Purchasing A New Garage Door Part 3

May 9th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Installation, New Garage Doors
Comments Off on Purchasing A New Garage Door Part 3

A very important decision to make when purchasing your new garage door installation is whether or not you’re going to have windows installed.

Older garage doors were mostly constructed of wood and quite often were installed with windows both for natural light and for decoration. These garage door windows were relatively easy to replace and inexpensive. Most homeowners could perform the window replacement themselves for under $30.00. Today’s garage doors are primarily constructed of lightweight steel and the replacement of the window glass can be very involved, usually requires two people and most overhead garage door repair companies don’t replace glass. These repairs are usually made by glass companies at a cost of $100-150 or more.

Your new garage door installation can be solid without windows, plain windows or decorative glass. Your basic decorative glass is really just plain windows with a snap in insert in front of them that can be painted to match or left white. Most of the really decorative garage door glass is acrylic which doesn’t break easily but does yellow and fade over time.

Another consideration for the installation of your new garage door regarding windows is security. Windows allow natural light and can add charm and character to your new garage door , however they also allow would be un-wanted to see if you’re home or not and a broken garage door window allows easy access to your garage and your home. Even if you have an automatic garage door opener a broken window will allow a would be thief to pull the emergency released and lift your garage door.

Think about whether or not you want your new garage door installed with windows and watch for new garage door installation part 4.

,
Read More

Common Garage Door Repairs

May 3rd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
Comments Off on Common Garage Door Repairs

Garage doors and garage door openers are important features on most homes.  An overhead garage door has many moving parts that all work together for the door to open smoothly.  When any of these parts become worn or broken, the garage door will need to be repaired.

Garage doors are very heavy and most doors use lift assist springs attached to the door through a series of pulleys and cables.  The springs are under a lot of tension and any repairs to the springs or the lift assist system should be handled by a trained service technician.

One of the most common garage door repairs is a broken spring replacement.  You may hear a loud bang and the door will be much harder to open or even become jammed in the track.  A trained garage door service technician can safely replace the broken spring and get your door working again.  Always have both springs replaced at the same time to maintain even tension on the door.

Worn out hinges, rollers, and pulleys are also common garage door repairs.  If the garage door is still in good condition, these parts can usually be replaced by your garage door service technician and your door can provide many more years of service.  Misaligned door tracks can usually be aligned and any bent sections of track can be replaced.

On older wood garage doors, the lower section sometimes deteriorates due to water and insect damage.  In some cases it is possible to replace the lower section of the door.  If parts are not available, a new replacement garage door will need to be installed.  The same is true for metal doors that have been struck by a vehicle.  It may be possible to replace the damaged door section, but the door is no longer being made or parts are not available, the door will need to be replaced.

 

, ,
Read More

Repairing Garage Door Tracks

May 3rd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
Comments Off on Repairing Garage Door Tracks

A bent or misaligned garage door track can cause the garage door to become difficult to open and close.  A homeowner may be able to take care of some minor adjustments to their garage door tracks, but if you decide to try to handle it yourself, be very careful and only small adjustments.  Garage doors are very heavy and if the door comes off the track, it could fall and damage your car or cause a serious injury.

If you have any concerns, it’s far better to call a professional garage door service.  They have expert garage door repair technicians who have the training and experience to safely repair garage doors.

Overhead garage doors move using rollers on metal tracks.  When the garage door tracks become misaligned, it can cause binding and sticking that can cause further damage to the door and lead to a prematurely worn out opener.

Garage door tracks are usually assembled in sections held together with nuts and bolts.  Similar hardware is used to hold the tracks in position and attach them to the wall and ceiling.  Over time, the nuts and bolts can loosen allowing the track to shift position.

Start by inspecting to see if any hardware has become loose.  Tightening the loose hardware may fix the problem, but it’s important to make sure the track is in the right position first.   Otherwise, the track would be secured in the misaligned position.  If the door still binds, loosen the hardware slightly and make small adjustments by tapping the track into position with a mallet.

If aligning the tracks does not help with the binding and sticking problem, you may have a broken spring.  When one spring breaks, there is uneven tension on the door which can cause it to bind or jam.  Never try to repair a broken spring yourself.  Spring replacement and repairs are dangerous and should only be done by a trained garage door service technician.

 

, ,
Read More

Replacing Your Older Garage Door Opener

May 3rd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Openers
Comments Off on Replacing Your Older Garage Door Opener

If you have an older garage door opener that is still going strong, you may be hesitant to replace it.  However, if the opener is more than 15 years old, there are some pretty compelling reasons to retire the old opener and install a modern new garage door opener.

Safety is one of the main reasons to consider replacing an old garage door opener.  Garage door openers sold in the U.S. prior to 1993 were not required to have safety sensors to detect obstructions in the path of the door.  These devices are designed to stop or reverse the door when a child or other object is detected.

Garage doors are very heavy and can easily crush a child causing serious injuries or death.  If your garage door opener is not equipped with these safety sensors, replacing the opener with a newer model will significantly reduce the risk of injury from the garage door.

In addition, new garage door openers are more secure than older models.  Remote opener controls used to use fixed frequencies for activating the door. It is not difficult for criminals to trick the system and activate your garage door allowing them entry to your garage and possibly your home.  New remote control systems are far more secure than these older systems and criminals can no longer break the codes.

New garage door openers offer other security features not found on older models such as fingerprint detection devices on exterior keypads that eliminate the need to remember the keypad code and the risk of the code falling into the wrong hands.  They also have battery backup so that the opener will operate even during power outages.

, ,
Read More

Purchasing A New Garage Door Opener

May 2nd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Openers
Comments Off on Purchasing A New Garage Door Opener

If you’re considering the purchase of a new automatic garage door opener please consider the following information before making your purchase.

There are basically two sources for the purchase of your garage door opener, you can contact the Big Box stores such as Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club, Costco or Sears or your local Professional Garage Door Dealer.

Let’s start with the Big Box stores and the pros and cons of purchasing from them. Generally speaking these stores only offer a limited selection of garage door openers, offer a limited or no selection of parts and sometimes very much needed accessories and if they offer installation it will be performed by a sub-contractor with you the consumer being the “guinea pig”. Since the garage door openers they sell are made to go home inside your car or SUV the units are in multiple knock down pieces which make the units weak.

When you purchase your new garage door opener from a Professional Garage Door Dealer you’ll have access to a more complete selection of brand names and models as well as all the needed accessories. The garage door openers that most Professional Garage Door Installers sell are professional grade units that are 1 piece rail construction and much better built than their retail counterparts. Unlike the Big Box Stores that sell thousands of items Professional Garage Door Installation companies specialize in the installation of automatic garage door openers, garage doors and repairs.

Cost wise the big box stores will usually be a little cheaper but you have to consider the difference in the quality of the garage door opener, whether or not you want to install it yourself or deal with the “subcontractor lottery” and if your garage door needs attention do they have the ability to service and repair it. Your Professional Garage Door Company will generally make sure your garage door is working properly before installing your new garage door opener. We might cost a few bucks more but in the long run will provide a better a better product and a better installation.

One final and perhaps most important benefit of hiring a Professional Garage Door Opener Installation Company is that any Warranty issues are covered with 1 phone call to your installing garage door dealer. So call us today and allow us to install your new Liftmaster, Genie or Linear automatic garage door opener.

,
Read More

Purchasing a New Garage Door Part 11

May 2nd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Contractors, New Garage Doors
Comments Off on Purchasing a New Garage Door Part 11

Ok, now that you’ve measured your existing garage door and you’ve thought about your options for a new garage door let’s look at some specifics.

Insulated garage doors vs. non insulated garage doors.

A non-insulated steel garage door will certainly do the job and provide security for your garage and your home. Perhaps the most attractive benefit to a raised panel steel garage door without insulation is the low cost and that they’re lightweight, so if you’re looking for a basic inexpensive garage door this may be your best bet.

Non-insulated overhead garage doors are constructed of thin gauge galvanized steel so it’s important for you to know that they dent very easy and because they’re hollow that they also tend to be noisy.

Insulated garage doors come in a variety of gauges of metal and numerous methods as to how they’re constructed, their overall thickness, types of insulation and whether they are double sided steel or not. You can find insulated garage doors in the following overall thickness, ¾”, 1”, 1 ¼”, 1 3/8”, 1 ½”, 1 5/8”, 1 ¾” and 2”. The primary types of insulation in garage doors are either expanded polystyrene, or polyurethane. Insulated garage doors can consist of hollow garage doors with add in insulation panels which are very basic or insulation that has been installed by the garage door manufacturer and can’t be removed.

The inside backing panels of your garage door can be polyvinyl which can gouge and tear, cardboard which can easily tear, separate or deteriorate and steel which is the strongest and most durable option. Generally speaking the thicker the overall door and insulation the better quality the garage door is going to be.

Now I have the following thoughts about the two different insulating products either the polystyrene or polyurethane. I personally believe that the polystyrene is more durable, lasts longer and will not break down like the polyurethane product will. Polyurethane will initially provide a better “R” value for your new garage door but over time will disintegrate whereas the polystyrene will have a little lower “R” value but won’t lose its value.

Read up and look for our next blog before purchasing your new garage door.

,
Read More
Newer Entries

Find Local Company | Garage Door Directory | Find Local Garage Door Service Companies