If someone tells you that a new overhead garage door will last 30 years, don’t it for granted. The lifespan of garage doors depends on a large number of factors and so it’s not easy to determine exactly how long they will serve you. And then, it’s a question of how they serve you. After 25 years of using the overhead door, you might decide to keep it 10 more years although the door already offers limited security and gives you problems. In other words, the next garage door replacement is also subject to your own personal decisions. But let us rewind back to our original question to examine the factors, which influence the lifespan of garage doors.

The factors affecting garage door longevity

  • Garage door quality

When you first invested in garage door installation, did you choose driven by a lower cost or based on quality? Not all garage doors are created equal. In fact, if the door was already there when you bought the house, chances are that the materials are cheap. In an effort to keep prices down, builders select the poorer materials and this indicates the vulnerability of the door. Whether the builder or you chose inferior materials, expect the overhead door to last for approx. 10 years.

  • Garage door maintenance

The frequency of garage door maintenance makes a difference. Even doors Garage Door Maintenancemade of inferior materials will last longer than expected if they are maintained regularly. That’s important and subject to the door’s material and quality of the parts. Overall though, all garage doors need maintenance and need it regularly. Why? Because lubricants, adjustments and repairs done during the service keep parts from becoming damaged and thus the door operates better for a longer time.

  • Quality of services and parts

It’s always best to trust services to a professional garage door company you can trust. This ensures that problems are fixed quickly. That’s critical. If you don’t fix springs fast, the openers and other parts will get stressed from the door’s load and wear sooner. And then it’s important to be sure that the replacement garage door parts are the right ones and of the best quality.

  • Garage door size

The larger the residential garage doors, the heavier. And although they wear bigger parts, the heavy weight adds to their strain. Not that smaller doors outlive bigger ones. But you need to make sure that your door has the right parts and is frequently maintained.

  • Usage

The longevity of garage doors depends on their parts. And parts perform well for so many cycles. Take the spring assembly. Most residential garage door springs are designed to last for about 10,000 cycles. So if you open the door twice daily, they will last about 14 years. If you open the door 8 times each day, they will last approx. 3 years.

  • Weather conditions

Humidity, rainfall, and winds take their toll on garage doors. And so choosing the right materials from the start is important. Wood garage doors, for example, will not stand so well in a humid weather and so they won’t last as long as steel or composite doors.

  • Disasters

Sometimes, the lifecycle of garage doors is subject to unpredictable factors, like disasters. One common concern is hurricanes and high winds because they can cause damage and often destroy entirely the door, especially if it’s not suitable for these conditions.

 

Garage door lifespan: how to expand it

  • Garage door service

Services should be viewed from two different perspectives. One is regular maintenance. The other is garage door repairs. When garage doors are checked, fixed, lubed, and taken care of, they last even longer than expected.

  • Garage door springs repair

Focus on spring repairs – whether you have torsion or extension springs. Garage Door SpringSince this is the most important mechanism of the door, it’s vital to remain free of rust and always lubed and adjusted.

  • Garage door opener service

Garage door openers usually last up to 10 or 15 years. Although you might need to replace them before the door, you still need to routinely check and service them. And when the time comes, do invest in a new garage door opener installation since this is the electric part that ensures the security and safety of the whole system.

 

Frequency of garage door repairs: a main consideration

Overall, average garage doors last for about 15 to 30 years. Whether or not they will exceed the initial lifecycle expectations depends on all the above variables. But it’s important to also point out that when doors become too needy after 20 years or so and you find yourself fixing problems over and over again, it doesn’t mean they can make it one more decade. It’s simply a sign that this was their lifespan and it’s time to replace them.