Sudden door fall through spring failure
The entire weight of the garage door is held by its springs or hinges when it is in operation. Doors can weigh over a hundred kilos and if a spring is worn or broken, a door can fail. The door may suddenly slam shut. It may destroy your car but much worse, it may severely injure you or someone in your family.
Springs and hinges don’t last for ever, so you need to examine them regularly for signs of wear and tear, and call in the experts if you suspect the spring is no longer capable of holding the garage door safely and reliably.
Reduced security for your home
Older garage doors may become loose, and will certainly not look as tightly fitted as a new door. These tell-tale signs may advertise to thieves that you have poor security because they know that a loosely fitting door is much easier to open with a tool such as a crowbar. The solution to this is door replacement with a better-fitting and more secure modern door.
Rust reducing the strength of door fittings
Another cause of poor safety and security in garage doors is rust in the springs and fittings. Unless the door has been lubricated regularly, the metal in these systems will have been under attack by air and water. This alone will reduce the life of the garage door and as with a badly fitting door, rusty fitments will advertise to a thief that access can be gained easily. If rust is already present, the best alternative is to replace the door and get new fittings, then lubricate them regularly.
Older door openers may be subject to interference
Obviously, if you have an older automatic garage door, the door opener will have been programmed to a particular radio frequency a long time ago. Since then, all kinds of devices, including newer door openers, have come onto the market. Some owners in the US have found that a neighbour’s newer device has opened their own garage door. One man even found a TV stick interfered with the door. Needless to say, this could be dangerous if someone is standing near the door.
More modern door opening devices will be less likely to be subject to interference, as manufacturers have become aware of possible problems.
Old Garage Doors – Unsightly and Unsafe
Garage doors that no longer work properly, or are in a poor state of repair, are unsightly and tend to reduce the value of your property. But they can also be dangerous. Read on for some alerts as to the possible hazards.
It’s not worth taking the risk of these hazards becoming actual accidents. The best advice is to take a good look at your garage door if it has been in place for some time. Check the fittings, springs and metal work carefully. If there are any signs of corrosion or wear, you need to contact us immediately, to arrange for a free survey.
