Weather here is hard on garage doors from two directions: hot, humid summers that rust hardware and swell wood, and winters that bring ice storms, freezing rain and sharp temperature swings. Add spring thunderstorms with damaging winds, and a door goes through a lot in a single year.
Housing varies just as much. Older city neighborhoods are full of brick homes with detached garages on alleys. County suburbs such as Kirkwood, Webster Groves and Crestwood mix older houses with postwar ranches, so garages there range from detached single bays to attached two-car units. Each has its own typical failure points.
Brick alley garages in the city
Many city homes have a detached garage at the back of the lot facing an alley. These structures are often older than the doors in them, and settling brick or a sagging header can pull the opening out of square so the door rubs or leaves a gap on one side.
Older detached garages frequently have extension springs, or even manually operated doors. Converting to torsion springs and adding an opener is common, but the header and side walls have to be solid enough to anchor the new hardware.
Alley drainage matters too. Water sheeting toward the door rots wood jambs and rusts the bottom section, so a threshold seal or some regrading may be part of the fix.
Humidity, heat and rust
Summer humidity keeps hardware damp for weeks at a stretch, and any chip in a steel door's paint becomes a rust spot. Hinges, roller stems and the bottom bracket, where the lift cable attaches, deserve a look every spring.
Wood doors swell and can bind in the opening. Sealing them on all six sides, including the top and bottom edges, slows moisture damage.
Heat trapped in a closed garage on a July afternoon also bakes the bottom seal and weatherstripping, which then crack and let water and pests in.
Ice storms and freezing rain
Freezing rain glazes the door and track, then refreezes at the bottom seal. Opening a door coated in ice can bend the top section or burn out an opener. Let sun or a little warm air loosen it, and chip ice off the threshold before trying again.
Repeated swings above and below freezing also expand and contract the door, loosening fasteners over time. A fall tune-up that tightens hardware and checks spring balance is inexpensive insurance.
Wind and severe storms
The region sees strong thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes, mostly in spring. When a wide door buckles in a gust, the garage suddenly fills with wind that pressurizes it and strains the roof framing from inside. Reinforcing struts and solidly anchored track on double doors reduce that risk.
After a storm, look for panels bowed inward, track pulled away from the wall or a cable slack on one side. Photograph any damage for your insurer before repairs, and don't operate a door that looks bent.
City or county: whose rules apply
The City of St. Louis is independent of St. Louis County, and the county itself contains dozens of separate municipalities, many with their own building departments and others that rely on the county. Whether a garage door replacement needs a permit, and what inspection follows, depends on exactly where you live.
A local installer should know the difference, but confirm with your city or municipality before major work, especially if a header or a detached garage is being rebuilt at the same time.
Last updated by the American Garage Door Team.