You rely on your garage door every day to give you easy access to your home and to protect your items, which is why damage can be extremely troublesome. In addition to creating a security risk, garage door damage can also make your home appear unkempt and lower your property value. Below are three causes of garage door damage and how to prevent problems in the future.

3 Reasons Garage Doors Break 

1. Daily Wear & Tear

Your garage door is used repeatedly throughout the day for years, causing wear and tear issues that can interfere with the way your door opens or closes. Over time, the tracks that hold the garage door in place can become bent or worn, and the rollers that run along those tracks can break. As a result, your door can have trouble opening or closing, or the door may be noisy. 

To prevent problems caused by wear and tear, focus on maintaining your garage door carefully over the years. Oil the springs and rollers to allow them to operate smoothly, and check the tracks for bends or issues with loose screws holding them in place. If you spot problems, have a garage door professional fix the door as soon as possible. 

2. Nearby Water Sources 

Whether your home is graded in a way that allows water to pool near your garage door, or your sprinkler system is constantly depositing water near your garage door during the summer, you could end up with garage door problems. 

While steel garage door panels are largely immune to water damage, aluminum doors can rust and corrode, and wooden doors can develop wet rot. The electrical wiring of the garage door can also short out, causing problems like unreliable opening and closing. 

Always check the direction of your sprinklers when your system is on, and do what you can to adjust the direction water is spraying. If your lot is graded poorly, consider having a contracting team level the ground to keep water away from your house. 

3. Stored Items

Because many people use their garages for storage, it isn’t uncommon for objects to get in the way of normal garage door operation. Doors can fail to open properly, or fallen objects may block the natural path of a closing garage door. If large or heavy items fall, they could even bend panels or cause significant eyebeam damage. 

When you store items in your garage, make sure they are far enough away from the garage door so that they don’t interfere with the proper path of the door. 

If your garage door isn’t operating quite like it used to, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team at American Garage Door, Inc. in Kalispell, MT. In addition to carrying an incredible variety of beautiful wood and steel carriage house garage doors, these specialists can also help with garage door openers and gutters to protect your door for the long haul. To find out more about how they can help, visit their website, or give their office a call at (406) 752-2662.