More people than ever before are attempting to do home repair jobs themselves rather than paying the high labor costs of having professionals come in. Obviously, some jobs do require the help of a pro, but there are others, such as the repair of your overhead garage door, where you can tackle most of the repair jobs. The challenge comes in learning how to diagnose the problems, deciding what you can do about them, and knowing when to call in expert help. You’ll find that there are many strategies which will keep your garage door in top shape without costing you a lot of money.
The door itself rolls up and down on metal tracks with the help of tension springs. The easiest preventive maintenance you can do is to regularly make it a point to check over the tracks. Look for debris, dryness, dents, or other types of damage. Tracks need to be cleaned and oiled periodically in order to keep them operating smoothly. Dents and dings can be straightened using a rubber hammer. If the tracks have more severe damage, they will need to be replaced. In addition, you need to check all the screws and bolts that hold the tracks in place and tighten them if necessary.
Take a visual assessment of your door. Is it hanging straight, or does it appear to be out of plumb? Check all hinges and tracks to make sure they are in proper alignment and operating correctly. If tightening the screws doesn’t tighten the hinges, it usually means that the screw hole has become enlarged, and you may need to change to a larger screw. If the wood the hinge is attached to has been torn away, wood filler may or may not give you the solid surface you need to reattach it. You can try it, but if it doesn’t work, then it’s time to call an expert.
Tension springs that operate the door can be dangerous due to the pressure that they are under. If you only have one spring above the door, never try to repair or replace it yourself. When you have springs on both sides of the door, it’s okay to tighten screws and try to straighten the springs yourself, if you know what you’re doing. There are websites that will give you step-by-step instructions for tightening springs. If you feel the job is beyond your abilities, call in the professionals.
Most overhead garage doors today are equipped with electric door openers. Once again, you can perform routine maintenance by making sure hardware is tight. If the opener isn’t working, the first thing to check is to make sure that it’s still plugged in. If it is, and if it isn’t working properly, you may need to have it looked at. You can also replace it yourself if you believe it can’t be fixed.
If you are the parent of young children, you may justifiably be concerned about the safety features associated with your garage door. Garage entry ways are large and heavy (especially if you have a steel door), and they move automatically on mechanized tracks. It is easy to imagine the dangers they could pose to toys, garbage cans, and anything else left accidentally in their path, most especially including a small child.
There was a time in the past when this was a real issue surrounding the use of automatic garage doors. Thanks to technology, though, that problem has been largely remedied. Modern garage entry doors come with a number of safety features designed to protect our vehicles, possessions and children. Even older garage entry door opener models commonly have a feature which causes the door to reverse direction if it encounters an obstacle of any kind. Government mandated safety standards made this a non-optional feature in 1993.
Newer garage door systems get even fancier: sensors, placed near the ground on either side of the door, detect any obstruction in their path, and will not allow the door to close at all, or will cause it to reverse. Even a piece of paper blown through the door way at the wrong moment can keep the door from closing. In addition, these sensors can be programmed to turn the light on any time someone walks in or out of the garage through the open door. Another feature of many new garage doors are joints that are design to push fingers out rather than pinch them.
If you have a garage doorway or opening system that predates 1993, you should test it by placing an obstacle underneath it and see if it reverses. You can also do this by leaning on the door as it comes down. If the door does not respond on its own, then you have a dangerous garage door and should serious consider buying a new one, especially if you expect to have children around. Even if you know for certain your system is more recent, it is still a smart idea to test the safety features on your garage door system at least one a year. A good car port door system should 1) refuse to close if something is blocking the line of the sensors, 2) reverse if something breaks the line of the sensors while it is descending, 3) reverse if it hits something or has any particular pressure put on it. All these features are easily checked.
A garage port door that opens and closely automatically is a very convenient thing for any homeowner to have, and most of us can barely imagine having to actually climb out of our cars to open the door for ourselves. Thanks to technology, it is also a safe thing to have, as long as you have a system that is less than seventeen years old and still in good working order.
Just when you thought something as simple as buying a new garage door opener was simple – a girl like me comes along to smarten you up to a few ways that you can get scammed!
Scams have been around since the dawn of man (and woman)- after all, didn’t somebody scam Adam and Eve to get a mouthful of forbidden fruit? Fast forward to a few thousand years later and a declining economy, and scamming is running wilder than Hulkamania in the 80’s.
So how have the criminal masterminds of our time found a way to scam you on something as simple as a garage door opener? Let me enlighten you to 3 of the most common scams in this Geraldo Rivera type expose.
– Safety Eyes – These are the sensors that stop and reverse a garage door if a child, animal or object passes in front of them. It is critical that these are always functioning properly. When you purchase a new garage door opener, they ALWAYS come with new safety eyes. Now here’s the an attempt to save time, pocket some money and have a new item for listing on eBay, a serviceman may try leaving your existing safety eyes installed. When the job is done, make sure to inspect the work and be sure that your NEW safety eyes are in place!
– Wall Button – This is the wall control panel to open and close your garage door. Just like the safety eyes, you’ve already paid for this item. It’s part of your package deal and needs to be installed! Make sure that serviceman doesn’t try hooking up your old wall panel and pockets the new one so he can sell it later. Remember to inspect the entire job and make sure that all your new devices have been installed before you pay.
– Tax Fraud – labor for installation is NOT taxable! Garage door openers are considered a home improvement, and thus not taxable. If your technician is trying to charge you tax, he is trying to defraud you!
– I know I said three, but here’s one last thing you should keep in mind – make sure that your devices are installed properly. You don’t want your tech doing a job where he’s already setting up his next visit as a repair service call. You’re probably asking, “I don’t know the first thing about garage doors, so how would I know if it was installed correctly?” Check out this short video. Although it starts out like a commercial, it quickly shows you what you need to know to identify proper installation.
So, when the time comes to invest in a new garage door, garage door opener, or garage door repair, be sure to keep a look out for some of the most common shady tricks of the trade!
Chances are that your garage door is having problems and not working properly. If this happens what should you do? Well, you don’t have to go too far to know how to replacing them altogether. By following simple steps repair works can be done all by yourself. And if at all you feel this task is too complicated or if you feel what your are doing is too dangerous, you could always look to a service provider.
On the other hand if you decide you can do this job yourself, make sure that you are following all safety measures possible. At the end of the day, your should not get hurt at any point. The very first thing you should do is ensure that all the power supplies to your door are unplugged. This will get rid any possible danger of being electrocuted.
Next, check the metal tracks looking to see if there are any dents on them. If there are any, use a hammer to smooth and remove them. Another step in a repair will require you to check if there any loose bolts and screws that is causing the door to malfunction every now and then. Make sure that the tracks are clean as well as in alignment. If there is any faulty parts, make sure you call upon the manufacturer and get them replaced. On an occasions, you could see the appearance of gooey substance on the rails and rollers of doors. The presence of these things will make the door to get stuck while still in operative mode. Using mild soap and water should fix that problem
While you are looking into different problems related to your repair, make sure you find out what types of springs the door needs. If your door makes use of standard extension spring they can easily be repaired. However, the doors that make use of torsion spring needs a lot of your attention. This is because these springs operate under high tension and one fault of yours could lead into a mishap. It is always a good idea to get garage door service provider’s help in these cases.
If for any reason you find that your door has stopped working what you need to do is remain cool. In these situations, you either have to buy a new one or get some expert advice on it.
If you have a vehicle and you live in a seasonal climate that experiences harsh winters, you know how important it is to protect your car from the elements. Nothing damages your car more on the daily basis than exposure to bad weather. A car that gets wet and is exposed to the snow and cold will rush faster than one that spends it life in a sunny climate. The rougher your winters are, the tougher it is to extend the life of your vehicle. The good news is, there are some things you can do to protect your vehicle and help it last as long as possible. The easiest way to keep your vehicle in good shape is to keep it inside as often as possible. Obviously when you are driving the vehicle it will be out in the elements, but when parked, do your best to protect it. If needed, repair your garage door by using the services of a garage door repair company. This will keep your vehicle safe and protected, even from the harshest of winters.
Those who will be driving around in the inclement conditions will need good tires on their car. In the past, people used to install chains on their tires to help them get around. Some car and trucks still use chains, but snow tires have improved so much over the years that chains may no longer be required for your vehicle. Quality tires for the winter months protect your car and those driving in it, so it is very important you make sure you tires are ready to drive on snow and ice before the bad weather arrives.
Have a mechanic look over your heating and cooling system in the car. If you have been doing without air conditioning all summer, you were probably uncomfortable in the car, but that is the biggest problem. However, without heat, you can create dangerous conditions in your vehicle. When you get into your car in subzero temperatures, you need to warm your body up as much and as fast as possible. Make sure your heating system is in good working order so you can drive comfortably all winter long.
When driving in snowy conditions, you are bound to get road salt on your vehicle. The salt has a tendency to mix with snow and melting ice and it builds up on your car’s exterior. This causes a lot of damage over time to your vehicle, so make sure you wash it off as often as possible. You may not want to get your weekly car wash during the winter months because it will just get dirty again, but the truth is, the car wash does more than just keep your car looking good.
Lastly, when the time comes to drive, be sure you let your car warm up for a few minutes before beginning your journey. If you just start driving as soon as you turn the key, the engine will be cold and you may experience stalling. No matter how uncomfortable it may be sitting and waiting in the cold car, be sure your engine is warm before starting your journey.
If you’re in the market for a new garage door, or even a new house that happens to have a garage and its door attached, then you’re probably concerned with things like what it’s made out of, and what it looks like. You may spend considerable time and money insuring that you have the very best quality, most durable and most beautiful door possible. However, behind that big door is a lot of little parts that are what actually makes it work, and these also deserve your consideration. In particular, consider the springs.
Where the springs are placed depends on the kind of door you have. If you have the kind that swings on a pole, then that is where the springs will be. Most of us however have overhead doors, and in that case the springs attach to the top end of the door. It is from there that they are able to work to take the weight of your door so that it opens and closes smoothly.
Garage door springs are extremely strong generally under a great deal of pressure, especially the sort of single, large spring that is fixed across the top of the door. They are actually quite dangerous because of the pressure they are under. Such springs are made to be extremely strong in order to lift and lower the weight of the door. Anyone who seeks to repair or replace a spring of this kind is actually facing a certain amount of danger, especially if they don’t know what they’re doing.
If the garage door itself requires repair, then the usual practice is to detach it. Before this can be done, the spring or springs have to be detached, for the safety of everyone involved. This should only be done with great care, and with proper precautions taken. People have been known to severely injure themselves attempting to detach a spring without the proper approach. You can buy training manuals that help explain the correct process, as well as proper safety measures.
In the case of garage doors which have one spring on each side, a safety break should be used. The doors are so heavy that if they start moving without something to stop them, the worker could be put in danger. Usually they do not have such break preinstalled. It is absolutely necessary that such doors have a spring on both sides, because one is not enough to take the weight of the door. At the least, the door will not open and close properly, and at the worst, it will become dangerous.