Interesting Facts About Garage Doors: We always knew that garage doors have a demanding life of ups and downs. But upon closer inspection of garage door statistics and trivia, there is more to their story suggesting that these large entrances to our home are deserving of particular respect.
Some of these facts about garage doors relate to garage door usage and garage door safety while others are in a category of their own.
1. The average garage door opens and closes 3 to 5 times per day, approximately 1,500 times per year.
2. The average life of a garage door torsion spring is about 9-10 years.
(or about 13,500 to 15,000 open and closes in an average home)
3. Garage doors have a typical life span of about 20 years, or potentially much longer if maintained properly.
(Lubricating your door is one of the key things you can do to prolong the life of your garage door.)
4. 55% of homeowners use the garage door as their home’s main entryway.
5. 47% of people surveyed by the Wall Street Journal said “Parking” is the most important function of a garage.
In related stats, 1 in 4 homeowners say their garage is too cluttered to allow parking cars in them. And 1 in 3 homeowners report that they are embarrassed to leave their garage doors open.
6. Compared to other home improvement projects, a new garage door yields the highest return on investment when selling your home.
7. Garage door openers with “rolling codes” automatically change the transmit code with every use.
Popular Mechanics. This technology has been in place since the early 1990s and is exclusively used in most openers. Prior to that, opener transmit codes were fixed and therefore more vulnerable to scanners’ ability to “eavesdrop” on codes.) Also did you know?… The first opener controls were not the hand-held devices we use now. They were wired buttons, usually mounted on a post within reach of the driver.
8. Garage doors have played a key role in launching several major American companies.
All of these companies started in a garage: Apple, Google, Disney, Amazon, Harley Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, Maglite, and Mattel.
9. If you live in a region that is prone to tropical storms, tornados, and monsoon, you should note that an older style, non-reinforced garage door is one of the weakest points of entry for high winds.
If the door fails, the home’s destruction can literally start there as high wind pressures can lift the roof off the walls. (Concerned? Check out our Wind Load garage door series. Tip: They aren’t just for coastal areas.)