Do You Have Damaged Tracks On Your Garage Door?

October 28th, 2014 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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One of the most easily damaged parts on your garage door is the tracks. Exposed in the interior of the garage door, these tracks often are hit by vehicles, bouncing balls and many other moving objects. Over time, these small dents can cause the tracks to weaken and become unstable. At some point, they may give way, endangering you, your vehicle or members of your family, plus causing damage to your garage door. 

Inspecting Your Garage Door Tracks

As part of your regular maintenance on your garage door, make sure to inspect the tracks. You should be looking for any dents or bends in the metal. You should also check the alignment of your door. Does your garage door move smoothly up and down through the tracks, or does it seems to hesitate at certain spots on the track? 

If you notice any problems, don’t try to repair the tracks yourself. Trying to pound out dents or realign the tracks on your own can be dangerous. Garage doors can weigh several hundred pounds; doing anything that could cause the door to crash down or come out of the tracks could put you or someone else in your family at risk of injury. 

Replacing Garage Door Tracks

If your garage door tracks seem to be damaged, call your local garage door service company to handle any needed garage door repairs. They can inspect your tracks and offer solutions to ensure they do not cause damage to your door or harm to your family. Most damaged tracks will need to be replaced, as they are not easily repaired. However, it is much less expensive to replace the tracks than purchase a new garage door or pay for injuries.

Posted on behalf of Habpro

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Is Your Garage Door Ready For Winter?

October 28th, 2014 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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There are many items on your to-do list to prepare for winter around your home, but one item which may sometimes be overlooked is your garage door. However, since you rely on your garage door to get you and your vehicle inside during the worst winter weather, it may be something you want to consider. Before the winter weather hits, now is the time to give your garage door a little pre-winter maintenance. 

Winter Maintenance For Your Garage Door

Having your garage door fail at any point can be inconvenient. During the winter, it can be downright dangerous. Winter conditions are when you need the safety of driving into your garage the most. It is also the time when a poorly maintained door is most likely to fail, due to changes in the temperature and other weather factors. Here are a few maintenance items to cover in order to ensure your door is ready for the colder months ahead. 

  • Lubrication. Your garage door is exposed to the outside weather every time it opens. This can let in moisture, which can rust and corrode the moving parts of your door. Lubrication can protect these parts from the moisture while ensuring your door can move easily and smoothly.
     
  • Springs. Most garage door springs last several years with regular maintenance. Most last around 10,000 cycles, so the lifespan will depend on how often you use your garage door. If your spring is more than three years old and is used heavily, it may be time to have it replaced. Never try to replace a garage door spring yourself; always hire a professional.
     
  • Check all components. Inspect the seals, rollers, tracks and all moving parts for any problems. It is easier to repair or replace these parts now than to have your garage door fail in the middle of a winter storm. 

The easiest way to ensure your garage door is ready for winter is to have an annual tune-up service performed by your local garage door service company. They can fully inspect your system and perform any garage door repairs or maintenance to avoid leaving you out in the cold this winter.

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Does Your Car Have An Installed Garage Door Opener?

October 28th, 2014 Posted in Garage Door Openers
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Many new vehicles are being manufactured with built-in garage door openers designed to remove the need for a separate remote control to open your garage door or automatic gate. With an easy-to-use remote built in to your vehicle, you can enjoy the convenience of an automatic opener with fewer security risks. This technology is similar in theory to a universal remote you might use to control your home entertainment devices, only for garage doors. 

Types Of Vehicle Installed Remotes

The two most commonly installed remote controls for your garage door opener are Homelink and Car2U. These devices often come factory installed in newer model vehicles, similar other upgrade options like satellite radio and OnStar. Most of these remotes can be programmed to open three different gates or garage doors. 

Is Your Garage Door Opener Compatible?

While these installed remotes can be convenient, they are not compatible with all garage door openers. Some older model garage door openers without the rolling code feature may not work with these remotes. If you have one of these remotes yet are not able to program it open your garage door, you have two options: 

  • Replace your garage door opener. If your opener does not include a rolling code feature, it will not work with these new remotes and may pose a security issue. Talk to your garage door service company about installing a newer opener which has rolling codes for you and your family’s protection. A new opener should be easily programmable to your car’s remote.
     
  • Install a conversion kit. For some openers which are not compatible with the new technology, there are conversion kits that will allow you to use Homelink or Car2U devices with your current opener. Your garage door opener company should be able to help you get the right conversion kit installed for your opener.

Posted on behalf of Habpro

 

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Save On Energy Bills With A New Garage Door

October 28th, 2014 Posted in New Garage Doors
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Do you have an attached garage on your home? If you do, an insulated garage door could save you money on your energy bills each month. Many garage doors are not well insulated, allowing cold drafts to enter your garage and home through these large openings. Even if you keep the door between your home and garage closed, cold air can still be seeping in. A new, insulated garage door could have a significant impact on lowering your energy bills during the winter, and even save on cooling costs during the summer. 

Insulated Garage Door Options

When choosing a new garage door for energy efficiency, it’s more important to notice what’s on the inside than what material is used on the outside of the door. All types of garage doors can be well-insulated, including wood, steel and vinyl. What matters in the thermal rating of the insulation between the panels, not the material or thickness of the door. Insulated doors will have an R-value that will help you determine the amount of insulation. The higher the R-value, the better insulated the door. 

Benefits Of Well-Insulated Garage Doors

It’s not just the temperature of your home that will benefit from an insulated garage door. While energy savings is usually the main reason to buy a well-insulated door, it is only one of the benefits. Insulation will help keep your garage warmer in the winter, even if it is not heated. This can protect any water pipes and other items stored in your garage from freezing. Insulation also reduces the noise of the door when it opens and closes, plus reduces noise coming in or out of the garage. Finally, the extra insulation can add to the strength and longevity of the door. 

If you have been considering replacing your old garage door, doing so before the colder weather hits could help you save on energy costs this winter and for many years to come.

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Today’s Garage Doors

October 12th, 2014 Posted in New Garage Doors
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Homeowners today have a wide variety of options available when considering a replacement garage door.  Available in a wide variety of architectural styles, including contemporary, traditional and carriage styles, the doors are available in a wide variety of widths and heights.  The materials being used today include wood, fiberglass, aluminum, steel and vinyl.  In addition, they are available with a variety of window and hardware options, making the doors highly customized to the architectural style of the home, as well as the tastes and budget of the homeowner. 

Wood doors are available in a variety of wood species including kiln dried Hemlock, Cedar and Mahogany, as well as more exotic wood species such as African Mahogany, Spanish Red Cedar and Birch.  They are also available in a variety of laminated wood products as well, including rough sawn plywood and T-111 siding.  Wood doors typically have a polystyrene insulated core, which reduces energy waste in conditioned garages.  While these doors will require periodic staining or painting, these doors are very attractive and will provide years of service.  

Fiberglass, aluminum, steel and vinyl doors have the advantage of being very low maintenance due to the inherent stability of the products being used in the doors, as well as wide variety of pre-finished colors available, eliminating the need to paint the doors. 

Modern wood, fiberglass, aluminum, steel and vinyl garage doors are engineered to be low maintenance and provide years of service, while enhancing the architecture of the home at an affordable cost!

Posted on behalf of Find Local Garage Door Service

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Garage Door Opener Repairs

October 12th, 2014 Posted in Garage Door Opener Repair
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Properly maintained, garage door openers will provide years of trouble free service.  However, when there is a problem with them it is now possible to have them repaired, which will save a significant amount of money over the cost of replacing the opener.  As with most things, garage door openers have a small computer in them and in many cases the problem with the opener is related to the failure of some part of the computer. 

Most of the major manufacturers have replacement logic boards, sequencer boards, and radio receiver boards available for their garage door openers.   In addition there are also non-computer related parts available for repairs including chains and belts, as well as components for the motor and electric eyes.  Even original replacement remotes are now available!   In many cases these replacement parts and components are “plug and play”, which helps to minimize the labor costs of the repair. 

The key to repairing the garage door opener quickly and efficiently is to be able to troubleshoot the problem and determine if the problem is related to the computer or another component of the system.  Once that is determined, the technician will be able to determine what part or parts needs to be replaced and make the repair.  Once repaired, the opener will be tested to verify that the opener is working properly and within the technical specifications of the manufacturer.  No longer does a garage door opener problem mean the immediate replacement of the entire system, which is much more expensive than simply repairing the opener.

Posted on behalf of Find Local Garage Door Service

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Commercial Garage Doors

October 12th, 2014 Posted in Commercial Garage Doors
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Commercial garage doors and garage door openers are used on a variety of commercial garages servicing office buildings and multifamily apartment and condominium buildings.  The components of the doors and openers are of a much higher grade than the doors and openers used on a typical single-family home.  The reason for this is that commercial garage doors undergo many more opening and closing cycles in a single day than a single-family home undergoes in 6 or more months!  Imagine a typical 500-unit apartment complex with two garage doors, one for entry into the garage and one to exit the garage.  On a typical day each door could open 500 times a day or 3,500 times a week or 14,000 times per moth or 168,000 times a year! 

The only way that these doors can withstand this use is to choose the proper garage door initially and then perform regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance on all components, as recommended by the manufacturer.  Popular manufacturers of commercial garage doors include Finishline Overhead Doors. Bestline Overhead Doors, Wayne-Dalton, Windsor, D.B.C.I., Roll Up Doors, Coplay Commercial Doors and C.H.I Overhead Commercial Doors. 

In most cases, commercial doors have a recommended inspection and maintenance schedule, which is typically driven by the number of cycles of the door.  It is critical that this schedule be adhered to in order to maximize the life of the door and the door opener.  In addition worn parts must be replaced immediately.  In most cases, commercial garage doors and commercial garage doors that experience a high failure rate or ongoing problems have not been inspected and maintained properly.

Posted on behalf of Find Local Garage Door Service

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Garage Door Opener Accessories

October 12th, 2014 Posted in Garage Door Openers
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Garage door openers are a convenience that most homeowners could not dream about living without.  Gone are the days of getting out of the car to open and then close the garage door when you arrived home after a long day at work.  While convenient, in the past garage door openers had two drawbacks, with the first being the size of the remote opener, while the second was a lack a means to open the garage door without the remote.   

This was problematic, as most families use the garage as the day-to-day front door to the home, including those that are not driving such as school age children.  In addition, active families, who enjoy walking, cycling and taking the dog for a walk, had no means to open or close the garage door unless they carried the remote that was designed for car use.  Without a garage door remote, there was no access to the garage! 

Now the major manufacturers have introduced both a miniature remote garage door opener that is small and light enough to carry in a pocket comfortably.  In addition, they can easily fit into a small purse, as well as on a motorcycle or bicycle.  These are very popular for active homeowners who may not be in their car when they need to access their garage. 

Keyless remote garage door openers mounted to the side of the garage door are also very popular, especially for homeowner’s with children that need to access the home thru the garage when returning home form school.  All that is needed is to enter the code to open or close the garage door!

Posted on behalf of Find Local Garage Door Service

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Garage Door Maintenance

October 12th, 2014 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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While it may seem that periodic painting is the only maintenance that garage doors require, nothing could be further from the truth.  Periodic inspection and maintenance of garage doors is required for the door to operate safely as designed.   Equally important is the regular inspection and maintenance of garage door openers. 

In general, inspection points on garage doors include checking the springs on the door to make sure the door is properly balanced, checking that bolts and screws are tight, checking rollers for signs of wear, checking track spacing and alignment, checking for wear on cables, checking for wear on springs, checking the condition of pulleys, checking on the condition of the attachment points for the cables and checking the spring mounting.  On doors with openers, the inspections include checking the limits of the garage door in the open and closed positions, checking the force settings and checking the mounting of the opener. 

Maintenance items on garage doors include lubrication of all moving parts, including the rollers and hinges.  Typical maintenance on garage door openers includes lubrication of the chain on chain driven garage door openers.  In addition, as a part of the maintenance process on both garage doors and garage door openers, the problem areas identified during the inspection process should be corrected as well. 

As with any inspection and maintenance program, the goal is to identify and correct potential issues before they fail and make the door inoperable.  In addition, some of the potential problems associated with garage doors and garage door openers can be dangerous and cause bodily harm, due to the weight of the door and the tension on some of the components. 

Posted on behalf of Find Local Garage Door Service

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