Is Your Garage Door Needing Repair?

June 19th, 2013 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Most of us give little time or attention to our home’s garage door until it fails to open or, sometimes worse depending on your perspective, fails to close. Although taken entirely for granted without even a smidgeon of routine maintenance, we’re momentarily stunned by incredulous wonder at its sudden rebellion of inactivity. 

Some garage door problems are the simple result of wear and tear, especially if your garage door has some age: doors warp; chains, pulleys and hinges rust; cables become frayed or loose; or, the door track can become bent and misaligned. Any of these issues can cause the door to buckle or jam upon opening, making it impossible to reclose. Sometimes, everything looks and sounds fine, you hear the motor of the garage door opener and the pulleys are moving, but the garage door just doesn’t lift. Usually, this is caused by a broken torsion spring that helps keep the tension on the door as it lowers and raises. You may or may not have heard a loud snap when it broke, but if you glance at the spring above your door, you should see a visible gap in that spring. 

Of course, such things never happen at our convenience but usually at the most inopportune time. However, most local professional garage door repair services do perform emergency repairs on-site. Your professional technician should be able to show up at your home quickly, regardless of the time of day, assess the exact problem while giving you a full overview, and provide you with an estimate of time and cost for your repair. Chances are, you’ll never again take your garage door for granted.

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Is Your Garage Door Safe?

May 9th, 2013 Posted in New Garage Doors
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Safety should be a top consideration when considering installation of an automatic garage door, especially if there are small children in the home. Unfortunately, there are records to indicate that children, between the ages of 2 and 14, have become trapped, injured, suffered severe brain damage, and even killed by automated garage doors closing on them and not retracting. 

Automated garage doors installed today are required by law to have optic sensors that detect a person or object below the door, prompting it to automatically reverse. Older automatic garage doors that do not automatically reverse should be replaced with newer ones that possess this feature. Homeowners should regularly inspect their doors to ensure that they are operating correctly. Items to look for include a balanced door (it stays open when stopped in a partially open position), photocell sensitivity activating the auto-reverse feature, properly aligned tracks and functioning wall control. Also, check the door rollers and track for missing screws, unusual wear or loose connections.  

If the door is out of balance, enough energy exists in the springs of the door to cause bodily damage. The photocells can be tested by placing an object to block their path, which should activate the door. Another good test of the automatic reversing feature is to put something directly in its path and attempt to close the door; the safety feature should signal the door to immediately bounce back up when coming into contact with an object. 

If anything at all seems even slightly off with your automatic garage door, contact your local overhead garage door professional for a routine service and maintenance check. Without proper installation, maintenance and testing, automated garage doors cannot operate properly and run the risk of injuring children or pets.

 

 

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Boosting Your Home’s Curb Appeal With Garage Door Repairs

December 19th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Garage doors can be damaged in a variety of ways, from inclement weather to a momentary loss of vehicular control. Some unsightly dings, dents and damages may be merely cosmetic, causing no loss of function but negatively impacting your home’s curb appeal nonetheless.

If you’re thinking about selling your home in the near future or simply want to make sure that your home is the envy of the neighborhood, springing for some garage door repairs can be a great first step. Contacting a local garage door repair specialist to figure out what your garage door needs in order to be restored to its former glory can pay off in spades in the long run. 

While severe damages may often require a full replacement of the garage door in order to restore functionality, minor imperfections can usually be repaired with a simple panel or window replacement.  A simple assessment from a local company specializing in garage door repair can help you to determine what your garage door needs in order to look its best again, boosting your curb appeal and helping you to ensure that your home is in high demand if you make the decision to list it.

Even if your garage door has no cosmetic imperfections that you can see, it’s wise to carefully inspect the astragal, or bottom section seal. Prospective buyers will scrutinize every detail of your home to discover projects and repairs that could be waiting for them. Making sure that your garage door is in perfect condition and in need of absolutely no maintenance makes for one less concern in a buyer’s mind.

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Repairing a Damaged Overhead Garage Door

December 7th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Garage doors can be damaged through a variety of circumstances. One of the most common occurrences that create damage to a garage door is when a driver accidentally backs into a closed or partially closed garage door. No garage door is meant to withstand that type of heavy collision. Whether or not the door can be repaired or needs to be replaced will depend on the amount of the damage and the type of garage door. 

When a garage door has been damaged in this way, the impact often affects more than just the door itself. The door rollers may be knocked off the rails, which can leave the door in a precarious position. The door may fall, causing further damage or injury. It is important to contact a garage door repair professional immediately to assess the situation and secure the door to prevent any further damage. 

Many times only one panel of a garage door has been damaged and the panel can be replaced. Other times the entire door and the hardware will need to be replaced. Regardless of the extent of the damage, it is quite possible that the door has been knocked out of alignment. Again, this is one of the items that your garage door repair professional will need to assess and repair if necessary. 

If your garage door has a window section in it, this is another area that is susceptible to damage. Flying objects or tree limbs from a storm are often the culprits that break the windows in a garage door. These window sections are generally easy for a garage door tech to repair or replace.

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The Importance of Garage Door Repair and Maintenance

December 7th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Just like anything else with movable parts, your overhead garage door does require a certain amount of ongoing maintenance to keep it functioning at its optimum level of performance. In addition, there are parts of your garage door that may need to be repaired or replaced over time. 

Having your garage door inspected and maintained annually can help alleviate problems in operation and avoid more expensive repair bills. Your garage door has several hinges which should be lubricated, along with the rollers for your garage door and the springs. You can purchase this lubricant from your local garage door repair professional, if you feel comfortable doing the lubrication yourself. However, having it done by the professional, along with a full inspection of your garage door may be a better option. 

During a maintenance inspection, a garage door repair specialist should check several different items. Checking the balance of the door is a critical part of that inspection to determine if your garage door is in need of repair. If a garage door is out of alignment, continual operation of the door while it is out of balance can cause additional stress on the parts. An out of balance door can also be the sign of a garage door spring that is in need of replacement. All the bolts and screws of your garage door hardware should be checked and tightened if necessary during your maintenance inspection. 

If you have a wooden garage door, keeping the paint on both the inside and outside of the door maintained is another important factor. Paint is not just there for aesthetics. The paint is there to protect the wood from moisture damage. Applying a fresh coat every few years will maintain both the appearance and the protective seal on your garage door.

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Leave Garage Door Repairs to the Pros

April 23rd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Whether it’s a malfunctioning garage door opener, broken springs, or other problem, most garage door repairs are best handled by a trained garage door technician.  Garage doors are more complicated than they appear which is reason alone to let a professional handle the job, but more importantly garage doors can be dangerous to work around and can pose a serious safety hazard if they are not installed or maintained properly.

Garage doors are much heavier than most people realize.  Garage doors weigh hundreds of pounds but a properly adjusted garage door feels very light because they are equipped with lift assisting springs.  These springs carry most of the weight of the door so it opens easily by hand or with a small automatic opener.

When the springs are out of adjustment or have been removed for repairs, the garage door becomes very heavy and can come crashing down from an open position.  In fact, many homeowners have been surprised by a garage door that seems to get heavier as it is closed until it gets too heavy to lift.  All that weight means that the garage door can injure someone who is standing or working in the doorway.

In addition, the powerful steel lift springs that help balance the door are under very high pressure.  If they are disconnected improperly they can seriously injure or even kill someone.

An experienced garage door technician has the training and skill needed to handle garage door repairs safely.  Protect yourself and your family from harm by calling a professional garage door service whenever you need garage door repairs.

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Don’t Put Off Garage Door Repairs

February 23rd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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If you have a malfunctioning garage door at your home or business, don’t let the problem get worse by putting off having the repairs done.  You can save a lot of money in the long run by having your garage door serviced regularly and getting any necessary garage door repairs taken care of as soon as a problem is noticed.

Garage doors are deceptively heavy moving objects.  Depending on the size and type of door, they can weigh several hundred pounds.  A garage door lifting system is an integrated set of components that work together to help the door smoothly open and close.

These components include the tracks, hinges, rollers, roller brackets, lift springs, cables, and the automatic opener if one is installed.  When all of these components are properly adjusted and in good condition, a heavy garage door can be easily and smoothly opened by one person or by an automatic garage door opener.

If any of these components are damaged or working improperly, the door can become out of balance or misaligned and these conditions put a strain on the rest of the components including the garage door opener and causes them to wear out faster.  The door can get jammed or become much more difficult to open and close.  Continuing to use a garage door in this condition

By having the door repaired by a reputable local garage door service at the first sign of trouble, you can avoid causing damage to additional components and incurring further repair costs.  Your door will operate smoothly and reliably and last for years.

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Lubricating Your Garage Door Opener

December 20th, 2011 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Your garage door opener needs occasional lubrication to keep working year after year smoothly and quietly.  If you are handy, lubricating the garage door opener is something most homeowners can handle themselves.  Otherwise, have the door serviced annually by an experienced garage door contractor.

There are three common types of garage door openers:  chain drive, screw drive, and belt drive.  If you have a chain drive opener, you will need to lubricate the drive gears, the rail and the chain.  Apply a thin coat of low temperature silicone grease on the drive gears and the the rail.  The chain can be lubed with almost any kind of oil.  Bicycle or motorcycle chain lube works well.  Make sure to wipe off any excess lubricant or it will drip on the raised door or worse, on your car.

For a screw drive opener, lube the rail and screw with low temperature silicone grease.  A belt drive opener just needs some grease on the rail and also the gear mechanism like a chain drive opener.  Take care not to get any lubricant on the belt.  If the belt seems noisy, it may just need to be adjusted.

Once you have applied the lubricant, run the door up and down a few times to spread the lubricant around and wipe off any excess.  If your garage door sees a lot of use, you should lube it three or four times a year.  With less frequent use, annual lubrication is probably sufficient.

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Signs That You May Need Garage Door Repairs

November 1st, 2011 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Your garage door protects your home from the elements and plays an important role in keeping your home, family, vehicle and property secure.  We usually take our garage door for granted because it works well day after day, but a garage door is a heavy piece of equipment with a lot of moving parts.

These parts wear out over time and as they do, your door can go out of alignment and become harder to operate, placing stress on your opener and causing it to work harder and wear out sooner.  Also, garage doors use springs, torsion bars, or counterbalance systems that help lift the door.  When these systems wear or fail, the door will get much harder to open.  Stresses on the door also cause it to deteriorate faster and lead to needing a new garage door.

If your garage door suddenly seems heavier than it used to, you may have a problem with the springs or counterbalance system.  Loud popping noises as the door is raised and lowered or a door that does not open and close evenly are signs that the door is not properly aligned.

You can extend the life of your garage door and opening system by having your garage door repairs completed by a professional garage door contractor whenever you notice a problem.  Other than lubricating your system in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, it is best to leave garage door repairs to a professional.  The springs and torsion bars are under a lot of pressure and can be dangerous to tinker with unless you know what you are doing.

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Garage Door Maintenance Tips

January 13th, 2011 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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You rely on your garage door to operate properly day in and day out.  When you push the garage door opener button, you expect the door to either open or close without any problems.  Fortunately, most garage doors will operate reliably for years with only a little bit of simple maintenance.  Here are a few tips to keep your garage door working great and avoiding costly garage door repairs.

Lubricate the hinges, rollers, and latches with a little bit of light oil.  Make sure each roller and hinge moves freely.  If any of the rollers or hinges are bound up, they should be replaced.  Tighten any loose bolts or screws.

With the door in the closed position, disconnect the garage door opener and see if the door opens easily by hand.  If not, the spring tension probably needs to be adjusted.  Misadjusted springs will cause your garage door opener to work too hard and it will wear out prematurely.  If the springs need to be adjusted, you should let a professional garage door service handle it.  The springs are under a lot of pressure and can easily cause an injury if improperly handled.

If your opener is a chain or screw type system, lubricate the chain or screw according to the manufacturers specifications.  If you no longer have the service manual, use a little light grease on the screw and light oil on the chain.  Make sure to wipe off any residue before parking your car under it.

Check the weather stripping around the door and under the bottom edge.  Replace any torn or loose weather stripping and make note of any worn areas that indicate where the door rubs against the frame.  Adjust the track as needed to eliminate any binding or rubbing.

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