Repair Summer Garage Door Damage

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BEFORE

AFTER

Heat and high temperatures, of which we’ve seen our fair share this summer in the Pacific Northwest, can cause problems for garage doors. While sun damage from the abundant sun can be problematic, it may not compare to the dents, scratches, and broken glass a bunch of kids on summer vacation can inflict. Driveway basketball hoops, soccer practice against the door, and the “I’m so bored” I’m playing catch with the garage door activity can all add up to problems.

If your door needs some end-of-summer TLC, contact Overhead Door of Portland. We will service what needs addressing, whether repairing the dried-out weather seal or overheated motors or replacing dented panels or broken glass.

When a garage door starts to make noise or operate inefficiently in the warm months, our experts can do a complete inspection to identify the cause. Here’s what we may typically see:

  1. Warping and Expansion: Wooden garage doors can warp or expand in high heat. This can lead to misalignment and difficulty in opening and closing the door.
  2. Dried-Out Seals and Weatherstripping: Rubber seals and weatherstripping around the garage door can dry out and crack under intense heat. This may lead to gaps that allow summer pests seeking shade and cool to move right in and damage nearby insulation, wiring, and seals. 
  3. Overheated Motors: The garage door opener motor can overheat if the door is used frequently during hot days, leading to potential motor failure or reduced performance.
  4. Metal Component Expansion: Metal parts such as springs, tracks, and hinges can expand in the heat, which can affect the smooth operation of the door. Springs can become stretched out, and tracks can become misaligned.
  5. Electrical Issues: High temperatures can sometimes affect the wiring and electrical components of the garage door opener, leading to malfunctions or short circuits.
Having the experts at Overhead Door conduct maintenance and inspections can help mitigate these issues and keep your garage door functioning properly no matter the temperature. But we can’t do much to prevent a baseball from flying through a glass garage door or that out-of-control scooter from ending its journey abruptly against your beautiful Carriage door.

Our technician can inspect and straighten the damaged section so that the door is able to keep working until the section/panel replacement can be installed. However, for more extensive damage such as a cracked or distorted panel, we often remove and replace the impacted panel of the garage door. Garage doors require all parts to work together, so leaving a damaged single panel in place instead of getting it promptly repaired may mean more extensive and expensive damage repairs later.

A cracked or distorted panel can cause the entire door to become misaligned impacting its ability to open and close properly. One damaged panel puts additional stress on the other panels, potentially leading to broken springs or tracks. Additionally, a crack could also break the garage door seal allowing in outside air and moisture that can damage what you store inside. Even a seemingly insignificant problem on a garage door panel should be addressed promptly and the ability to replace just one small part means we can have your garage door back to perfect in no time.

Garage door panels are just part of what may need repairs after a long hot summer. Glass garage doors are trending right now, and windows in garages have been a stylish add-on for decades. While a missed frisbee might dent an aluminum panel or scratch a wooden one, it could crack, break, or even shatter a glass door.

Repairing broken, cracked, or shattered glass, whether in a window or an entire glass garage door, requires skill and expertise. Trying to repair severely damaged glass is often impractical and unsafe.

Leaving the damage in place can compromise the structural integrity of the door. The experts at Overhead Door Company will inspect the damage and make recommendations on whether repairs are possible, or a full replacement is necessary.

Broken, chipped, scratched, or shattered glass panels not only ruin the look of your door, but can impact how it functions. Our professionals will remove the broken glass and clean out the frame. We’ll next ensure the replacement glass matches the existing glass in terms of thickness, color, and type. Finally, we’ll properly fit and seal the glass in place to maintain the door’s appearance and functionality.

If your garage door is looking as worn down as your kids’ camp counselors, give us a call. We’ll come take a look and see if anything needs to be repaired or replaced and have that door back to full operation by the time school starts.