Sylvania sits on the northwest side of the Toledo area, close to the Michigan state line. Its neighborhoods range from established streets with mid-century homes to newer subdivisions with large attached garages, and the garage is often the main entrance to the house.
Because the garage gets that much use, people here tend to ask two things: when a door is worth replacing, and what they can safely maintain on their own. This page covers both, along with steps to take when the door fails after hours.
Signs it may be time for a new door
Plenty of doors on the established streets have been in place for several decades, and many are nearing the age where another repair is hard to justify. Watch for sections that are cracked at the hinges, rust coming through the steel skin, a door that is noisy no matter how often it is lubricated, or a garage that stays cold because the door has no insulation.
Replacing the door is also an opportunity to upgrade the springs to a higher-cycle rating, add new weatherstrip and, if needed, install a quieter opener with battery backup.
What to compare when shopping for a replacement
Not all steel doors are alike. Thickness, insulation and construction all affect how a door handles northwest Ohio winters and daily use.
- Steel gauge: a lower number means thicker steel that resists dents better.
- Insulation: polyurethane foam usually insulates and stiffens better than polystyrene panels.
- Construction: two- or three-layer doors are quieter and more rigid than single-layer doors.
- Windows: insulated glass reduces heat loss and condensation compared with single panes.
- Finish warranty: ask how long the paint or wood-look finish is covered against peeling and fading.
Maintenance you can safely do yourself
Some garage door care is well within reach of any homeowner. Twice a year, wipe grit out of the tracks with a dry rag, give the hinges and the bearings of steel rollers a shot of garage door lubricant, and look over the weatherstrip for cracks or gaps.
Also test the safety features. Lay a scrap of 2x4 flat on the floor in the door's path, then run the door down; it should stop and back up as soon as it meets the wood. Then wave something through the photo-eye beam while the door is closing; it should stop and reverse.
What you should not do is adjust the springs, loosen the cable brackets at the bottom of the door or remove the tracks. Each of those parts holds stored spring energy and can cause serious injury if it lets go.
Winter by the state line
Northwest Ohio winters bring cold snaps, snow and plenty of road salt, though lake-effect snow is usually lighter than in the eastern part of the state. Ice forming under the bottom seal and salt corroding the lowest panel cause most winter trouble. Clearing snow from the door, washing off salt when the weather allows and replacing a seal that no longer flexes prevent most of it.
If the door fails after hours
A door that will not close at night leaves the house unsecured. When an opener problem leaves the door up and the springs are intact, you can pull the emergency release, lower the door gently by hand and lock it. If a spring or cable is broken, do not move the door; call for emergency service.
Last updated by the American Garage Door Team.