The joy of having a garage can easily be lost once you start to have trouble with the functioning of the garage door. Therefore, you might want to take a few minutes to review the following warning signs that your garage door needs to be repaired. This way, you will be able to call for assistance quickly or fix problems preemptively. 

Rusty Springs

It may be a common occurrence for an older garage door to develop a little bit of rust on the springs, especially if there is a problem with moisture nearby. However, rust that is left on the springs can and will eventually eat through them, causing them to break from metal fatigue. Try to gently clean the springs with a sponge and rust removal solution. If it appears as though you are dealing with more than simple surface rust, you will want to call for a garage door technician. He or she will be able to quickly change out the springs for you.

Bent Guide Rails

The guide rails are designed to keep the garage door aligned and to keep anyone below it safe from a falling door. Therefore, you might want to be extra careful to keep a close eye out for any bends in the guide rails. Should you notice any, no matter how small they are, you will want to call to have it professionally repaired or to have the guide rails replaced. After all, even the smallest bends in the rails can mean a lot of trouble for you because they will eventually get bigger.

Cracked Panels

Sure, the panels might still be in place, but any cracks in them can mean a lot of trouble for you. To start with, a cracked panel is easily shattered or broken through with the slightest amount of force. This is a security issue that you will not want to ignore. Then you have the issue of energy efficiency. A cracked panel is going to allow cold air in or your warm air out during the winter. In order to try to compensate for that, you will have to keep changing the thermostat temperature, which will increase your heating bill.

With those three warning signs in mind, you should be able to determine when you need to call for the professional repair of your garage door. Just remember, the sooner you take action, the less trouble you will have to deal with later down the road. For more information, contact a company like Door Doctor Inc.