Garage door repair in Delaware County, PA: older garages and what to check
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Delaware County homeowners know about garage door repair?
That the garages here are likely to be older than anywhere else in the suburbs, and that age changes the job. More than one Delaware County home in five was built before 1940, and very little of the housing is new. Older garages mean older kinds of door and spring, openers that may pre-date the federal safety rule, and painted wood that may contain lead. The county also runs a consumer affairs office in Media that takes complaints about home repair.
How old is Delaware County's housing?
Older than any of the other three suburban counties. The Census Bureau estimates that 22.1 percent of the county's 229,715 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier. The figure is 16.0 percent in Montgomery County, 12.6 percent in Chester and 9.9 percent in Bucks; only Philadelphia, at 39.9 percent, is older. At the other end, just 3.5 percent of Delaware County's homes have been built since 2010, the lowest share of the five counties.
The county's own history explains the pattern. It records considerable residential building after the First World War in Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, Havertown and Springfield, continuing after the Second World War in places such as Westbrook Park and Marple Township. A garage that was built with one of those houses is as old as the house.
What does an older garage mean for the door and its springs?
It changes what a technician is likely to find. HomeGuide says single-panel tilt-up doors are common in older homes with detached garages, and that they most often use extension springs, one on each side. Sectional doors with a torsion spring above the opening are the standard in newer homes, and only 3.5 percent of this county's homes date from 2010 or later.
Extension springs carry a specific safety point. DASMA, the door manufacturers' trade association, says a door with extension springs needs a safety cable running through each spring and fixed at both ends, so that a spring that breaks stays contained. If your door has extension springs and no such cable, DASMA's advice is to ask a dealer for a safety inspection. On a prewar garage in Upper Darby or Drexel Hill, it is the first thing to look for.
Are old openers in Delaware County garages safe?
Check the date and run the test. The federal safety standard requires an automatic reverse plus a second protection, such as photo eyes, on openers made since January 1, 1993, and requires the date of manufacture to be marked on the unit. An opener older than that was built before the rule applied.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been blunt about the oldest ones. It said in 1990 that openers made before 1982 cannot be adjusted or repaired to give the safety of later models, and that some only stop and do not reverse. With 22.1 percent of the county's homes pre-dating 1940, an old opener is more likely here than in Chester or Bucks, where the housing is newer. Whatever its age, the monthly test in the opener's manual is the check that counts.
Why does lead paint come into it?
Because of the same dates. The Environmental Protection Agency says the federal government banned lead-based paint for homes in 1978 and that about three-quarters of homes built before then still contain some. Every Delaware County home first built in 1939 or earlier is in that group. The agency singles out surfaces subject to constant friction, like doors, as places where old paint turns into chips and dust.
The practical point is about who you hire. The agency's rule requires any firm paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home to be certified in lead-safe practices. Its page does not mention garage doors by name. If an old painted wooden door or its frame is being cut out, sanded or replaced, ask the company whether it holds that certification.
Who issues permits in Delaware County?
One of forty-nine municipalities, depending on where you live. The county describes itself as over 184 square miles divided into forty-nine municipalities, and the Department of Labor and Industry says more than 90 percent of Pennsylvania's municipalities enforce the state construction code themselves.
One state rule is worth knowing for this county's older lots. The construction code regulation excludes a detached private garage of less than 1,000 square feet that serves a detached single-family house, unless a local ordinance says otherwise, and it leaves ordinary repairs to homes outside the code on the same condition. Since the condition is local, the borough or township office is the place to ask. The Pennsylvania rules guide explains the state's side.
Who can you turn to in Delaware County if a repair goes wrong?
The county's Office of Consumer Affairs. It says it provides mediation to solve problems consumers encounter and lists home repair and remodeling among the complaints it receives; cases that look criminal or fraudulent are passed to the District Attorney or the state Attorney General. The office is in the Government Center Building at 201 West Front Street, Media, and its number is 610-891-4865.
Most households here hire contractors on their own account: 69.6 percent of Delaware County's occupied homes are owner-occupied. Before you hire, the Attorney General's contractor search can be filtered to Delaware County to confirm a registration. How to choose a garage door repair company lists the other checks, and businesses that serve the county are on the Delaware County garage door repair page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Your County at a Glance: History, Delaware County
- How Much Does Garage Door Spring Replacement Cost? (2026), HomeGuide
- Safety Tips For Garage Door Systems, Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA)
- 16 CFR Part 1211: Safety Standard for Automatic Residential Garage Door Operators, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)
- To Save Lives Homeowners Should Replace Non-Reversing Garage Doors, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Uniform Construction Code, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
- 34 Pa. Code § 403.1. Scope., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- Consumer Affairs/Weights & Measures, Delaware County
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General