It can happen to anyone at any time, it’s Murphy’s Law. Your day gets off to a bad start when you miss your alarm and suddenly you find yourself rushing around trying to get the kids up, dressed and fed with only 40 minutes before they’re supposed to be at daycare, not to mention you still need to shower and get ready for work… But you manage it and everyone’s in the car and ready with 5 minutes to spare and then BANG! You’re going to be late after all, you’ve just backed into the garage door.
Garage door technicians also often get called out to home’s where people have forgotten to take down their ski/bike rack, and even people who have skidded into their doors in the first snow. Like I say, it can happen to anyone at any time. But don’t worry, it can be fixed.
Before you do anything, check the extent of the damage
More often than not the bottom section of the door takes the brunt of the blow. You can most likely lift the door almost completely with an electric garage door openers. Most are able to lift up to 350 lb (160 kg), but shouldn’t be used to lift more than their normal load (8‑10 lb).
You need to check the extent of the damage to determine your next step. Are the rollers still in their tracks and attached to the hinges? Are the lifting cables properly aligned with the drums they wind around?
IMPORTANT: Whatever you do, don’t touch any of the parts! The lifting system is under very high tension (equal to the door’s weight), and you’ve already got enough on your mind without adding a trip to the emergency room to the list!
If everything seems to be in order, carefully get your car out of the garage. Then, from a safe distance (8 feet), press the button on your remote. If you hear loud grinding noises or can see that the sections no longer fit together properly, block access to your garage and disconnect the door opener system. Remember: don’t touch any of the parts!
If you can see the door has come off its tracks…
To be honest, there’s not a lot you can do. Call a garage door specialist right away (the number of the person who fitted your door is usually written on the garage door opener’s housing). Then, call someone who can take you and the kids wherever you need to go.
Will my insurance cover the damage?
As with any kind of accident this depends entirely on the extent of the damage. Of course, you may need to call both your car insurer for damage to your car, and your home insurer for damage to the garage door. Before calling closely check the deductibles on your policies, it might not be worth making a claim.
Repairs are probably really expensive, right?
Again, it depends on how badly damaged the door is. It also depends on the door’s age, sometimes doors are so old we can no longer order replacement sections. If you need to replace just one section, calculate the price of a complete 4‑section garage door, and then divide that cost by four to work out the cost of one section.
As with all repairs, labour costs make up a large portion of the overall costs, this is because it is time-consuming work, the door must be taken apart and then re‑installed as new. If the whole door system needs replacing you can calculate 2‑2.5 hours of labour costs.
And what if I need a new garage door?
If your door can’t be repaired, it will need to be replaced. We’re garage door experts and know the industry better than anyone else, give us a call at 905-684-8161. We can even come out to your home to evaluate the situation and advise you. If you would prefer, send us an email for a free quote.
Why not try out our Design Centre or have a look at our image gallery for inspiration?
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