The purpose of your garage door isn’t all that difficult to understand. When all of its parts are in good shape and everything goes according to plan, the garage door keeps your home, vehicle and the entire contents of your garage safe from both the elements and home intruders. At the same time, it should automatically open and close on demand to ensure you and your vehicle still have easy access to get in and out of the garage as needed. The only problem is that a dent in your garage door can potentially harm its ability to perform these vital functions, which is why it is essential that you get the dent repaired or the door replaced as soon as you can.
Do I Really Need to the Dent in My Garage Door Fixed?
Minor dents in your garage door are sometimes nothing more than an eyesore. This means that, if you’re not overly concerned with how the dent make your garage door look, there is typically no need to immediately have it repaired as long as it isn’t interfering with the door when it opens and closes. However, the truth is that dents often lead to increased wear and tear on the entire system, which in turn equates to a bigger chance of future problems.
Still, the biggest problems occur when the dent is severe enough to cause problems when opening or closing the door. In some cases, the dent may interfere with the automatic closing mechanism and force you to open and close the door by hand. Other times, you may only be able to open the door half or part of the way, which could mean your vehicle is stuck inside until you get the problem fixed. The dent could also cause your door to come loose from the tracks and potentially slam closed. For these reasons and more, it is important that you consult with professional garage door repair company to determine whether your dent is severe enough to require repairing.
Garage Door Repair 101: Fixing a Dent vs. Replacement
If the garage door technician determines that your dent could potentially interfere with the door’s normal functioning, the next step is to decide whether the damage can be repaired. Many minor dents can be pounded out with a mallet or repaired in a number of other ways, but this should always be done by a professional. Your garage door is under extreme tension and attempting to repair it or work on it in any way has the potential to cause serious bodily harm or even death.
In cases where the dent is either too big to be properly repaired or interferes with the door’s movement in any way, replacement is usually the preferred option. Many times, only one or two of the door’s panels will need to be replaced, which will at least save you the additional cost of having to buy a completely new door. Nonetheless, there may still be times when this is your only option, and you may also find yourself needing to pay for additional repairs due to wear and tear or other damage that resulted from the dent.
In fact, this last part is quite likely to happen if you hesitate and wait too long to have the damage inspected by a trained professional. Therefore, it is vital that you have your garage door checked out at the first sign of a dent or other damage. Otherwise, you may find yourself paying much more for it in the end.
