Garage doors are like water out of the tap — we tend not to think about them until its a problem. But when there’s an issue, our whole worlds are out of whack simply because we depend on them so much. So what do you do if your garage door is damaged and needs repair? The short answer is to get it back online as soon as possible. Here’s a brief guide on how to handle the problem.
Have Your Door Professionally Inspected
If you’ve looked at your door and can’t get to the bottom of it, the first thing you should do is call a professional garage door service to inspect it. Fortunately, most make emergency house calls. In fact, we offer emergency garage door repair to the Elk Grove, California area and to Greater Sacramento in general. We can come out and inspect your door anytime, including weekends and holidays.
Of course it’s a good idea to schedule regular inspections just to check for wear and tear. This should ideally be done every six months. This way you aren’t caught by surprise by any garage door issues. Any work that needs to be done can be done proactively.
Reconnecting a Door Back on Its Tracks
One of the most common reasons a garage door doesn’t work is it has come off its tracks. The important thing is to stop using it immediately and call a professional for service. This is usually a fairly easy fix, but if you force the door you can seriously damage both the door and the tracks. That’s when the problem becomes exorbitantly expensive.
We can reconnect the garage door back on the tracks and then adjust the tracks that caused the door to come off in the first place.
When You Have a Damaged Section of a Garage Door
If you have a damaged section or panel on your garage door, it can be repaired or replaced in most cases without outright replacing the door. Usually we can just put in a new panel.
But if too many panels need replaced you might consider replacing the entire door. This is equally true of the garage door is old to begin with and has other repair issues. Garage doors are only designed to have so much life in them. They really should be replaced every 20 to 30 years or so.
Repairing a Door That Falls Quickly
If your door falls faster than usual or has more of a bounce than expected, you probably have broken cables or chains. The good news is this is a fairly inexpensive repair — but you should always leave it to a professional.
Will My Insurance Cover My Garage Door Repair?
If the damage to your door is severe, or the repairs are considerably expensive, it may be covered under your homeowner’s policy. Call your insurance agent to see.
If the damage was caused by a car, the repair is likely covered under the driver’s policy.
Pay attention to deductibles, however. If you will need to pay a lot out of pocket, it may not make sense to make a claim. The insurance might not cover much, and any paid claim could raise your rates.