. However, since you typically only use your garage door when you're heading off to work or taking care of yard work, you may not have stopped to think about the necessary maintenance tasks that keep your garage door in good condition.
For example, if your garage door isn't cycling fast enough (or at all), then it may still not require replacement.
The torsion springs that are responsible for cycling your door will typically wear out after being used for 15,00-20,000 complete cycles. If your springs are nearing or exceeding their lifetime expectancy, then having a technician adjust or replace your springs may be the only maintenance task that's required to fix your garage door.
However, maintaining your garage door is only a cost-effective option for so long. If several vital components of your garage door are beginning to wear out and require replacement, then replacing your garage door may prove to be the most efficient option.
Will Your New Garage Door Suit Your Needs?
With several different door styles and features available on today's market, it can be difficult to select a replacement door that will be ideal for your home. Some doors may even be completely incompatible with your current garage setup or home design.
Operation
If your garage currently has carriage doors, then you may need to relocate storage racks or lighting fixtures in order to accommodate an overhead or swing-up door. Similarly, you may need to remove fencing or vegetation from your driveway to accommodate the installation of carriage doors. These tasks must be performed prior to the installation of your garage door to avoid functionality problems during normal operation.
Insulation
Functionality isn't the only factor that must be considered while selecting a new door. Even if you live in a climate that only has mild temperatures, you still need to ensure that your new garage door has enough insulation to maintain or reduce your current energy costs. Even while sealed, garage doors are one of the major sources of heat loss in a home.
Luckily, if you find an ideal door that only lacks insulation, then you can modify it to accommodate your insulation needs. Foam board insulation can be easily installed on the interior side of nearly any garage door.
Additionally, adding rubber weatherstripping between each panel of a door can significantly increase the amount of insulation provided by your garage door. However, the additional cost and labor required to modify your new door must be factored into your budget.
Can You Maintain The Type of Door You Choose?
Each style of garage door requires different types of maintenance. Overhead doors have complex counterbalance systems that require frequent inspections and adjustments, swing-up doors require periodic spring replacements, and even carriage doors will develop worn struts that must be replaced.
In addition to mechanical maintenance, you must also learn how to maintain the material from which your door is made. Metal and vinyl doors must be periodically washed with warm water and detergent to prevent corrosion or deterioration, and wood doors will require resealing or repainting to prevent the wood from warping, cracking, or fading.
After resolving these issues, you can easily determine whether or not it's time to replace your door and select the type of door that's ideal for your home. If you have trouble resolving these issues or choosing a replacement garage door that's right for you, then contact your local garage door technician or an in-home consultation or look at sites like http://www.shankdoor.com.
