James Coleman
If your garage door has been running noisily, bouncing on its track, or sagging on one side, do not wait any longer to figure out what is wrong. Keeping an eye on these basic garage door repair services will increase the lifespan of the door as well as help you avoid larger problems in the future. Identifying problem areas With the door closed, run a thorough examination of the metal tracks inside your garage. Check for loose hardware along the length of each track, watching for loose bolts or screws on mounting brackets and spring mounts in particular. If your door rolls up in sections, replace any damaged hinges or tighten the screws on loose ones. Roll-up doors have a vertical track which will also need to be examined once the door is open and out of the way. If your hinges are loose but not broken, the screw hole may be enlarged or stripped. You can replace the screw with a longer one glued to a hollow fiber plug, which you can find at any hardware store. You can also use wood glue or filler to repair tiny cracks in the wood near the hinges. If you notice major cracks or breaks, you may need to replace the wood, re-attach the hinges, and then realign the tracks. As you examine the tracks, keep an eye out for dents and crimps in the metal. Damaged areas can be easily worked out by using a rubber mallet, or with a hammer on a small block of wood held on the dent. If the tracks are badly dented or damaged in several places, however, it is better to replace them entirely. Cleaning The tracks along the garage wall accumulate dirt and grease over time, which can harden and cause operational problems. Using a concentrated household cleaner, clean the tracks and rollers thoroughly. Do not leave them damp to air-dry; instead, use a clean towel or scrap rag to dry all components completely. If your door has developed a particularly noisy ascent or descent, consider a light application of lubricant, silicone spray, or powder. These can be applied to the tracks, rollers, and pulleys. Garage door realigning repair If your metal tracks are loose or have been hit, your door will not operate quietly or smoothly. To avoid further damage to the tracks or rollers, make adjustments as soon as you notice a potential problem. A garage door which swings up has only horizontal tracks, which should slightly slant down toward the back of your garage. Without completing removing the mounting brackets, you can loosen the bolts or screws and carefully tap the tracks back into position. Garage doors that roll up from vertical to horizontal tracks require more work to ensure all parts align equally and accurately. Many garage upkeep issues can be solved as a do-it-yourself project. Still, do not hesitate to call a specialist for major garage door repairs. Proper maintenance is imperative to ensure your door works properly and has a long lifespan. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8487753
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Garage Door Safety Techniques8/2/2018 While automatic garage door openers are convenient, there are many accidents, and even deaths, attributed to them each year. Reasons for this include the fact that the garage door is the largest, heaviest moving object in a home and, because it is convenient, it is often used to enter or exit the home. Older homes, in particular, have automatic garage doors that lack some of today's built-in safety features. One way to ensure your garage is safer is to upgrade to a newer system that has safety features for the door and opener. Since January 1993, the Consumer Product Safety Commission requires all garage door openers have an external entrapment protection system, which is a mechanism designed to free someone from the garage from outside in the event the internal mechanism ceases to function. Older systems do not always include such a feature, increasing the danger of being trapped in the garage. CPSC suggests the auto-reversing feature significantly reduces personal injury and property damage. Newer automatic door openers have this safety feature. Another way to ensure your safety is regular care and maintenance. Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests a monthly inspection of all components of your garage door to ensure everything is in proper working order, which can greatly reduce accidents related to malfunctions. Yearly maintenance and lubrication can make sure that all moving parts are in working order. Have a technician inspect the door every year. There aren't many parts to the door or opener but with one failure, there can be one big accident. Common sense also plays a role in all acts of safety. Parents with young children should pay particular attention to this advice. A popular game with children is "beat the door," where the keypad is activated and the child tries to get out before the door closes. The auto-reverse feature on newer doors, which detects a presence in the path of the door, can prevent the door from coming down on a child, but older garages that lack this feature can be dangerous. Installing an automatic opener with auto reverse and warning your children against playing games with such a heavy object results in less accident potential. Mounting the keypad out of reach of children is recommended as a way to control their use of the garage door. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6672140 The most important aspect of the garage door is its insulation, known as the door's R-value. The R-value is a rating that describes how well the door provides insulation and resistance to heat and cold air flows. The higher the R-value is, the better the insulation. If your garage is used for a work space it will be very hot or very cold at times if your garage door is not insulated sufficiently. In moderate climates an R-value of 3 is recommended. In cold climates an R-value of 10 is recommended. Consider your demographics and its typical weather trends when choosing your R-value. A higher R-value can decrease your energy bills in both moderate and cold climates by preventing cooling or heating of the house by the garage common walls. Now, some people only want functionality, so it is appropriate to start with that goal. But, keep in mind your garage door takes up as much as one third of the front of your house. Shouldn't it reflect your personality then? There are many options of color, material, windows, and decoration to choose from and often they won't break the bank. The styles of garage doors are endless. The garage door style should compliment your house's style. First decide on your panels. Garage doors have flush panels, raised rectangular panels, and raised square panels. If you are unsure of what the panels might look like on your house drive around the neighborhood and see how it fits on other houses. Next choose the material of your garage door. Wooden doors are beautiful and come in two specialty styles, the carriage door and the barn door. They have the appearance of vintage swinging doors, but actually open like a conventional garage door. They can be pricey and high maintenance though. In that case, steel doors are an excellent choice since they are less expensive and relatively low maintenance. So, now you should have a clear picture of the type of garage door you need. The next decision to make is the color. Since the overhead door should complement the house, It is typical to paint the garage door the color of the house's trim. The color of your overhead door can do more than compliment your house though. Dark colors absorb heat and over time can cause your garage door to bow from heat damage. It's your overhead door and of course you can paint it any color you want, but remember non-traditional door colors might be trendy or appealing at the time, but you may get tired of it later. And if you might want to sell your house now or in the future, the color might not be universally appreciated. It could make it more difficult to sell your house. Your overhead door will be with you for a long time possibly. Make sure that you know what you're getting and get what you need. In the end it's your money and you don't want to have to replace your door twice because you got the wrong one the first time or worse, have to live with a garage door you hate. Be informed and be happy instead. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3011755 How To Add Windows to My Garage Door5/24/2018 When you have a garage, you want it to not only work well, but to look great, too. That is why many people look to add windows to their garage door. A window that is added to a door will bring a great amount of aesthetic appeal to the entire garage itself, while, at the same time, adding the illusion of space to your garage. Windows make rooms seem larger than they are, and by adding a window to the door, you are able to let a little light into your garage and to make it seem much larger than it is. In order to add a window to your garage door, the first thing that you need to do is to do a bit of measuring. In order to correctly perform this project, you need to make sure that you have the right measurements. The window must fit into one panel of your door. It can be smaller than the panel, leaving you a bit of trim around the edge of the window, or the same size as the panel, but it can not be larger than the panel on the door. After you've measured the correct size, you can go to the store to purchase your window. You will want to purchase a prefabricated garage door window, as it is the easiest, and the strongest, of windows to use on a garage door. Make sure that you mark the opening where the window will be on the garage door. Again, you will want to measure the window so that you can properly mark your door. When it comes to cutting, it would be a shame for you to have cut too much, so always measure a few times before you make any cuts. It is the back of the window that you want measured, as prefabricated garage door windows have a lip on the back of them which is larger than the front. You may want to use masking tape in order to mark out the size of the window on your garage door to give you some form of a guide, but marking it with a pen or marker should work as well. Using a jigsaw, cut out the hole that you have marked. Caulking is very important, because if you do not use calking, the elements can get in through the new window, so make sure that you use waterproof caulk on the window before you place it in. Once you have pushed it into place, wipe away any of the excess caulk with a rag. Now simply attach the back side of the window using screws. You can then follow with what the manufacturer recommends as to putting together the front and the back of the window. When done properly, you will have a beautiful garage door window that will be strong, sturdy, and that will make your garage look absolutely beautiful. Typically if you call a reputable garage door service company they may be able to add windows to any new door for around $100-$200 or even swap out the top panel and install a row of new windows. There are many different styles and inserts that you can choose from to change the look of your garage door windows. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3051489 The Available Garage Door Springs5/7/2018 Based upon the substance used, a normal garage door may weigh around four hundred pounds. What makes them simple to open and shut by hand or using a remote will be the garage door springs, and the more you understand about the occupation and stress they're always under as a way to wok correctly, the more you'll realize how important it's to get your garage springs maintained and substitute a routine basis. They ought to watch maintenance at least in the start of autumn and Summer. How often a week do you start the garage? You can go a lifetime, not realize a garage can be exceedingly dangerous. When you start the garage, the springs which hold down the door sparks it is pressure and is in it's most comfortable condition. When they're shut the door's springs are in their most tensed condition and in this condition the possible energy they hold can lead to severe harm if this energy was to be discharge. If it's been over two years because you've had your own garage door springs replaced, in it time to do this straight away. Old spring could break and discharge flying bits of metal in a rate that may kill if somebody is at the closed garage in the moment. A properly adjusted door will remain a few feet from closing and won't either rise or drop, But despite the fact that this is an easy idea, it is not always simple to reach and can be harmful. If the alteration to too small the garage door could slip down and also closely it will fly and in both instances this could be deadly. Of all of the the do-it-yourself job which you like to do around the home, if you don't have done it a couple of times until it could possibly be a fantastic idea to find a professional in regards to fixing and replacing garage door springs. This is only because a error here could be deadly as well as several garage door businesses guarantee their work together with the guarantees on the components. Best Garage Door Openers12/26/2017 Although, garage door openers seem like a luxury, they are not. The units aid in helping you to open and close the garage door conveniently. Due to this, it's important that you buy the best openers in the market. To help you out, here are some of the best units to go for: Direct Drive 1042 V001 This is a German-made unit that comes with a ¾ horsepower motor. The good side with the opener is that it doesn't use a belt drive. Instead it makes use of a mobile motor that crawls along a stationary chain. This makes the unit very quiet during the opening and closing of the garage door system. In addition to this, the unit is very easy to install. According to many people who have installed the opener, it takes about 2 to 5 hours to complete the installation. To help you in installing the unit, the opener comes with a manual with easy-to-follow instructions that guide you on how to properly undergo the installation process. The opener also has a lot of power and can lift heavy garage doors of up to 550 pounds and 18-foot-wide. Genie 3042 TKV SilentMax 1000 The unit is very quiet and very powerful in its working. According to the many people who have used it, the only noise that you can hear when opening and closing the garage door is that of the rollers door. It's also very easy to install. In fact some people have said that they have been able to install the units in only 45 minutes. It comes with great additional features such as an interior wall console and a wireless entry keypad. The unit also allows you to install a network adapter of your choice. You can add the adapter in order to monitor the door status from up to 1,000 feet away. Chamberlain Power drive PD210D It comes with ½ horsepower motor that has the ability of handling many residential garage doors. Just like the other openers, the unit is very easy to install. Some people have reported that they take only one hour to complete the installation process. It also comes with other additional features such as a multi-function inside control pad, safety sensor that stop door motion, and a single-button vehicle remote. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8784983 Garage door openers have some great advantages, the obvious one being that you can open your garage without getting out of your car! This is absolutely fantastic when you've just arrived home with a car full of items to unload and it starts pouring cats and dogs. But, with so many models on the market, which is the best option for you? There are a number of considerations you should think about first before looking for a new garage door package or if you are going to retrofit an opener to an existing door. Thinking about what features you would like in advance will save you a lot of time and possibly money. Can you fit an opener to the garage door you already have? It can be possible but it will depend on the type of door, its quality and the tracks. The best thing to do in this situation is to contact a professional installer and get them to have a look, many will do this as part of a free quote. If it cannot be done they can give you options on a new door. How much room is there is your garage? There are three basic types of garage doors, roller, tilt or sectional garage doors. Roller doors are great if you want to make the most of your storage space in your garage, however you do need to make sure you have enough head room for the door top roll up. Tilt doors are an older style, simpler but require more space to open as there has to be room for the door to tilt up and down along a pivot point. If you have limited headroom a sectional door may be just the ticket as they tend to roll back along tracks along the ceiling but you may lose some storage space. Where is your garage in relation to quiet areas in your house? If your garage is near or next to a bedroom you should consider an opener that is as quiet as you can get, otherwise you might be leaving your vehicle outside so anyone having to drive to work early isn't waking up the whole household. What will you do if there is a power outage? Garage doors openers rely on power. If you have internal access from your home to your garage you can open your garage door from inside by operating the door in manual mode. If your garage has no internal access and the main door is the only access point, it is essential to add a manual key release system that will disengage the motor allowing you to open the door from the outside. What safety features are there? Garage doors are large moving objects and misuse or failure can cause serious injury. If you have small children or pets which play in or around your garage you should consider automatic motors that feature infra red safety beams which prevent the door closing if a person, animal or object is detected under it. Another important thing you should consider is installation. Are you a good DIYer (be careful here as self installation usually voids warranties) or are you going to get a professional in to install it? If you get a professional, always check on their installation experience and after sales service. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5235875 AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. 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