Richmond, British Columbia, Feb. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New North American service data points to rising emergency calls as garages overtake front doors in daily use
For decades, the front door carried symbolic weight. It framed the home, welcomed guests, and defined curb appeal. In practice, most families don’t use it very much anymore, reports Comfort Garage & Doors Inc.
Across North America, the garage has quietly become the real entry point. Housing and transportation studies estimate that roughly seven in ten households now use the garage as their primary entrance. That shift may seem minor. Mechanically, it isn’t.
A garage door is typically the largest moving object in a home. Most weigh between 150 and 300 pounds, and insulated or custom doors can exceed that range. They rely on tightly wound spring systems that absorb and release stored tension thousands of times a year to counterbalance that weight.
As garage usage increases, the mechanical stress does as well.
According to 2023 reporting from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), tens of thousands of garage door–related injuries continue to be treated annually in emergency departments across the United States. Reported incidents include pinch injuries, impact trauma from falling doors, and strain injuries related to lifting doors that have lost spring tension. Canadian safety data reflects similar mechanical risk trends in aging residential systems.
Comfort Garage & Doors Inc., a Canadian-based company that tracks long-term residential service patterns, says emergency calls tied to worn springs, balance issues, and hardware fatigue have increased steadily over the past decade.
“The garage door has effectively replaced the front door in daily life,” said Safen Trabelsi, CEO of Comfort Garage & Doors Inc. “But maintenance habits haven’t evolved at the same pace.”
That gap between use and maintenance is why problems arise.
Garage doors matter for more than convenience. In attached garages, they act as a barrier between conditioned interior space and the outdoors. They affect energy efficiency, security, and daily access. When functioning properly, they’re almost invisible. When they fail, the consequences are immediate.
Spring systems are often the first point of breakdown. Each spring is engineered for a finite number of cycles. In homes where the door opens and closes multiple times per day — school runs, deliveries, work commutes — those cycles accumulate faster than many homeowners expect. Emergency garage door spring repair frequently follows a sudden break under tension.
Technicians say they increasingly encounter systems that appear operational but are mechanically compromised.
“We handle overhead garage door repair cases where the door opens normally, but the balance is off,” said Romeo, a senior technician with the company. “That imbalance shifts load onto the opener and cables. It doesn’t always fail immediately. But it builds pressure inside the system.”
Temporary adjustments or partial fixes can accelerate wear instead of resolving it. Improper garage door fixing often shortens opener lifespan and increases the likelihood of cable or track failure.
There is also a perception issue.
Architecturally, the front door still symbolizes welcome and design. The garage feels utilitarian. Yet in suburban developments throughout the United States and Canada, it has become the most frequently used entrance in the home — the path for groceries, sports equipment, tools, and daily movement.
It is the door that carries the workload.
Modern regulations in both countries require reversing mechanisms and photo-eye sensors on residential garage doors. These safety standards significantly reduced closing-related injuries after adoption. However, sensors detect obstructions; they do not measure mechanical fatigue or spring wear.
Although a Wi-Fi opener can confirm that a door opened at 8:12 a.m. It cannot accurately determine whether a spring is nearing the end of its rated cycle life.
That distinction matters.
Industry service data suggests emergency incidents rise most sharply in homes built between 10 and 25 years ago — properties which are old enough for original hardware to approach wear limits, but not old enough for owners to anticipate replacement.
Founder Safen Trabelsi, who remains actively involved in field service calls, says the issue is often one of being aware rather than neglect.
“I still go out on jobs personally,” he said. “When you stand inside a garage and see a 250-pound door relying on two springs that have cycled thousands of times, it changes how you look at it. Most homeowners aren’t careless — they just don’t realize how much tension that system carries.”
The company has accumulated more than 1,500 five-star Google reviews, which the leadership attributes to a hands-on service culture, and long-term customer relationships rather than volume alone.
“The garage is the entrance families trust every day,” the founder added. “If it’s the door you use most, it deserves the most attention.”
Across North America, service providers say preventative inspections reduce sudden failures and extend system lifespan. As reliance on garage access continues to increase, professionals expect maintenance awareness to follow.
For now, the heaviest moving structure in most homes remains one of the least examined.
Media Contact
Safen Trabelsi (Director and Founder)
+1 (604) 720-7691
support@comfortdoors.ca
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