Garage Door Openers Need Surge Protection

July 2nd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Openers
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One of the best ways to protect you brand new garage door opener installation is to purchase a good quality surge protector and plug your automatic garage door opener into it.

Today’s overhead garage door openers are more sophisticated than ever before and with all the built in safety features required for UL listing the only way to accomplish this is with complex electronic components. Your new garage door opener has hi-tech electronic components similar to your computer or flat screen TV.

The drawback to high tech circuits versus the old style garage door opener electro mechanics is that they are highly susceptible to power surges, static electricity and lightning strikes. Even with built in surge protection circuitry your new garage door opener regardless of brand Liftmaster, Genie, Chamberlain, Linear, Overhead or Sears Craftsman can be easily damaged by a nearby lightning strike.

Even GFI circuitry isn’t adequate enough to protect your garage door opener and safety sensors from surge damage so the best thing you can do is purchase a name brand surge protector or whole house surge protection.

Your garage door opener costs on average between 300-450 which is well below most peoples insurance deductible and a decent quality surge protector is less than $30 well worth the potential cost of replacing or repairing your garage door opener.

Now here is the good news; if you install a surge protector on your new garage door opener and the protector fails to save your overhead door opener most name brands include a non-deductible insurance coverage that will actually reimburse you for repair or replacement of your automatic garage door opener. Having this secondary insurance coverage can save you from a homeowner’s policy claim and the potential of having your insurance premium increased.

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Garage Door Replacement-Insulated vs. Non-Insulated

June 26th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Installation, New Garage Doors
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For many folks 2012 will be the year that you’ll need a replacement garage door installed on your existing home. One of the big decisions to make will be whether or not to have your garage door replaced with an insulated or non-insulated overhead door.

Now here are a few things to consider when making your decision to replace your garage door. Is your garage attached to your home and do you use your overhead door as a main point of entry to your garage and your home. If your garage is attached to your home how many walls are shared with the interior of your home and do you have living space above your garage door. Do you have small children and or basketball goals etc. near your overhead door?

Non-insulated garage doors are typically a hollow or pan type garage door that the back is open and the gauge of the metal ranges from 24-27 with 24 being the thicker metal. A replacement garage door that isn’t insulated tends to be very noisy almost tin can sounding when it opens and closes. Now the consideration here is do you have a bedroom or other room above or near your garage door that quiet is important. If you do then an insulated overhead door may be a better choice for you.

One important fact is that a non-insulated replacement garage door is not nearly as strong as a wood overhead door and if you have small children or your garage door area is a playground non-insulated replacement garage doors dent very easily and may not be the best choice for you.

Insulated steel sandwich type replacement garage doors are the strongest of all overhead doors and because the insulation is sandwiched between two sheets of steel they are also the quietest and most durable.

Consider your circumstances before your purchase a new replacement garage door and know that there are many reasons to install an insulated garage door.

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Garage Door Repair-Beware Of Hidden Costs

June 26th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Repairs
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In today’s tough economy there seems to be more scamsters than ever all competing for your garage door repair business.

Many of these scammer overhead door companies will advertise extremely low prices; buy 1 get one free and free service call charges etc. Occasionally a legitimate garage door company will run a real promotion that will save you money on your garage door repair but more often than not they are rip-off schemes.

Regardless of how big a garage door repair company is we all pay the same prices for gasoline, vehicles, labor costs and materials. Usually the larger an overhead door company is the more overhead costs they have and as a result they have to charge more to turn a profit.

Advertising is very expensive and at the end of the day the costs for advertising are built into your garage door repair or opener repair bill, meaning you are paying for the ability to easily find them. My experience has shown that medium sizes overhead door repair companies usually provide the best mix of service and quality without draining your bank account.

An experienced garage door repair company will ask you a number of questions when you call and can determine from those answers what’s wrong with your overhead door or automatic opener and can give you a very accurate repair quote right over the phone. This over the phone quote can save you time and money as well as make you more informed for the next call.

Look for online internet specials and read the fine print, many of these specials can save you 10-25 dollars. Beware if the offers are 75, 100 or more the question to ask yourself is how can they do that and still turn a profit. They answer is they’re charging you too much for your garage door repair to start or they have hidden costs that will show up after your overhead door repair is complete.

Do your homework and be an educated consumer, make your garage door repair affordable without sacrificing quality.

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Garage Door Repair-Track Alignment

June 21st, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Repairs
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Chances are you live in a home that was tract built in a subdivision and your overhead garage door and garage door opener like many other items in your home were purchased by your home builder. It’s generally a safe bet that the builder hired the least expensive garage door installation company that he or she could find and that the garage door and automatic garage door opener purchased were nothing more than builder grade.

The garage door companies that install overhead doors on new construction homes usually have poorly trained technicians and in order to be the cheapest therefore the most desirable garage door company to the builder they cut every corner possible. The corners get cut on the quality of the garage door and opener as well as the installation. Now here is the good and the bad news.

Even a builder garage overhead garage door installation can last many years if the garage door and automatic opener are properly installed.

One of the key areas and often the most overlooked portion of a garage door installation is the track alignment or track relationship to the garage door itself. Many garage door repairs are precipitated by the improper alignment of the garage door tracks over the years of operation causing hinges, bearings, garage door sections and rollers to prematurely wear out. Improper track alignment can cut the life expectancy of your overhead garage door and opener by half.

An overhead garage door that was installed out of plumb is the cause of over half of the premature garage door repairs that we do. It’s important for any garage door to be installed level and plumb regardless of whether the opening or the floor is level. Assuming the garage door has been installed level the spacing between the edge of the garage door panels and the track should be a steady ½” to 5/8”, this allows the door to roll freely with minimum resistance and will prolong the life of all the moving components.

Any time you have your garage door repaired ask your garage door repair company to check the alignment of your overhead door track.

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Replacement Garage Doors-Stamped Carriage Door vs. Carriage Overlay

June 15th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Installation, New Garage Doors
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Well if you’ve decided that it’s time to replace your existing garage door with a new carriage style door because you’re tired of repairing your existing overhead door here’s some info to help you make a better decision and save yourself some money too.

Carriage style garage doors have become very popular since the late 1990’s and have significantly changed the appearance of today’s homes. Since the introduction of carriage garage doors your selection of garage door designs has quadrupled and the appearance has gone from mundane to exquisite.

Stamped carriage doors or stamped steel carriage doors are the most economical and generally speaking the most durable of the carriage style doors. Stamped steel carriage doors offer a variety of window designs and colors as well as insulation options, are durable and very affordable however they lack in design options. Stamped carriage garage doors are offered in non-insulated, add in insulation and sandwich style which is the strongest and best insulated garage door.

Carriage doors that use an overlay pattern offer endless styles and designs as well as insulation and window options. Creative ability with these types of overhead garage doors is only limited by your budget. Carriage garage doors that are made with an overlay can be constructed with wood frames and wood or composite design overlays or with a flush steel garage door and wood or composite overlays.

Long term the stamped steel garage doors will give better service with fewer problems because the material is all steel. Overlay type steel carriage garage doors can be troublesome because the base of the garage door is steel and expands and contracts at one rate while the overlay is a different material and expands and contracts differently. This difference in material will eventually cause a delamination of the garage door overlay material and once this happens the only thing to do is replace your overhead door again.

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Garage Door Repair-Always Check Your Cables

June 14th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Repairs, Garage Door Spring Replacement, Garage Door Springs, Garage Door Torsion Springs
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When you hire a garage door repair company to fix your overhead door or automatic garage door opener you want to make sure that the repair company you contract with checks out your entire garage door especially the garage door cables.

An overhead garage door is simply put a counterbalance system which allows you the homeowner or your automatic garage door opener to effortlessly lift the garage door.

The power or torque from the garage door springs acts to counterbalance the weight of your garage door and this transfer of power is accomplished through the use of your garage door cables. Whether your garage door has extension springs or torsion type springs the weight of your overhead door is lifted via the garage door cables.

Depending on the size of your garage door and construction this weight can vary from as little as 50 pounds to 600 pounds which makes the condition of your garage door cables extremely important. That’s why whenever your garage door is repaired you want to make sure your garage door repair company checks your cables for wear and tear.

Garage door cables are usually constructed of stranded galvanized wire and are constantly rolling under-load from the garage door weight over metal surfaces that create friction and wear. This kind of load and wear will over time cause you garage door cable to fray and eventually break in two. When you garage door cable frays it will cause the door to become crooked when operating and prematurely wear other components and damage your garage door or opener.

Garage door cables also corrode and will create the need for a garage door repair.

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Garage Door Repair and Your Emergency Disconnect

June 12th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Openers, Garage Door Repairs, Garage Door Springs, Garage Door Torsion Springs
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If your garage door and opener have stopped working properly and you need to operate the overhead garage door manually then here are some important tips.

Virtually all makes of automatic garage door openers have some type of built in emergency disconnect,  or release mechanism that allows you to disengage the automatic opener from the garage door and open it manually.

If you need garage door repair and need to work the overhead door manually you would pull this emergency disconnect on the garage door opener and then lift the garage door by hand.  It’s very important to remember that the disconnect is only beneficial if you need a garage door opener repair and not if the garage door is the problem.  This scenario would include a power outage at your home or a garage door opener that is malfunctioning.

When the garage door needs repair pulling the disconnect  mechanism may serve no purpose at all and could actually cause injury or the need for additional garage door repairs.

If you need to disconnect the door from the opener for manual operation until a garage door repair can be made it’s always best to do so with the overhead garage door in the closed position. The reason being is that the garage door opener might still pull the overhead door open even if the garage door springs are out of balance and the garage door is heavy. Pulling the disconnect with springs out of balance could cause the garage door to crash to the ground. A broken garage door spring may be the cause of your garage door repair and if you are unaware the spring is broken and you pull the emergency release when the garage door is in the open position it will crash to the ground and damage or injure anything or anyone in its path.

If your garage door needs repair visually check for a broken spring before pulling your emergency disconnect!

Blog post provided by Woodstock Garage Door Repair Company

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Garage Door Springs Require Replacement

June 9th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Spring Replacement, Garage Door Springs, Garage Door Torsion Springs
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Garage door springs much like your car tires, brakes or shoes for that matter routinely wear out and need to be replaced. Replacement garage door springs whether they are torsion springs, extension springs or a Wayne-Dalton Torquemaster spring system will eventually with usage wear out and when they do you’ll have a broken garage door spring.

Every time your overhead garage door opens and closes it completes 1 cycle. The springs on your overhead garage door are rated in life cycles usually a minimum of 10,000 cycles and when they reach their life expectancy at bear minimum will become weak and not lift your garage door properly but in most cases they’ll break. When you garage door spring is broken and your automatic garage door opener won’t lift the garage door and your garage will be in-accessible.

The longer you remain in your home and the more often you use your garage door the more likely you’ll need replacement garage door springs installed. If you use your overhead door 5 times or more a day on average you might want to consider having your garage door repair company install longer life garage door springs for your overhead door.

Usually the cost of replacement garage door springs will vary from market to market and you can expect a range of 150.00 to 300.00 for standard 10,000 cycle garage door springs and an upcharge of 40-100. The upcharge will vary depending on the increase in life cycles of your garage door springs.

When you hire a garage door repair company be sure to have them check your entire garage door and automatic opener as a broken garage door spring can damage the garage door opener.

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Why Do Garage Door Springs Break and Need To Be Repaired

June 7th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Repairs, Garage Door Spring Replacement, Garage Door Springs, Garage Door Torsion Springs
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In today’s busy environment most people are constantly on the go and because transportation is involved your overhead garage door gets quite a workout. Because of today’s society and the concern for personal and home security more and more people park their cars in the garage keep their garage doors closed. For many people the entire family comes and goes through the garage door so it’s not unusual for the garage door to be operated 3-5 times per day or more and if there are kids involved 10 times or more per day isn’t unusual.

Simply put garage door torsion springs and garage door extension springs break from normal wear and tear, they fatigue and break causing the need for garage door spring replacement.

When your garage door spring is broken in most cases the garage door opener will not lift overhead door leaving you trapped in the garage or locked out of your garage. Garage door springs are rated in life cycles much like tires are rated in mileage. Typically the garage door manufacturers supply 10,000 cycles springs with every new garage door manufactured.

A garage door cycle is defined as follows; from the closed position the garage door is opened and closed again this is considered to be 1 cycle. Now 10,000 cycles seems like a lot but let’s do the math and see. 365 days a year times a measly 3 operations a day is 1095 cycles translating to approximately 9 years of garage door spring life. Double the cycles to 6 cycles a day and you end up with about 4.5 years of garage door spring life.

If you stay in your home long enough your garage door spring is going to break causing the need to have your garage door torsion springs or extension springs to be replaced

Keep in mind how often you use your overhead garage door and if the frequency of usage is high then ask your garage door repair company to quote you longer life cycle springs.

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Commercial Overhead Door Repairs

June 6th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Installation, Garage Door Repairs
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Are you tired of the same overhead doors breaking regularly at your place of business? Are you losing productivity and experiencing prolonged downtime because your commercial overhead door requires constant repair?

Here are a few things to consider. A properly installed commercial overhead door should operate for many years to come with routine service and maintenance. If your place of business is experiencing a stack of ongoing repair bills, it might just be time to get a second opinion.

A second opinion could yield some interesting information and serve as a reference to keep your existing commercial overhead door repair company in check.

Often the root of continuous repair bills started with a poor installation of your overhead doors and the ongoing repairs are simply Band-Aids for the inevitable correction of the original overhead door installation. When a commercial overhead door is improperly installed it will result in premature breakage of hinges, fraying of overhead door cables, track, and wear and damage to the commercial door sections.

A thorough inspection by a reputable commercial overhead door repair company can point out installation points that need correction and with the proper re-installation of your overhead doors you can expect a significant, reduction in the frequency and cost of repair bills.

Unfortunately many of the commercial overhead door repair companies care more about their financial bottom line than yours. Most folks have come to expect regular breakdowns of their overhead doors and believe it just goes with the territory when it doesn’t have to.

A properly installed commercial garage door will provide years of service without being a major drain on your budget.

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