Your garage door does more for your Siouxland home than you probably give it credit for, especially when you live here in the Midwest. It safeguards your vehicles, insulates against extreme weather, protects your home against insect damage, rodents, and thieves. Such an important part of the home should be inspected monthly to make sure it's working properly. Here are 10 signs that your garage door is due for a repair or upgrade.

1. Damaged wires. While most wiring for garage doors is hidden from view, damage to cords and electrical components should be a serious safety concern. Doors with compromised wiring can open and close without warning, and your door's erratic behavior could result in serious injury or property damage.
2. It makes a lot of noise. Noisy garage doors are not only embarrassing, they can also indicate problems with tracks, springs, and motors. 
   
3. It. Is. Slow. To. Respond. A garage door should respond almost immediately when you push your opener. If it's slow to respond, the fix may be as easy as replacing the batteries in your transponder. If that doesn't work, there may be larger issues going on.
4. The door is off its tracks. This is usually a pretty obvious sign of the need for a garage door repair, as your door will not open or close properly if it's not on its tracks. It's usually caused by a significant incident (garage settling, vehicle collision, etc).
5. Door sections are dented. This is sometimes more than a cosmetic issue. Larger dents can affect the overall performance of the door. A skilled garage professional can replace just the affected panels and ensure the door is working as it should.
6. It's out of balance. Try this test: switch your garage door to manual mode and attempt to open it. Does it move freely on the tracks? When you open the door to halfway, will it stay there? If the answer to these questions is yes, your door is balanced and behaving as it should. If it's hard to open, or wants to open or shut on its own, it should be looked at by professional to assess the tracks and spring.
7. It shakes. Shaking is a telltale sign that things are not as they should be. It could mean a track is out of alignment, panels are sagging or crooked, or the rollers are failing.
8. It doesn't rest flush with the ground. One of the main reasons homeowners decide to invest in garage doors is to protect against the weather, bugs, and vermin. When your garage door doesn't seal itself along the ground, it isn't doing its job.
9. It's more than 15 years old. A lot can change in a decade. While we will be the first to conserve space in landfills and home budgets, today's garage doors and openers are more energy efficient, quieter, and provide additional--and important--safety features.
10. It doesn't open or close. When your garage door is unresponsive (usually when you really need to get somewhere), the fix could be as simple as something overriding the safety mechanisms (like a toy in front of a sensor) or as complicated as a fried control panel. Make sure to try all controllers and test the door in its manual mode before calling a professional.

With all of its moving parts and heavy panels, inspecting your garage door can be intimidating. If you're not sure what to look for, or if you have found something that warrants some professional attention, we at Overhead Door Company of Sioux City and Yankton can help.