What Is the Average Lifespan of a Garage Door?

Every central feature of your home has an average lifespan before you’ll have to replace it. Elements like your roof, water heater, heating and air unit, electrical panel and garage door have lifetimes you can prolong by getting regular maintenance and choosing high-quality products.

Your garage door is a standout feature of your home. It impacts your curb appeal and might be the primary entry point. A quality garage door will operate properly, provide security and last a long time.

Knowing your garage door’s lifespan will help you determine when it needs upkeep and replacement. It’s also helpful when you’re building a new home and need to select a quality garage door that will last for several years.

Typical Lifespan of a Garage Door

Though many factors contribute to a garage door’s lifespan, a typical garage door will last around 15 and 30 years. 

Your garage door’s lifetime will vary depending on the type and brand you choose. Factors like the weather, environment, usage and maintenance schedule also impact the longevity of your garage door.

Take a look at how these factors can contribute to your garage door’s lifespan.

• Weather and environment: Depending on your location and the weather that usually occurs there, your garage door may experience damages related to storms, floods and other environmental factors.
• Usage: The amount of open-and-close cycles your garage door has depends on the type of springs it has. The more you use your garage door, the closer it will get to the end of its lifespan.
• Maintenance: If you regularly perform maintenance on your garage door, you’ll likely increase its lifespan.
• Door type: Purchasing your garage door from a trusted company and ensuring that you buy a high-quality door will boost the lifespan. 

Your garage door is an essential part of your home, and it’s beneficial to inspect your door and all its components to avoid any garage door problems and ensure it’s working correctly and lasting as long as it should. 

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Ways to Increase Your Garage Door’s Life Expectancy

While you can’t pinpoint the exact date you’ll need to replace your garage door, you can at least take extra steps to ensure you’re taking care of it and that it will last you a long time.

Instead of constantly repairing a broken garage door and racking up a service bill, try following some of these tips to prolong the lifespan of your garage door.

Replace Door Parts and Use Garage Door Lubricant

You should regularly inspect all parts of your garage door to ensure they’re working correctly or determine if you need to replace them. Your garage door has several components to inspect. It’s helpful to check features like rollers and weather seals because they’re typically cheaper replacement parts to purchase. If you catch these issues and fix them before they break, you can save yourself from making a service call.

Some of the more expensive parts are your garage door opener, the panel and the springs. When it’s time to replace these parts, it’s worth buying quality replacement parts to increase the life of your garage door.

Monitor the Garage Door’s Function

The most crucial aspect of your garage door is performance. Many households use their garage door more often than their front door to enter the home, so it’s essential to check to make sure it’s working correctly and see if you need to perform maintenance or replace the door.

Whenever you open or close the garage door, look out for any noticeable changes in its performance. Even if a change doesn’t seem significant, it might be a sign of a more pressing concern in the future.

Look out for changes like:

• The door opening unevenly
• Unfamiliar sounds from the door opening and closing or the motor
• The door is moving at an irregular speed

Once you notice something off, you should contact your trusted garage door company for maintenance.

Understand Your Garage Door’s Warranty

Look over the warranty coverage for your garage door. It will likely have information that clues you in on the door’s expected lifespan. Along with reading your garage door’s warranty, it’s helpful to know when it ends so you can keep up with the maintenance after the warranty period is over.

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Monitor the Spring Function

By design, the springs in your garage door function for a specific amount of open-and-close cycles before you need to replace them. Research the type of springs your garage door system has to see their cycle amount. Doing so will help you gauge your springs’ replacement timeline and when to start monitoring them in case their performance starts to slow down.

If it’s time to replace your springs, contact your local garage door company to request a service technician.

Take Care of the Exterior

Cleaning your garage door’s exterior is a simple chore to add to your to-do list. Most garage doors will need a rag or mop and some mild cleaning detergent to achieve a like-new sparkle.

Caring for your garage door also depends on the type of door you own. Common residential garage door materials are wood, vinyl, aluminum or steel.

If you have a wooden garage door, check for cracks or warping of the wood panels. You may also need to repaint your wooden door if it begins to peel or look dull.

Homeowners with vinyl and aluminum doors should look for cracks or bends in the panels. The severity of the damage may require you to replace the panels or the door.

Steel garage doors may require care like sanding, painting and checking for rust on the exterior panels.

Call a Trusted Garage Door Company for Service

One of the most crucial things you can do to improve your garage door’s lifespan is to use a garage door company with years of experience and knowledge to service your garage door. A professional technician can give your advice on garage door care and perform quality maintenance that will impact the longevity of your garage door.

Lifespan of a Garage Door Opener

Your garage door opener is a crucial aspect of your door system, but it’s important to know that openers tend to have a shorter lifespan than the door itself. Most need replacing every 10-15 years. Still, there are a few things you can do to extend the lifespan of your garage door opener.

Keep up With Door Maintenance

Your garage door opener interacts with the garage door every time you use it, so it makes sense that the health of one is tied to the health of the other. By scheduling consistent maintenance and evaluations, you’ll ensure your opener isn’t straining or working harder than it has to to get your door opened or closed. This enhances your garage door opener’s lifespan and makes sure you get the full amount of years your opener is rated for.

Look for Signs of Wear

Sometimes, a garage door or garage door opener stops working out of the blue, but in most cases, there are signs preceding a complete breakdown. Every time you use your garage door, you should be looking for these indications that it’s time to call in a professional:

• The door starts to make more noise upon opening and closing: When you operate your garage door, some noise is expected. A sudden increase in noise or a sound you’ve never noticed before may indicate your garage door or garage door opener is reaching the end of its lifespan.
• The door takes more time to operate: You probably don’t time your door’s opening and closing, but when it starts to take longer than the few seconds you’ve come to expect, it can throw off your entire day.
• The door is unreliable: Is your door not closing the whole way, pausing in the middle of a cycle or stuck in one position? These are surefire signs it’s time for you to connect with Crawford Door Sales.

Get Garage Door Opener Maintenance

The best way to improve the lifespan of a garage door and its opener is to ensure both of them have regular maintenance. We discussed the need for door maintenance above, but the same is true for the opener itself. Your door relies on the intricate processes going on inside the opener, and even one misfire can throw the entire system off track. A good garage door professional will be able to evaluate both parts at once and determine which aspects are causing your issues.

Contact Crawford Door Sales for a New Garage Door or Garage Door Service

Your garage door is a vital part of your home, and knowing that it’s going to work every time you use it is the peace of mind every homeowner deserves. Contact Crawford Door Sales to perform high-quality maintenance on your garage door or shop for your new residential garage door.