At some point, your garage door opener is going to stop working the way that it should. It's just a natural fact that although garage door openers are built to last for several years, they do have a shelf life before they run into problems. Considering that most families are going to be homeowners for 30 years or more, that means that if you stay in one house with a garage, you can plan on having to fix a garage door opener at least once during your life.
But when the time comes to examine the garage door opener, there's an important question: is it better to repair the door opener, or replace it entirely? Both have good points in their favor, and here are a few questions to ask yourself to help make a decision:
But when the time comes to examine the garage door opener, there's an important question: is it better to repair the door opener, or replace it entirely? Both have good points in their favor, and here are a few questions to ask yourself to help make a decision:
How Old Is It?
If your garage doors have been around for longer than 20 years, it's time to go ahead and replace it. Regardless of the condition that your garage door opener is in, garage doors have made several advances in technology over the past quarter century.
One example is the safety reversal feature. There's a hilarious scene in an episode of The Simpsons that sees Homer Simpson get stuck under the garage door and accidentally cause the garage door opener to shut on his chest, leaving him in terrible pain until his family arrives to rescue him.
However, the scene couldn't have occurred today, because all garage doors built after 1993 are required to have a safety reversal sensor, which sits six inches from the ground and triggers any time any object passes through it. Should anything trigger the sensor, the door will immediately stop closing and reverse to the top. If you've got pets, children, or anything else that could be crushed by not seeing the door, having that feature is a lifesaver, so if your door doesn't have it, just replace your opener completely.
How Well Did You Maintain It?
Be honest here. Did you pay attention to the lubricants that help the door run as smoothly as it can? If there was any kind of noise that came up, were you quick to address the problem, or did you let it alone for several weeks? If you can honestly say that you've taken the proper steps to keep your garage doors running at peak efficiency, then you're probably fine simply getting it repaired. If you haven't maintained it very well, then you should get it replaced and plan to take better care of the new one.
If your garage doors have been around for longer than 20 years, it's time to go ahead and replace it. Regardless of the condition that your garage door opener is in, garage doors have made several advances in technology over the past quarter century.
One example is the safety reversal feature. There's a hilarious scene in an episode of The Simpsons that sees Homer Simpson get stuck under the garage door and accidentally cause the garage door opener to shut on his chest, leaving him in terrible pain until his family arrives to rescue him.
However, the scene couldn't have occurred today, because all garage doors built after 1993 are required to have a safety reversal sensor, which sits six inches from the ground and triggers any time any object passes through it. Should anything trigger the sensor, the door will immediately stop closing and reverse to the top. If you've got pets, children, or anything else that could be crushed by not seeing the door, having that feature is a lifesaver, so if your door doesn't have it, just replace your opener completely.
How Well Did You Maintain It?
Be honest here. Did you pay attention to the lubricants that help the door run as smoothly as it can? If there was any kind of noise that came up, were you quick to address the problem, or did you let it alone for several weeks? If you can honestly say that you've taken the proper steps to keep your garage doors running at peak efficiency, then you're probably fine simply getting it repaired. If you haven't maintained it very well, then you should get it replaced and plan to take better care of the new one.
Can You Pinpoint the Problem?
Many times, garage doors in Marietta are fairly simple to fix, and a repair is going to save you money compared to the expense of purchasing, installing a brand-new garage door opener, and making sure it works with your garage doors. If you can easily identify what's wrong, it's worth exploring whether you can save yourself some money and just have it repaired. If you can't figure out what could be wrong, you should budget for a replacement just in case a repairman tells you the problem would be too difficult to fix.
Garage door openers are like football referees: when you don't notice them, that means that they're doing their job well. When you do notice something happening with your garage doors, however, that means there's a problem that needs your attention. If you're honest with yourself and you pay attention, you can figure out whether a repair might be all you need to get your garage door working the way it should.
Many times, garage doors in Marietta are fairly simple to fix, and a repair is going to save you money compared to the expense of purchasing, installing a brand-new garage door opener, and making sure it works with your garage doors. If you can easily identify what's wrong, it's worth exploring whether you can save yourself some money and just have it repaired. If you can't figure out what could be wrong, you should budget for a replacement just in case a repairman tells you the problem would be too difficult to fix.
Garage door openers are like football referees: when you don't notice them, that means that they're doing their job well. When you do notice something happening with your garage doors, however, that means there's a problem that needs your attention. If you're honest with yourself and you pay attention, you can figure out whether a repair might be all you need to get your garage door working the way it should.
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