Accidents happen to everyone. It’s a part of life. Maybe one day you get up late and you’re in a hurry trying to get everything done. You’ve got to get the kids up and off to day care and yourself off to work. You make it to the car and prepare to leave, but in your rush you forget about something and BAM!!! You back straight into your garage door. Next thing you know, the kids are crying and you’re trying not to holler up a storm. After a while, though, things begin to settle down and you’re left wondering: now what?
It can happen to the best of us. And it can happen in more ways than you’d think. Every year, a surprising number of accidents occur that result in garage doors getting busted up and damaged. Garage door technicians with experience have some interesting stories to tell.
Your next step depends on the damage.
Most of the time when a person wrecks their garage door, it’s the bottom section that that gets hit. And if you’ve had an electric garage door opener installed, it’s likely that the door will still be able to lift almost completely. Your standard opener has enough power to lift a load of around 350 lb. (or 160 kilos). But you should never have your garage door opener exceed its total capacity by more than 8‑10 lb. (3.5‑4.5 kilos).
BEFORE you do lower your door at all, you need to inspect the extent of the damage. Are the rollers still in place on their tracks, and still attached to the hinges? Are all the lifting cables still properly aligned and wound around their drums? Make sure to pay attention to this: the entire system for lifting your door (the bottom bracket, lifting cables and springs) is constantly under a high level of tension‑equal to the total weight of your garage door. Be sure not to touch any of those parts.
If, after you’ve looked everything over, everything seems mostly functional, go ahead and back your car out of the garage. Then while you’re standing a safe distance away (at least 8 feet, or 2.5 m), hit the button on your remote and see what happens next. If you get a bunch of loud noises, like things are grinding into each other, unplug the door opener from its electrical outlet to stop it from being able to open. And do not touch anything else.
In case your door is totally off of its track…
Then there’s not a whole lot you can do. Make sure not to touch anything, and then get on the phone with a garage door specialist. Usually, you can find the number to the technician or company that installed your door on the housing of your opener. After that, call someone up and get yourself a ride to wherever it was you were going before disaster struck.
Do I need to call my insurance company?
Two things to remember in this situation are: if your garage door has been seriously damaged then, yes, you can call your home insurance provider. And if your car has taken some damage, you can call that provider. In many cases, it may end up being the same insurance company. Just remember, the coverage you have on your car isn’t the same as the coverage on your house and garage door.
Also consider the fact that with the deductibles in your policy, it may just be better to swallow the cost of repairs and absorb the loss.
What can I expect to pay to have my garage door fixed?
This depends completely on how badly damaged the garage door is, as well as the age of the door itself. If your garage door is, in fact, an older model, it may be difficult or even impossible to find the necessary replacement sections. And sometimes the damage is so extensive you’ll be required to replace the entire system. If that’s the case, then expect to pay for anywhere from 2 to 2 ½ hours of labor for repairs.
If, on the other hand, just one section needs to be replaced, you can take the price of a full, 4‑section door and divide it by 4. As is typical with most repair work, labor costs are where most of the final price comes from. And with garage doors, the system must be completely taken apart except for the tracks and be put completely back together.
What if I end up needing a totally new garage door?
Then feel free to contact us at any time at 1-877-828-5279. Our knowledge and experience make us better suited and capable of taking care of your needs than anyone else in the industry. And we can even send you a free quote by email.
We’re even happy to go directly to your home, assess your situation and explain everything we have to offer. We can even consult with you on what the best choice to make for your situation is. And we even offer an online design center, as well as an image gallery for your perusal.
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