Garage doors are important for various reasons besides primarily providing protection for your car and garden equipment. They are an important component of your home appeal. Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t prioritize its maintenance. This leads to hidden costs that extend beyond minor inconveniences.
Ignored maintenance leads to expensive repairs, decreased property value, and other issues. Besides the financial impact, neglect also poses significant safety risks. Conversely, regular maintenance ensures reliable maintenance and other benefits. Below is an insight into the hidden costs of ignoring garage door maintenance.
Increased Repair Costs
Ignoring garage door maintenance can extend the problems, which, over time, significantly inflates the repair costs. Garage doors have complex systems working together for smooth operation. Without close care, minor issues gradually escalate into major problems that are inconvenient and costly to repair. Below are a few ways neglect can increase repair costs:
Spring Failures
Springs are probably the most critical part of garage door systems. They support the door’s weight and provide tension for its smooth opening and closing. Garage doors use springs, which weaken and may break over time. These springs are under a lot of tension and can easily break; replacing them costs over $350 or more if they aren’t repaired promptly.
Roller and Track Damage
As the name suggests, rollers and tracks are required for smooth garage door movements. Regular maintenance, especially lubricating and cleaning the tracks, ensures maximum functionality. Ignoring maintenance often leads to seized/worn-out rollers and misaligned tracks. Failing to lubricate rollers causes them to wear out, making garage door movements noisy and difficult to operate.
Damaged rollers cause uneven door movements and additional stress on the tracks. Replacing rollers costs $200 or more if left unchecked. On the other hand, misaligned or bent tracks due to delayed maintenance can lead to garage doors veering off or getting stuck. Repairing tracks requires realignment, which costs up to $150.
Opener and Sensor Failures
Modern garage doors have openers and sensors, which control its automated operations. Regular maintenance of a garage door with these components primarily involves checking their functionality. Poorly maintained openers easily develop issues, including motor and gear wear. This means the door won’t open or close properly.
On the other hand, faulty sensors prevent the doors from closing. Garage doors with dirty or misaligned sensors can stop or reverse unexpectedly, making them inconvenient. Repairing malfunctioning openers costs up to $500, while sensor issues cost $100 to fix.
Reduced Lifespan
Homeowners should also maintain their garage doors regularly to extend their lifespan. Ignoring some critical components of the door leads to premature failure. To begin, garage doors are subject to everyday use. They are opened and closed several times, subjecting their components to stress. Ignoring maintenance accelerates the wear and tear of its components.
Similarly, these doors are exposed to harsh weather conditions, which vary from scorching heat to freezing temperatures during winter. These changing factors significantly affect the door’s lifespan, especially if regular maintenance is not done. Environmental conditions, like rain and snow, affect metal components like springs and hinges. Routine maintenance, like applying rust inhibitors, prevents moisture-related damage.
Regular maintenance of garage doors extends its overall lifespan. Inspections, lubrication, and other maintenance practices prevent small issues from escalating into major problems. This helps homeowners avoid the inconvenience of unexpected breakdowns and complete replacements. It also ensures safe and efficient operations.
Energy Efficiency
Though surprising, ignoring garage door maintenance also leads to energy inefficiencies. Well-maintained garage doors are vital for regulating indoor temperatures and promoting energy efficiency in your home. Garage doors, especially those affixed to the home, are important in maintaining constant indoor temperatures. For instance, insulated doors minimize heat transfer and ensure that rooms adjacent to these doors are comfortable throughout.
Unknown to most homeowners, garage doors have weather seals on the bottom and sides, which prevents air drafts. Unfortunately, these seats start cracking and peeling over time, losing effectiveness. Compromised seals allow unrestricted entry or loss of conditioned air. These doors also have panels easily affected by adverse weather and aging. This reduces their insulating capabilities. Cracks or dents in the panels also create gaps, which reduce its insulating abilities.
Garage doors without proper seals or insulation are a source of temperature fluctuations. This affects the garage space and adjacent living spaces. For instance, homeowners will experience heat buildup during summer and cold seepage during winter. Infiltration of outside temperatures also strains the HVAC unit. It will increase the workload, leading to higher energy consumption and utility bills.
Endnote
Ignoring garage door maintenance is a recipe for various issues. This makes it difficult and impossible to quantify the actual cost of neglected maintenance. While homeowners focus on door repair and replacement, other hidden costs like declining energy efficiency can quickly add up. Fortunately, regular care can prevent these issues and extend the durability of your garage door.
